Saturday, October 3, 2015

xc in the arena?

As you might have figured out, I kinda have a thing for creative and interesting jumps - especially if there's a DIY aspect. So today I'm curious specifically about cross country style jumps that can be set up in the arena (or that are at least light weight enough to be moved around).

"table" from OF
Really it was this table from OF that got me really thinking about it. Trainer P used the plywood 'liver pool' to create a ramped table top by resting it on wooden boxes and a jump pole. Super clever, right? Seems easy enough to recreate too, esp since you get bonus liver pool and boxes out of the deal. 

"corner" - also from OF
This little pedestal has stayed on my mind ever since jumping this 'corner' over the summer. Again, it seems easy enough to build - tho I've also seen people just use a barrel or whatever else to rest the poles on. Also, trainer P wanted to cut more plywood in a triangular shape to create a top surface for this jump.

another corner - this time from Nicky Hill Eventing
And then I saw this picture (uh, used without permission, so if anybody from Nicky Hill Eventing is upset that I'm using it.... well, just lmk and I'll pull it down!) which strikes me as super awesome. My first reaction is: omg I need to go to the woods and collect every single twisted pole-sized branch I can find!!! And second of all, look at that adorable bench! 

simple enough brush fence! (source)
This is another pic from the google - just a plain old brush ramp. The construction looks light weight enough that you could easily move it around the arena - or even out to the jump field for practice. Or, if actually building out the ramp bit seems too arduous, perhaps it could just be another gate that can either lean on stuff or hang as it's own jump? 

brush boxes remain brush-less
The stuff I've already built might be able to be repurposed for a more 'cross country' effect too. Like these little brush boxes, tho I'm not entirely sure what the best setup might be.

lattice gate! could be... lattice table? 
The lattice gate maybe has more potential - it could lean on top of stuff or create a spooky table top or something, maybe?? Lol idk, really. I'm also still hopeful that people with actual power tools will eventually finish cutting out the pieces for my wanna-be chevron!

Mostly I guess I'm just trying to brain storm here. I would love to build out our variety of jump options at the farm, especially with obstacles that can stand on their own or that can be adjusted to different heights. The more visually unique, the better.

What materials have you used to build out fun and interesting jumps? Or have you ever seen anything that really caught your eye? Or if you had unlimited time/resources/whatever, what types of obstacles would you want to make?

18 comments:

  1. I LOVE the liverpool/table top piece.. really want to build one of those! And the brushy ramp would be an easy enough build, too. Those squiggly branches look SO COOL AND I WANT THAT. So many ideas... now I can hole up in hubby's wood shop over the winter and make stuff for next year!

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    1. I really REALLY want tree branch poles now too haha. Plus that seems like maybe the easiest DIY of the bunch. But yes you should totally build ALL THE THINGS and take pictures to send me haha

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  2. You are always so creative at coming up with these things! I'd never be brave enough to build my own jumps (well, also not handy enough).

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    1. Lol well I have no shortage of ideas... Tho I don't always actually *do* the things I want to. Still tho, who doesn't love fun jumps?

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  3. We used to put tarps over fences to make them appear more solid. I draped one over an ascending oxer once and it looked like a very blue table. I then nearly discovered whether it felt like a table when hitting it! I love seeing your DIY jumps, they're so cool!

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    1. yea.... tarps seem pretty spooky haha, esp bc the MOVE and make NOISE lol. maybe we'll give it a try anyway?

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  4. I've been dying to make my own jumps. These are awesome! You're so good. ^.^

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    1. i always want to build more more MOAR but dont' seem to have the time. those stick poles seem easily doable tho, so we will see :)

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  5. When I was a kid we had nothing on the place to make jumps out of apart from discarded tyres and thin wood poles we'd cut in our forest. My horses are not afraid of tyres. We jumped solid walls built entirely out of tyres, uprights with tyres leaning on them, poles with tyres hanging off them... Other fences I've seen in arena xc competitions include skinnies and the St. Andrew's cross. I'm not sure if the cross is ever really jumped in the USA, but it is a super fun jump and easy to construct using four uprights, six poles, and a straw bale (or two of the ever-reliable tyres).

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    1. lots of tires are good - we've got a jump made of them out in the field and all the horses love giving it the stink eye haha. they're not super mobile tho, and always end up having nasty disgusting water in them, so i don't really want them in the arena. i LOVED that cross jump tho - definitely pretty crazy looking haha

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  6. I've used hay bales, tires,barrels, and a picnic table in the arena! I am a big fan of the picnic table, because it's a big wide jump and rides well. I like that table you have!

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    1. haha idk.... isabel loves to jump but i'm pretty sure she'd think i was nuts if i pointed her at a picnic table ;)

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  7. I've used old moldy hay bales that can't be fed out - recycling!!! Also, my husband got some super awesome small palettes from his work that I was going to make big brush boxes out of, by I never got around to actually putting brush in them or putting feed on them, but I did jump them just plain a couple times :) I have a whole Pinterest board of smallish XC jumps that could be DIY'd and fit in an arena (basically the only thing I use Pinterest for lol) but I've never actually gotten around to doing any of them :/

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    1. you should post some of your favorites and i would totally steal them lol

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  8. Once I used an old twin sized mattress we were getting rid of to make a liverpool, and then I propped it up on some barrels to make a wall...

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    1. ooooh inneresting! tho i bet if i took an old mattress down to our arena it would stay there forever and ever and get totally nasty and disgusting haha

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  9. This. This is fantastic. I need to craft some ideas like these this winter.

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    1. yaasssss!!! and definitely lmk if you build anything ! i'm always on the hunt for neat ideas

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