Hey all, I am over here from dressage land.
I am looking to do a bit of cross training this winter to give my mare something different to think about. So I wanted to jump a little. Does any one have suggestions on Inexpensive Portable jumps. They don’t need to be big, just safe and preferably not to heavy as I ride in a public arena and I will have to haul them to and from.
You can make some from Christmas tree stands and 4"x4"s 
The stackable blocks are great…light, easy to move. You can use them for raised cavaletties as well as jumps.
Just not all that inexpensive.
http://www.doversaddlery.com/blok-training-system/p/X1-4740/?ids=hs4fouyxezubldc1akxx4wvt
We just typically make our own standards. If you keep it short (under 4’), they are not all that heavy. Just use a drill press for the holes…no fun when the holes are not drilled straight 
[QUOTE=bornfreenowexpensive;7874023]
Just use a drill press for the holes…no fun when the holes are not drilled straight [/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=bornfreenowexpensive;7874023] Just use a drill press for the holes…no fun when the holes are not drilled straight [/QUOTE]For emphasis
I have a steady hand, lots of experience and the right drill and I can’t get holes right for the life of me. I also have been really dragging my feet at buying a drill press… I need to put up an ad on craigslist to see if I can come over and use someone’s.
Yeah, I’m having the same issue… using a spade bit but the damn drill wants to wobble all over the place. Maybe I need a stronger drill?
For those who are making their own standards and don’t have
a drill press to make drilling straight holes easy, consider buying
a drill guide. Costs less than $10. It is a tool that keeps the
drill drilling straight.
For the OP, take a look at the cavallox on our website; something like that might be what you want. The website
is www.dancinghorsehill.com. I am not trying to sell our
product, we don’t ship beyond our region generally. But
our product might give you an idea for something you
can have made locally
I made my schooling standards from 2x4s. One 8-foot 2x4 cut in half is the upright part. Then the feet are just another 8 footer cut into sections (two 2.5 feet, and two 1.5 feet, if I recall correctly).
So it looks basically like:
…|
| … |
|---|
Then use screws on the outside to hold the cups (pin cups). This was relatively simple and easy to do.
They are way lighter than the traditional schooling standard made of an [URL=“http://www.coloradohorsejumps.com/uploads/8/0/9/1/8091142/4638859_orig.jpg”]upright 4x4 with a pinwheel foot construction.
Also I used treated wood - never paint. It’s wonderful!
[QUOTE=Manahmanah;7874252]
For emphasis
I have a steady hand, lots of experience and the right drill and I can’t get holes right for the life of me. I also have been really dragging my feet at buying a drill press… I need to put up an ad on craigslist to see if I can come over and use someone’s.[/QUOTE]
I had no problem drilling the holes. I bought a huge drill bit at Home Depot, and it went really smoothly.
She’s got to haul these to a public arena! Good grief! I’d stay away from wood and use the plastic as much as possible. And a good wheelbarrow to move them!
If you buy a drill press make sure that it has a long enough throw. We have a drill press and 4x4s don’t fit. If the drill bit is long enough to go through the wood then there isn’t room to fit the 4x4 under the bit.
We have used a regular drill with no problem but it is my grandfathers big old heavy drill from the 60’s. They do not make them like that anymore.
Lots of patience, drill in a little, back out the bit, drill in a little further, back out the bit. It allows the shavings to fall off, gives you more control and the drill needs to work a little less once the shavings are out of the way.
A drill guide is useful too.
I have seen 4x4 standards made from hollow PVC. They can be a pain to change the height of the rail quickly because it is hollow. I don’t know where to get them though.
Edit: I found these on HomeDepot’s website but have not seen them in person.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/RDI-4-in-x-4-in-x-39-in-Vinyl-Post-Sleeve-Bagged-VPS039W/203896281?cm_mmc=Shopping|Base&gclid=CI2yg8mrmMICFVNp7AodSnoAWg&gclsrc=aw.ds
I wonder if you could use the really heavy PVC drain piping and drill holes through them and use wood as a base for stability. I would be careful using the PVC for rails as they can encourage a horse to be sloppy and can break into sharp shards.
[QUOTE=Blugal;7876929]
I made my schooling standards from 2x4s. One 8-foot 2x4 cut in half is the upright part. Then the feet are just another 8 footer cut into sections (two 2.5 feet, and two 1.5 feet, if I recall correctly).
So it looks basically like:
…|
| … |
|---|
Then use screws on the outside to hold the cups (pin cups). This was relatively simple and easy to do.
They are way lighter than the traditional schooling standard made of an [URL=“http://www.coloradohorsejumps.com/uploads/8/0/9/1/8091142/4638859_orig.jpg”]upright 4x4 with a pinwheel foot construction.
Also I used treated wood - never paint. It’s wonderful![/QUOTE]
This what I have. With landscape ties (from Home Depot) for rails. I can easily throw a standard over my shoulder. But… I just moved my 5 jumps and 4 cavaletti to the barn for winter and… consider PVC rails. Each jump requires 3 trips, (unless you have a helper to set the second standard on your other shoulder) and by the time you move 2 or 3 jumps to the arena, school your horse, put 2 or 3 jumps away… you are going to have had an excellent workout.
[QUOTE=bornfreenowexpensive;7874023]
The stackable blocks are great…light, easy to move. You can use them for raised cavaletties as well as jumps.
Just not all that inexpensive.[/QUOTE]
You can buy Horsemen’s Pride knockoffs of the pricey Blox system in pairs. If I were looking to buy some, I’d wait for a “no FOB charges” sale at Big Dees, which happens now and again (especially in the dead of winter). It’s not as cheap as making your own, but they’re very lightweight and portable.
http://www.bigdweb.com/Jump-Blocks-Pairs/productinfo/BLOK77/
I bought a set of “Blox” in 1988
Still using them almost every day
Never need paint
Never need REPAIR!
Never Break
Easy to move and stack
[QUOTE=Blugal;7876929]
I made my schooling standards from 2x4s. One 8-foot 2x4 cut in half is the upright part. Then the feet are just another 8 footer cut into sections (two 2.5 feet, and two 1.5 feet, if I recall correctly). [/QUOTE]
Do you have a pic of this anywhere? Your icon lines are awesome, but this super-visual person can’t quite “see” it. I get the upright part, LOL, just not how the feet are attached. Good idea!
You can get a 4 X 4 foot PVC “sleeve” for sliding over posts and use that. Cut it in half, leave it hollow. You’ll need to use screws to attach the feet (made out of a piece of PVC fencing)
I have these
I really like them for my indoor arena as they take very little room to store, are quite safe and the cats can sit on them. The top (if catless) also works well as a cup holder.
May be more than you want to spend, but definitely very portable, sturdy, and easy to transport.
If you don’t want to drill holes for jump cup pins then you can consider this
http://www.jefferspet.com/products/roma-keyhole-track-for-jump-cups
http://www.jefferspet.com/products/roma-competition-jump-cups-pair
Everything at Jeffers Equine is 15% off today enter code BLACKFRI14
I just use metal jump cups which fit looser around my standards and make for easier adjustment through my less than straight holes. That and I don’t always care if I can’t get the pin all the way through.
There are some in the indoor where I ride that basically look like normal standards but they are only about 2’ tall. (You could make them bigger if you want, but the bigger they get the heavier and harder to move they would be.) Instead of holes drilled for cups, the top is cut in a shallow V shape that the poles can rest in. So they can make a crossrail or a small vertical.
[QUOTE=jn4jenny;7878320]
You can buy Horsemen’s Pride knockoffs of the pricey Blox system in pairs. If I were looking to buy some, I’d wait for a “no FOB charges” sale at Big Dees, which happens now and again (especially in the dead of winter). It’s not as cheap as making your own, but they’re very lightweight and portable.
http://www.bigdweb.com/Jump-Blocks-Pairs/productinfo/BLOK77/[/QUOTE]
Ha ha, my horse would clobber those!
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