I have a quarter horse at home and I don’t know what the normal jumping height is for them. I jump at 3ft and sometimes 3 1/2ft but I am fairly new at jumping and taught both of us to jump. I have research a ton on jumping form and heights but never found anything about appropriate heights and what they are at shows.
Does anyone show at AQHA shows to know? Thanks for anyone who can help.
There is no appropriate height for the breed. You will see some that will never get above the 2/2’6" height because they have poor form. And then you will see some that will go 3’6" and above. Currently, the open horses show 3’3" (changed last year from a max of 3’6"), and amateur and youth show 3’. The novices show 2’6" generally but can be put up to 2’9". With the greenies, what is supposed to be our first year green is 2’6" and our second year is 2’9", but you will see a lot of horses do both of the classes at the same time which is legal. They don’t have to have the fences set at the max, but from what I am remembering these are the max.
The strides are generally set on a 12’ line, although on occasion I have seen them set a bit shorter and a bit longer depending on the horses and riders there. Will also see some handy elements thrown in on occasion which is now legal for our hunter rounds, plus the regular equitation stuff.
[QUOTE=sandsarita;8057068]
There is no appropriate height for the breed. You will see some that will never get above the 2/2’6" height because they have poor form. And then you will see some that will go 3’6" and above. Currently, the open horses show 3’3" (changed last year from a max of 3’6"), and amateur and youth show 3’. The novices show 2’6" generally but can be put up to 2’9". With the greenies, what is supposed to be our first year green is 2’6" and our second year is 2’9", but you will see a lot of horses do both of the classes at the same time which is legal. They don’t have to have the fences set at the max, but from what I am remembering these are the max.
The strides are generally set on a 12’ line, although on occasion I have seen them set a bit shorter and a bit longer depending on the horses and riders there. Will also see some handy elements thrown in on occasion which is now legal for our hunter rounds, plus the regular equitation stuff.[/QUOTE]
Did they change it? When does it go into effect? The rule book I looked at the other day said 3’6 still.
OP, as a jumper with a QH… QH doesn’t limit your height. It’s particular horse to height limit. There are warmbloods that CAN’T jump, and there are the ones that do GP like they are in a cross rail class. There are QH that hang their knees and can’t jump, but there are some that are crazy talented and will jump anything. A talented, well trained QH could do a big class, and it has been done before! If you are talking AQHA shows only, the poster above stated it all.
Let him do what he can do–some of them are scopey as hell! My good event horse was, all 15.1 of him. I don’t think the limitations are breed-based as much as conformation and spunk. Years ago there was an AWESOME little Open horse named Threes and Sevens–he was a dead ringer for my guy, and he lit up the Garden believe me.
On the Eventing side, Stephen Bradley took his QH, Futures Options, to the Barcelona Olympics.
Get a good trainer, take him to open shows, and let him show you what he can do! :yes:
My barely 15 h paint horse jumps 3 feet 3 like we are doing 18 inches. I find his form gets better the higher the jump. However, I would consider him lighter than some quarter horses/paints. He has a lot of TB in him, some of the quarter horse lines do too. If your horse has a huge shoulder, he may have issues jumping higher than 3 feet.
Most AQHA shows with English riding that I have been to were hunters or hunt seat. The heights were the usual devisions; 2 ft 3, 2 ft 6, etc up to I believe 3 ft 3. However that was back on the west coast, not sure where you are.
Your best bet is to find your local show, call them up, and ask.
As far as the fence heights needed to jump at the shows (which is what you asked about in the OP 
), I show aqha and am pretty sure it is 2’6"- 2’9" for the novice classes, 3’-3’3" for the regular youth and amateur, and 3’6" for the open. Just a heads up though, its common knowledge that most aqha shows don’t show at the rulebook height, fences are typically set 3-6" smaller.
My fat QH can jump the moon. He’s short coupled and has a lot of spring. But, because nothing on the hunt field is higher than 3’, I rarely ask him for any kind of height near what you are doing. Of course the other factor is I’m closer to 70 than I am to 50.
Foxglove
My first hunter was a QH. He did the A shows rather than AQHA and spent most of his time at 3’.
Also had a 15.2hh QH jumper who competed to 1.5m.
There is a range of type among QHs, but they can be successful on the A circuit as well as AQHA. Have fun!
I had a very nice 15.3h QH that I regularly showed (not on AQHA though) in the 3’ and would have moved him up to 3’6" if he’d had the scope to make it down the lines. He had the scope to jump the 3’6" jumps no problem, but would have really had to hustle to get the step.
Like everyone else has said, it’s particular to your horse and the shows you want to do. Are you looking to show just AQHA or do you want to do open shows as well?
I have two APHA horses - one with regular papers who barely scrapes over 3’ and is much more comfortable at 2’6. The other has breeding stock papers, but can jump the moon. Since most APHA shows don’t offer breeding stock jumping classes, we stay at the open shows 
Rant: If the APHA wants to keep their organization alive, they need to open up their classes to all horses and not just the ones with lots of color!!! /rant
I think you should find a trainer to help you.
I will be blunt here as there seems to be an influx of either trolls or total novices to this BB. I have NEVER EVER EVER seen someone who wings it on their own at home with no experience and no trainer EVER do well at a show. Your questions tell me that you need to enlist in the help of an experienced professional before you attempt a show.
OP? If you are still here, how many horses do you own? This one you want to jump, the weanling you posted about and you said you also had other horses? Do you have a trainer who can help you understand oxers, walls, round tops and other type jumps you will find on the course? Each is different in how the horse sees it and how you approach it. More then height if you want to start showing one of your horses over fences at any show.
Findeight said it in a much less grumpy manner than I did.
I just see so many people who go to shows, are a danger to themselves and others, but have no idea why people are gasping in horror. The height of the fence is not an issue, it’s everything else, and the OP sounds very inexperienced with jumping and with young horses.
There is no real height limit.
My old Appy mare could do 3’3, 3’6 with a rider and easily jumped 4’3 ramped oxer without. She was 14.3 3/4 and scopey as heck.
It all depends on the individual.
I would agree with others here, get a good trainer before you attempt showing.
my quarter horse has unlimited scope, he’s my 3’6 hunter/equitation horse. he is incredible
I showed my Reining bred 15.2hh QH in Jumpers at Congress this year. Amateur was 3’3-3’6 and Open was 3’6-3’9 just like it says in the rulebook. I’d also heard that they don’t usually set the jumps at maximum height but these definitely were. The standards are 6’ not the typical 5’ so the jumps look smaller from the stands and in videos than they actually are. Unfortunately, it seems that most of the English stuff at AQHA shows is on the flat only and if there is jumping it’s Hunters only, not Equitation and definitely not Jumpers. (This is in my area at least). I second (third? fourth?) the posters above who said work with a pro trainer. I’ve been riding about 25 years (I have an Eq background, did 3’6 back in high school) and there’s no way I could’ve made it to Congress without my trainer. The way a pro knows the exercises that both horse and rider need to reach their maximum potential can’t be replaced.
As long as physically fit any horse or pony can jump a 3 foot fence.
Don’t forget that if you are jumping a 3 foot course that that includes fences that are 3’ high and 3’ wide.
To get around a showjumping round you not only need to be able to jump the height and width, but you need to be able to lengthen and shorten your strides for related distances and most of important, you need to be able to ride your hprse away from other horses and into the ring by itself.
[QUOTE=SuzieQNutter;8063658]
As long as physically fit any horse or pony can jump a 3 foot fence.
Don’t forget that if you are jumping a 3 foot course that that includes fences that are 3’ high and 3’ wide.
To get around a showjumping round you not only need to be able to jump the height and width, but you need to be able to lengthen and shorten your strides for related distances and most of important, you need to be able to ride your hprse away from other horses and into the ring by itself.[/QUOTE]
Ok, I have heard this fact too… But let me tell you a story.
I am sure there is a similar height for physically fit humans. I am fit. I can easily run a few miles, I weight train 3-4 times a week, eat well, etc… My standing jump is approximately 4 inches. It is completely comical, but entirely true. I think my brain is missing the necessary hard wiring to communicate to my body how to get off the ground.
I choose to believe there are horses like me who are similarly unable to get their feet off the ground very high.
