What heights of jumps are considered high? I’ve been learning how to jump these past few months, and during today’s lesson my instructor raised the height of my jumps slightly from what they normally are. Afterwards I asked her how high those jumps were, and she said around two feet. Obviously as a beginner I know that’s not high, but what is considered high? Just curious is all.
I think “high” is generally relative to both the size of the pony/horse and the level of the rider. A young child on a small pony might think an 18" jump is huge. A novice adult on a small horse might think 3’ looks imposingly high to jump.
Typically, most riders not training to do jumpers, higher level XC or show jumping, 3’3" or 3’6" is probably about as high as they jump. So often the size of the jumps are limited based on your discipline and of course, the athletic ability of the horse…
3’6" would seem low to a rider that is already doing jumpers at 4’6". Just like 4’ would look small to someone doing the highest level of XC and show jumping at over 5’.
So, it all relative! 
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Yup! @4LeafCloverFarm said it well. It’s all relative.
For me 3’9" would be high. My 3’6" horse is scopey and still in his prime so I can make an amateur mistake at 3’6" and he can get us over, anything higher and it pushes my boundaries mentally.
My other horse is getting older and 3’ is now comfortable for him, he can go higher but for safeties sake we don’t.
My mom didn’t start riding until she was in her thirties. 3’ would be high for her, 2’6"/2’9" is where she’s comfortable.
It also depends on the type of jump. I find a hunter jump more imposing with all of the fill, some people find the jumper jumps more nerve wracking since they don’t have a ground line. A 2’6" x-c jump may also seem just as “high” as a plain schooling jump because of the mental aspect (uneven terrain, solid jump, etc).
In general I would say the 3’ divisions and under have the most entries at any given show. So most jr/am riders seem to find anything over that “high”.
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I would say with a sweeping generality that 3’6 is where the fences start to get “high”. In order to jump around that height safely and effectively you need both a horse and rider with some talent and good education. Of course, like others have mentioned, it’s all relative.
I think for a lot of lesson students on lesson horses, 2’6"/2’9" is about where they max out and 3’ seems really high. It’s not necessarily the talent level of the horse or rider that maxes out, but other variables, like that the horses are doing many lessons per week, so the barn wants to keep the workload a little lighter.
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The jumps really need to be at least 2’6" for an average size horse to get all four feet off the ground at the same time for even a split second as opposed to lope overs at lower heights where there actually is no real “jump”. Really need to get to 3’ to even start to get any actual airtime. To me 4’ is getting big with lots more airtime and much greater possibility of horse nor being able to compensate for rider mistakes and go over regardless of pace or distance.
A stuffed 3’6" oxer 4’ wide is also “big” because it is very unforgiving if you are 3 strides out seeing nothing and too much for most horses to get over from bad spots, not enough pace or crooked. So it does depend but Ill go with all four feet off the ground and airtime to define bigger jumps.
I agree with the others, its all relative. To me 3’6" seems high. I started back riding (I did Western as a kid) in April of 2013, and was jumping 2’ by the end of August same year, which seems similar to you. If it seems too big, tell your instructor. Both people and horses can get over-faced and that hurts confidence. I’d say once you get to 2’6 the move ups start to get slower if you are a 3x a week rider. As the jumps get bigger, mistakes become more serious. At 2’ you should be able to miss completely and your horse can still save you, at 3’ that’s not always the case.
I’d agree with a lot of people that for me, around 3’6" is where it started to feel “big” to me. Moving up from 18" to 2’, to 2’6", to 3’, to 3’3" was all fairly straightforward over time in terms of technical skills. Making the move up to 3’6" felt like I had to learn a whole bunch of new skills to handle the change in motion.
That being said, it took me 10+ years to ever make it to a 3’ fence because I was a nervous nellie and didn’t want to jump anything big haha. So my answer a few years ago would have been that 3’ is high. It’s all relative!!
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I’ll add that any horse or pony can walk over a jump 18" high (or higher if a tall horse) but they would need to take a canter stride at 2’ or so (not a real jump), which may put off the rider more than anything. They say “any sound horse can jump 3’ " and with sufficient motivation, I’d say any horse can jump one 3’6” jump. Get to 4’ and that’s a reduced number of horses, and the number gets lower the higher you go.
Many horses can jump 5’ over a fence to get to a buddy or nice grass, but with a rider on top? Around a whole course? Not so much.
So for every horse “high” is relative. Athletic ability is one aspect affecting the height a horse can jump, motivation and desire another, and consistency is the third.
I think 3’6" is where you either fish or cut bait. 3’6" requires a more accurate ride and the jumps are less forgiving if you make a mistake. The lines are longer and a chip or a long can have a serious effect on how your horse jumps. Horses can turn sour in a hurry if they are repeatedly put to a bad distance at fences of this height.
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