Hunter horse show jumps are built with many different elements--from standards to poles to flower boxes-- to make it a complete hunter jump. All these hunter jump components play a part in how the horse jumps them and are equally important to practice over.
So, you need to practice all these elements at home before you enter the hunter ring. Here's everything you need to build a complete hunter jump at home:
Standards
The base of every jump is the standards, because you can't build a jump without them. For practicing at home, you can stay simple by using aluminum stick or picket standards to build your jump. Or, to more accurately mimic the hunter jumps you see at the show, get the same standards!
DJC offers a variety of designer series hunter standards which are light and durable for your home ring, but use designs that are common in the show ring.
Hunter Poles
The hunter ring has different styles of poles than the jumper ring, so it's important that you have those on your hunter jump too. You won't find striped poles in the hunter ring, so make sure to build your hunter jump with solid-colored poles, turf poles, and birch poles.
Hunter Gate
A hunter gate is a ladder-style gate that solidify the jump. In the hunter ring, this element appears on almost every jump.
Gates help horses get comfortable jumping solid-looking obstacles. While not physically heavy, they look more solid than simple poles and create a sort of optical illusion as they have the ladder cut-outs — which can make some horses think twice. Practicing with gates at home builds confidence and helps your horse stay calm when they encounter them in the show ring.
Hunter Wall
Hunter walls are small(er), but mighty. They test your horse’s boldness and ability to stay committed when a fence looks bigger or more solid. Practicing walls at home means you can prepare for that visual question — and approach it with confidence.
Bonus points if you match your hunter walls to the standards and poles (i.e. birch boxes for birch standards and poles). This is how hunter jumps are set in the show ring anyways!
Flower Boxes
Flower boxes are decorative planters placed under or in front of poles, gates, or walls. They’re classic hunter-ring décor.
Though they look pretty, flower boxes change how the horse uses their eye and judgment when taking off. They give the jump depth and width. Practicing with them at home teaches your horse that bright, cheerful fillers are still safe to jump, building trust and consistency.
Pro-Tip:
Most hunter jumps at the show have matching standards, poles, gates and boxes (for example, everything would be the birch design, or everything would be a log-end design); so, to better prepare for the show, make sure you have a few jump sets where all the components have the same design!
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Ta Da, now you have yourself a complete hunter jumper horse jump!
You can buy all the materials to build your hunter jump for DJC, or even buy a complete hunter jump package that includes all these components right on our website. If you want to build a custom hunter jump, you sure can by contacting us directly.