Missing this view is torture. Photo by Holly.

We don’t realize how much we live and die with our horses’ soundness, health, and wellbeing. There are so many things that go into a sound and fit horse to ride each day; to be without one seems to rock your world so much that you question why you want this torture.

When my horses are lame or sore or are having a hard time coping with heat or cold, I suffer. I think about them while working: Are they warm enough, are they in the shed away from the hot sun, will their fly spray last until I get home? When they are missing a shoe, hobbling about from a lameness or injury, I can’t sleep at night thinking about what I could have done, or should have done, or should be doing.

Oh yes, I have gotten up in the middle of the night to ice a knee, soak a hoof, or just check on a sleepy eyed horse snoozing away in his stall, perfectly comfortable, until I turned on the barn lights and woke him up. I can’t stand the obsessive thoughts of their comfort so I call my vet, text my farrier, cry to my friends or endlessly google the lameness subject of the week until I feel secure I’ve done all I could. I always feel I have one more thing I could do, though. I have to find the off setting for the driven need to Take Care Of Everything.

Recently I was laid up with an injury that has had me out of the saddle for many weeks while I healed and got back strength. Meantime, my two “Can’t Make A Face Like An Event Horse” aged prospects got to relax. Along with that slack time, one decided it was the perfect opportunity to make me worry about a deep crack in a foot that has gotten steadily worse since spring monsoon season. So while he’s on the shelf, I eagerly waited for the day I could get back on the other one and start riding again.

Well, let me tell you. When you are 25, you just climb back in the saddle, walk about a bit and off you go. When you are a bit further along than that (I can check the “Vintage Rider” box on the entry form these days) it ain’t that easy, folks. I really am impatient with the slowness of the rehab in the saddle, so I do not want to miss a day at all when I can ride. It puts new meaning into dedication. “Can’t….miss…one….day,” I say to myself as I haul ass home after work and dive into breeches, hobble to the field and catch the one sound one left to ride.

My whole world crashed when he came in missing a shoe. Desperately trying not to sound desperate, I text my farrier. Good luck, he can come this afternoon. All day at work I race to finish so I can be home to hold him, and suddenly — no, not this afternoon, tomorrow; can’t get there. Oh my! I am upside down, no farrier, no ride tonight!

Then I get a grip and laugh at myself. Good grief. I can miss one night’s ride! Tack needs conditioning anyway. Clean something. Fix something. Work on one of my many unfinished projects that got dumped when I got the doctor’s OK to ride again. Take it easy, it’s ok. Look at friends’ videos on social media that I have been meaning to watch for a week.

That’s life on hold until the farrier arrives … no big deal. Until he gets here and the horse is shod and ready to go, and I am thinking while I am at work, guess what, I can RIDE when I get home! And I get all obsessing again! What breeches, where’s the bridle, clean pad, remember to … oh boy, I can ride! Yay! I have got to calm down. (But I can ride!)

Without volunteers I would be sunk. Photo by Holly Covey.

Help, help. I’m crippled and I can’t unload my jump trailer on Saturday night at Fair Hill. Will you help? It’s only for an hour or so.

Yes. Yes. Ting. Ting. Ting. My phone chimes with notice that helpers are coming. Friends answer the call, while I am on the Crutches Struggle Bus with a bad knee that went rogue and had to be operated on just 10 days before the second of three combined tests I was managing at Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area in Elkton, MD.

Katie McIntyre on her green OTTB, Indian Fighter, winning Intro Dressage. Photo by Steven King.

The joy of those tings coming from my half-dead phone made my heart sing — that friends would help, yes, they are coming, they will unload the whole trailer and the dressage arena, duck for cover while a thunderstorm waters the ring, then carry on setting up everything and putting everything in the secretary shack for the following day of competition. We have to haul everything in for one day — all jumps, the dressage ring, prizes, banners, everything — and it all has to be loaded and taken back home at the end of the day.

Artist Becky Raubacher of Animals To Wear contributed this incredible panel to our jump collection — one of a kind. Photo by Holly.

When I set up these combined tests, I thought I could handle it pretty much myself, because I usually think that way about just about everything I do in the event world. How wrong I was! When you send in your reservation it is official — you’re going to hold a show — but until it gets REAL, about four days before, you really don’t know if you can do it all yourself. And the answer is of course, you can’t.

Without the largesse and kindness of a few friends, some of whom don’t even event at all, most of the rest of us would not enjoy this sport even a tiny bit. The amount of  detail and paperwork in even an unrecognized combined test with less than 100 entries is staggering for one person already working a full time job. Emails, scheduling, times for jumping classes, copies of ALL the different tests being ridden, judges, stewards, scribes, clear round tickets … the list goes on and on. Our shows actually have some sponsorship and we have stuff to give away and packets with brochures, and I like to make sure all the riders who compete enjoy the day.

I do the courses (from the 18-inch to the CIC** course — yes, one course made to fit all in one day), I build the jumps, I order the ribbons, I clerk, organize, beg, set up, measure, hand out and pay. It’s crazy and yet people have fun and horses grow — you see them so unsure over the first jump, then the rider sits up and kicks a little, and the second and third jumps are better and by number 8 or 9 they are confidently hopping around and the big smile means something got accomplished.

We don’t do it for money, we do it for love. And how much can you thank the people who save your sorry butt when you are hopping about on one leg? As much as you can!

(The combined tests are Friends Combined Tests at Fair Hill NRMA Foxcatcher Ring, Elkton, MD. Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/friendsct.)

Look out for those cobwebs. Photo by Holly Covey.

You. There on the couch watching Madam Secretary. In your sweatpants, pajamas, shorts, t-shirt, or expensive Christmas sweater. Yes, you. Time to get up and do Night Check.

Nothing strikes fear in the heart of the lounging rider more than this daily chore after dark. Why do we do this? Because we know there is something Out There in the barn or the field that needs our attention. Most of the time, things are quiet and there’s just an errant mouse who slips past the napping barn cat to scare the crap out of you, but there’s that one time when you find … so you get off the couch, pull on a jacket and get out there.

The cold smacks you upside the head, and you trudge to your barn on the well-worn path or across the yard by memory. The barn is quiet, the horses are good. Great. Back to bed. Of course now that you are up again you stay awake for a few more hours doing something on the computer like writing a blog. Or reading Facebook ridiculousness. There’s always something gruesome or cute to keep you awake for hours.

But there’s always the chance you did not chain the gate like you thought you did. And then in the dark your heart sinks when you see the open gate and there are no bright little eyes out in the paddock. Or you step off your porch and run smack into a possum, a deer, the neighbor’s dog, a congress of crows stealing food from the bird feeder (yes, that’s the plural for a bunch of crows, how appropriate, eh?) and the worst, a large wet spider web.

Or you find a horse in trouble, which is the real reason for night check. A groaner, covered with shavings, rolling in his stall — colic. A cast horse, too quiet, all sticking heads out but him. A horse with a fever, standing head low, in pain or sick, a horse with no food touched, not eating. A loose horse, snacking on hay in the aisle belonging to someone else and terrorizing other horses.

Sometimes, to your relief, it’s just as simple as a light left on or a door not quite latched. There are any number of crazy things that can happen and just because you got up and went out, you found them. The worst? The smell of burning wire and black smoke — that’s the worst night check ever — and the sight of sparks in the tack room from an electrical appliance shorting out, just about to cause a fire. Wow. You want to camp out in the barn that night, the heck with the couch!

I have nightlights in my barn and a motion detector light that is a bit brighter: If I see that light on from the house I know something TALL triggered it and out the door I go (it’s set so a cat or errant fox or neighbor’s dog won’t trigger it, gotta be human or horse height).

I have a flashlight by the back door always charged or batteried. If you have horses out in paddocks you want to see those eyes. Counting eyes and dividing by two gives you the proper number out in each particular pen. More eyes than the daylight math and you have a problem, like a fence down or something. Sometimes it’s just the deer coming through on the nightly wander, but everybody gets counted.

Night check takes only moments. I usually give more hay to those who are out of it, check water quickly and run my eyes from long practice over legs, head, eyes, ears, and make sure I see poop in the stall in the usual place. In summer we usually pick up the stalls to keep them as clean as we can in hot weather; in winter we may not but I still always check the poop is normal to ward off early signs of colic. I also quickly check feed tubs to make sure all cleaned up dinner, too. The kitty gets a snack and the lights are off, and back to the house I go.

It’s more than just being safe. It’s quiet and the world belongs to the animals in the dark — you’re just wandering through. It gives you a few moments of clear peace, when nothing really matters that invades your mind during the day. Just you and your horses and the sounds of munching hay. That is all you need.

Of course they can get into trouble in the next five or six hours until someone gets in the barn to feed, but I can sleep without worrying I’ve left the gate unlatched or the water to the field tub turned on all night. Which I have done. That’s my night check. Just another way to try and stop the Worry Machine from taking over.

Holly Payne Caravella and Bruisyard Hall. Photo by Jenni Autry.

If you obsessively read everything at EN, you’ve already seen the previous two blogs about decorating cross-country jumps (here and here), so for those of you waiting for completion, here’s the promised show jumping jazz up blog!

This is probably a good time to talk about a couple of safety things. As you know, horses have a pretty touchy self-destruct button, and if a horse can scrape, bump, poke, cut, bruise or otherwise injure themselves on something sticking out somewhere, they probably will. And if it’s something you put there, it’s going to make you feel bad at the least. So take the time to follow a few basic rules about decorating show jumps.

First, nothing on the poles. They need to be clear and free so they can fall if hit. If you want your plain jump poles to look cool, paint them. Add a matching painted set of planks or a fancy gate. Consider a flower box as a ground line with matching flower colors to your pole stripes. Fancy standards to match your poles. But nothing on the poles except paint.

Second, the course designer will have a few ideas that he or she wants followed and will want to have you provide things – or not – at some jumps. Unlike cross-country, some show jumping courses do not always have ground lines at the obstacles and the trend, like it or not, is toward airy fences that really test a horse’s ability to jump clean.

So be very sure to follow directions when it comes to building your show jumping course — less is often more. If you’d like to do something but are not sure, check with the CD first. To dress your standards a little, you can add artificial flower garlands and just drape them over front and back.

Another fancy thing to use is hanging flower baskets which are often seen on the hunter courses. Loads of beautiful flowers and greenery at the base of the standards always looks elegant – decorators achieve this look by tipping full pots of flowers on their sides to “hide” the pots of the standing plants. You’ll need a lot to do this.

Fancy decor at Rolex on the sides and base of standards. Photo by Holly.

Where you can make a difference is color. Consider painting both poles and standards to match. When you set jumps in a line, use colors that go together, or you can do just the opposite, make them all different colors, but decorate them consistently, such as using the same size of flower pot or evergreen on the ground by the standards for every fence. Or use matching standards, and vary the poles and fillers.

Small but solidly made fillers like these will help add color. Photo by Holly.

There are many ideas out there that include fun decorations and themes — you don’t need to stick to natural things for show jumping and that’s the fun of it.

However, anything you choose to use should be able to be secured to a standard, or stand upright on the ground by itself, and will not require repair or replacement should a horse knock the standard over.

Everything needs to stay the same for all riders, so if something gets broken, it has to be sturdy enough to be picked up and set back and look the same as it did before it fell over. This will limit your choices a little. Zip ties are your friends!

Or even this….geese….really? I thought my horses would be terrified and they didn’t even notice them! They are pushed down into the footing and are heavy enough to withstand wind and rain. But they are a bit much!

Stay away from inflatable anythings, or items of lightweight plastic that are likely to blow over or require attention; also avoid banners or flags or things that flap or wave, as they are an undue hindrance to a concentrating jumping horse. (See rule number 2 below)

For a little guidance, here’s some relevant rules from the official rules for show jumping from the 2016 USEA rule book (EV149):

“1. The obstacles must be inviting in their overall shape and appearance, varied and match their surroundings. Both the obstacles themselves and their constituent parts must be such that they can be knocked down, while not being so light that they fall at the slightest touch or so heavy that they may cause horses to fall or be injured. 2. The obstacles must not be unsporting and they must not cause an unpleasant surprise. 3. The obstacles should have a balance of vertical and spread obstacles. Closed combinations are not permitted. A water jump is not permitted, but a liverpool no wider than 1.8m (6ft.) with rails over the water is allowed. 4. Poles, which must be constructed of timber or have a solid wood core, and other parts of the obstacles are held up by supports (cups). The pole must be able to roll on its support; in this case the support for the top poles should have an ideal depth of 25 mm (1”), in any case the minimum depth is to be 20 mm (¾”) or a maximum depth of 30mm (1 ¼”). For planks, balustrades, barriers, gates, etc. the supports must be more open or even flat, with a maximum depth of 13 mm (½“). 5. The minimum length of the jumping element of an obstacle is 2.45m (8ft).”  (Width or face of a “skinny” should be no smaller than 8 feet.)

Most show jump courses have a mix of obstacles with just poles, poles and gates, perhaps a wall or coop with a pole or two on top, planks with a pole on top, or other feature like a liverpool plastic, etc.

If you have a solid but plain wall or box, consider painting it to look like brick or stone, or go and get some inspiration at Home Depot or Ace Hardware in the floor tile department — there are some wonderful patterns available to use as a template or even apply stick-on squares to a jump.

I’ve used a nice marble tile-look flooring for the panels on a gate (and caulked it all around for water resistance), and it’s held up a year in wet conditions without trouble. It is necessary to make sure that your flower bouquets in your flower boxes do not stick up past the top rail, however, this will only probably come into play if your course is set at a low height and your flower boxes are higher. You can always push the flowers down in the holes, too (just have to get them out later!).

Push stems down into the holes and drill more holes to create a fuller look to your flower box filler

These large urns filled with fake flowers are great to use

Sourcing your flowers and materials doesn’t have to be expensive. Find suitable artificial or synthetic flowers at just about any store, and live plants and flowers at your local grower, farm and garden store or big box store.

Synthetic flowers today are both vinyl and silk, with the vinyl probably a bit tougher in terms of outdoor use. I think some silk flowers if well made will last if you don’t leave them out year round.

You can order matching stems and bouquets for flower boxes online if you can’t find enough that match; craft stores like Hobby Lobby have a huge selection.

Shop dollar stores, too, and be looking for fake flowers especially out of season — I found some fabulous big rose-like flowers in bright spring colors right before Christmas one year at a local discount retailer for just pennies. Big bouquets fill spaces very well, so look for the large bundles as they are more cost effective.

You can always cut them apart with nippers and separate smaller stems out if you need to fit a smaller amount through the flower box holes. Enlarge your holes if you need to, or drill a few more as long as you don’t compromise your top board.

Just matching pots and flowers, here a mix of live and fake, makes a difference. Photo by Holly.

Keep an eye out for plants that have some height, as they tend to work best. I also look for items in pairs, so that the consistent look of the same size plant is on both sides of the jump.

As with cross-country, don’t forget the back, we don’t put a lot of stuff under a show jump, but they do usually bring the flowers on the sides around to the back of the standards.

Here’s how they do jumps for the big competitions; below, see plain. Photo by Holly

To safely place artificial flowers in pots that will withstand the elements and wear and tear on a show jumping course for a day or two, plan to put something in the pot’s bottom that will be heavy and keep it stabilized.

Because I don’t want a horse to step in a pot, I avoid putting them under or near the jumpable portion, but on the sides near the standards.

If you look at the photos, all the floral greenery is really well off to the side and not interfering with the standard or the elements of the jump unlike cross-country jumps where decor is right under the fence, front and back. I think this is really the way to make a course look beautiful and clean.

Early season course with clean look. What would you add to dress this up?

An event rider's team gathers before he heads into the dressage ring at the 2014 World Equestrian Games. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

From having been in this riding-horses business for a very long time, I’ve got a few ideas about who I should listen to when it comes to training myself and my horses. I have learned that there is a difference between a “trainer” and a “coach.” I have learned that no matter how well you ride, at some point in your life, you’ll need one or the other. And knowing when to move from one to the other is all about timing, your gut, experience and, many times, your horse. Notice I said nothing about competition or results!

In equestrian sport, the role of a trainer has become very important. Trainers in specific equine competition areas, eventing included, are the ones who basically introduce riders to their chosen sport. They teach the skills necessary for safety and success. They guide, based on their own experience. They provide knowledge and help a rider progress by challenging their skill set and giving directions. A trainer brings a rider focus, purpose, a blueprint, a path. Good trainers teach and then step back, becoming coaches, when a rider excels.

Trainers who continue to train a rider even after the rider has become accomplished are the biggest problem, I feel, behind that criticism related to “hand-holding.” Many times, because riders have limited leisure time, they come to rely upon trainer’s decisions to short-cut their way to success and accomplishment. Many think there is something wrong with this, and there may be, but it’s not a simple answer, either. Today’s busy world and the fact that most must work to afford their hobby requires time be spent productively, and sometimes it’s better for the horse and rider to work under the direction of a trainer for quite a while in order to be safe and enjoy the sport.

So what is the next step beyond trainer? Moving forward into a role as a coach. Coaches bring guidance and advice just like a trainer, but they are going to assume that you’ve already spent the proper amount of time on development of skills. Rather, a coach is there to challenge and allow, rather than teach and direct. A coach’s responsibility is to help you once you get there. Coaches walk courses with riders, assist with warmups, watch other competitors, and look out for all aspects of the competition so that they can help riders with decision-making.

A coach may be an instructor that you take a lesson from once a month, then take that feedback, incorporate it into your program, and then check your progress with the coach the next time he or she is in town. The coach may meet you at an event and help to walk courses. They may assist in the warmup, or watch as you warm up, and may observe your rounds or tests and provide feedback afterward. And a coach might go over the competition afterwards with you and discuss what needs to be changed or improved.

It sounds tricky — and it’s hard sometimes to know the difference. Add to this the fact that many really good instructors are both trainers and coaches and drift in and out of that role depending upon who is riding at the time and how skilled they are. And as a rider, you may need a trainer AND a coach at the same competition, riding the same horse.

Photo: Bob Cromack/Flickr/CC

You take a chance and get an entry in to a show that promises “good for green horses/riders.” Driving closer you see trailers everywhere and no real parking available; a manure pile right in front of the only warmup arena; and geese inhabiting a large pond across from the show ring, squawking and flapping their wings. The loudspeaker is popping and scratching, then some country music begins to blare from the speaker.

There are too many little ponies running about with pink-clad small humans clinging to them and, chasing after them, frazzled parents. The warmup arena has one loose horse per hour. The dust cloud rises from the show ring. Your green horse says, “Really?” And you are thinking this was a bad idea. Your once-broken collar bone begins to ache. You get that buzzing in your head that says warning, bad decision ahead….

While I haven’t listed ALL the bad things that could happen at an unrecognized schooling show, I’ve hit a lot of them. I don’t know how some shows manage to keep entries coming in, but I do know that as a rider and show manager myself, I agonize over things like parking, footing, distraction-free warmup and dust. I hate dust.

If you have a green horse and you’re looking for good shows as an introduction, it is hard to find quality opportunities without getting into looking at recognized events, which may be too-much-too-soon for a green horse. How do you find good warm-up shows?

Look in your local area first. Check the online stable listings, calendars, and Facebook calendar posts. Inquire — send an email to the organizer and ask questions! Stop by the facility to see if it’s got a decent arena, footing and jumps. Ask your friends if they’ve attended a show there in the past, and what they liked and disliked.

I haven’t even mentioned money yet, because it’s really about the horse first. From atmosphere to safety, keep at the forefront your horse’s well-being while he’s trying to perform for you.

The gold standard of fence decorating - Rolex of course. Photo by Holly.

Cross-country jump decorating doesn’t just end with getting a perfect groundline set under the jump.

It’s important to note here that many of the very top events do have pretty big decorating budgets and it’s always a struggle at the other end of the scale to find and source material to enhance your courses. Simple things like straw, cut greens, home-grown potted flowers, or synthetic flowers can get the look you want without going to huge expense.

Not every cross-country jump needs decoration, either. Some beautiful old logs and timbers are elegant all on their own, as are some of the absolutely stunning portable jumps with the beautiful natural finishes — you don’t want to cover up a brand new jump with bushes! Such jumps are often fine just as they are.

So to save on a decorating budget, it’s not always necessary to go whole-hog on every jump out on the course. Sometimes decor is needed to help fix certain jumps — to guide the horse and rider to the correct jumping path over the obstacle, or to cover a part or section that should not be jumped. If you have a limited budget, these problem areas might get that attention first. It’s always proper to speak with your course designer for help when it comes to a problem area — often they’ll have a good answer for you that will make sense and addresses any safety or specification issues.

If you have the ability to do more than groundlines, the backs and sides of the jump are what will tie your event together and make things attractive to everyone, not just riders. The sides and back of the jump are important, too; most people photograph the front of the horse going over the jump so the back of the jump is often framed in their photos. Many times the backs and sides are left alone when a few simple placements can really make your course look fabulous!

When you want to bring your decor around the jump, you don’t need a lot on the sides – sometimes just three potted plants in a triangle shape on each side will get the look you want. If you have a sponsor sign it might be placed to the side of the jump, and that’s another spot to add flowers that draw attention. Anything placed off to the side should be sturdy and be able to stand in wind or rain, and also be smooth so that in case a horse runs out and wiggles off to the side of the jump, he won’t scrape his leg or get hurt on it. That’s why the pros often put a pot of flowers near a metal sign, so that the horse can see it and step away from it.

Here are a few examples of some great decorating on sides and backs of cross country obstacles. (Several of these obstacles were decorated by professional Course Designer USEF “r” Janine McClain or by volunteers under her direction.)

This jump has it all. Color on the top and sides plus a bit at the base and center for the horse and rider to focus. Photo by Holly Covey.

This is the back and left side. Note the urns placed at the outer edge of the table to give the horse a perspective of the width. Photo by Holly Covey.

Decor can be beautiful — but not expensive. Burlap covers flower pots, brush provides the groundlines, and potted plants (on sale locally at the end of the season!) tie it together on the sides. Photo by Holly Covey.

Beautiful professional decorating carries the theme of orange around the back and sides. Photo by Holly Covey.

Fair Hill International’s famous last fence. Photo by Holly Covey.

We all love to see beautifully painted and decorated jumps on both cross-country and stadium courses. They make an event into an “event,” and make it fun for all of us to get our photos back from the professional photographer over that cool looking oxer. Beautiful décor is almost always carefully planned and the result of a lot of hard work by professionals (and volunteers) as well as course designers and organizers.

There are a few principles of design I’ve carefully noted in my years of helping mess up decorate cross-country and show jumping courses; most I’ve learned from the experts but a few I figured out on my own after doing it wrong the first time.

I think when you start with groundlines, you can then keep going with whatever material you’ve chosen there to finish a single fence on the sides and back, or continue with the material on to other jumps in the complex or set. This could be as simple as flowers in the same color family, or using straw for all the jumps, etc.

Groundlines can be made of many different things and often creative things. Because they are close to the hooves of a horse, most of the time groundlines or take-off points are made of natural and soft materials so that in case a horse misjudges and slides into the jump or steps on the groundline they aren’t seriously injured.

Natural things like mulch, pine straw, yellow straw, brush swags, etc. are often used. Synthetic and real flowers are often “planted” in the groundlines made of mulch for colorful accents. Bright contrast helps horses see the height of a jump in the shade. Larger, round items like pumpkins and mums in the fall help to push out groundlines to make the horse take off earlier and make his arc over the jump rounder and helps to keep him from catching a knee on a lip of a square fence.

Mulch and straw are pretty labor intensive and sometimes organizers cannot use foreign material on the ground if the landowner doesn’t want it left behind when the jump is removed. Brush swags are often a good alternative in that case, if a groundline is needed — in the fall, whole cornstalks also work well but don’t last too long on the ground.

Here’s a few jumps with some interesting groundlines.

Just straw outlines this groundline but it makes quite an impression! Jersey Fresh. Photo by Holly.

Simple flowers and grasses soften the outline of this jump. Fair Hill International. Photo by Holly.

Safe natural items at the base of a jump won’t injure a horse that makes a mistake. Plantation Field, photo by Holly

More to come! Stay tuned for decorating sides and backs of cross country jumps and a what to do with a plain show jumping course to jazz it up!

Get there. No matter how much it costs.

I’m a cheapskate. I admit it. But it is because I have learned to afford the things I want, I have to economize — maybe put off buying new dresses and jeans in order to afford an entry. And lots of my riding friends, especially my local peeps, are about the same — we’re all sort of middle income, fit the horse stuff in the budget, do the best we can, and basically economize.

I also have some friends that are so damn cheap, they squeak, and it’s so annoying. You include them in the invitations, and it’s always “too much money”. Over the years, I have some people I know who have NEVER taken the trip, or sent in the entry, or decided to go — because they just “can’t afford it.” Meanwhile they have all the same expenses and do the same things I do — horse trailer, truck, insurance, feed, farrier, etc.

I think back on all the things I would have missed in my life had I said, “well, it’s just too much.” Rolex (that’s a big one. And there are loads of cheap ways to get to Rolex.) Most of my memorable events like Plantation, Flora Lea, Surefire, and the AECs. (Still paying off that credit card.) The seminars and clinics. The foxhunting — much of that is local and the membership to the club is still one of the best bargains I get all year for the horse’s training and fitness. Hey, cheapo friend, you’re missing out.

We have all overspent on horses. But life experiences? They are worth every penny. And the cool thing about eventing and the horse world is you never know when you will get a great life experience from traveling or competing. It’s the journey, they say. But you have to dig down into your wallet to get on that journey some times.

It’s sometimes more than you should spend. Sometimes it isn’t the fun, or the great time you thought you would have — and it feels like you wasted money. It’s inevitable you’re going to have a couple wrong turns, and while regrettable, it’s not entirely without a silver lining. At least you know what not to do next time.

Knowing how to spend your hard-earned dollars on horse stuff you want – that’s the hard part. For me, it’s all about comparison shopping and I also use the advice of friends. Many times, people who are just like me have done the same thing — wanted to go to an event or participate in a clinic, and found a way. We’re a lot alike. So I use my friends for help when I need to find the cheapest way to go. But I go.

Have you ever said, “Wow, we had a great time — I learned a lot!” and launched into a story about an experience? Sure. Have you ever said, “Wow, I didn’t go to Rolex, and I saved so much money”? Uh huh. Yeah. So moral of story: Stop being so cheap. Spend a little. Make a lot of life experience and gain knowledge. Or not.

With the wonderful addition of social media including neat things like Pinterest, I’m seeing a lot of “homemade” cross-country schooling obstacles people proudly photo and post online. Like everything posted online — some jumps are really clever and look fun to jump, and others make me shudder with horror.

So I went in search of some information about building cross-country jumps, and to be honest, everybody who builds jumps has a favorite way of doing things. There is not much for blueprints and plans — because probably a lot of cross-country jump building is a bit hands-on — learning as you go. And that’s OK.

Part of the fun of eventing is turning different things available in your local area into inviting, interesting obstacles and creating a whole course yourself. You don’t have to be a carpenter (it helps, though) but you do need to have a basic idea of what makes a cross-country obstacle safely jumpable by a horse and rider. (The best online source I found was this good article online by expert builder and designer Morgan Rowsell.)

If you want to be sure what you’re making is “pretty close to spec,” you’ll probably want to refer to the USEA’s Cross-Country Guidelines, available for a free PDF download.  It was developed by the best course builders in America and it’s a valuable reference for measurements and what is legal and illegal.

Also, you may want to consider attending things like Waredaca’s “Expert Days” lecture on May 31, in Brookville, Maryland, where recognized course designers will be walking a course and talking about jumps. The USEA also offers a Course Designers educational seminar each year, and this year it is also at Waredaca in June.

Making just a few small jumps in your field? Here’s a couple of hints from my course designer sources.

STURDY AND SECURE. A simple obstacle, like a log, should be heavy and sturdy. A horse that makes a mistake and knocks it, even hard, should not have it tip over, roll, or fall. Even a small log should be braced, staked, or blocked to avoid rolling or sliding should a horse make a mistake. When a log can move or roll, there’s a chance a horse’s leg can get stuck under it and trap the horse or stop its momentum — and that’s when a rider is very vulnerable.

Avoid just tacking some planks to a couple of uprights or re-purposing pallets, a small table or stair steps, thinking that as long as it’s low it’s going to be safe — not so. Top-heavy obstacles can tip over or roll. Loosely stacked things can be a real hazard if a green horse misunderstands and lands in the middle of them.

Upright “vertical” jumps force a horse to jump awkwardly especially if they are just learning about cross-country. Don’t assume a horse will understand how to jump it at first asking. Even experienced horses will have trouble with a poorly designed obstacle.

Three nice smaller basic cross country obstacles that are sturdy, have a good outline and solid base as well as having a wide face to encourage a green horse who might wiggle a bit on approach. Photo by Holly.

SITING. The second important thing is how a schooling obstacle is situated or placed in your field. Do you want to be able to jump it in one direction or two directions? If you want to jump it both ways, it will need lots of room on both sides for an approach. Obstacles need to be fair to green horse — so that a he can “read it” and be able to jump it from a fair take off point. It doesn’t always have to be on a level spot, but site it safely if on a slope.

Don’t forget to take into account how it might jump in both wet and dry conditions, and the sun glare, or adjacent shade tree locations, too. Try to place an obstacle where a horse might have a couple of strides on flat ground before they have to take off to jump it, if your objective is to give a green horse or rider some experience at home.

A tip: Portable jumps are the BOMB. When you build obstacles that are portable, you have the luxury of being able to move the jump if the approach isn’t right, or if you want to try it a different direction.

Don’t let grass or weeds grow over your jumps.

BASIC STUFF. The face, or the outline in front of the jump, should be wide. The Guidelines recommend 16 feet pretty much across the board for the Beginner Novice level face, with a 12 foot minimum. Jumps get narrower as the levels progress. Don’t let the grass or weeds grow up to it or over it — a horse won’t see it and trip over it, or worse, you’ll hit it with your mower. (Ask me how I know this. He doesn’t know about it yet. Let’s keep that a secret between you and me.)

Logs are great obstacles. The pros turn them so the smoothest side is on top, because sharp branch ends or knots can scrape a horse’s legs or catch a boot. Traditional coops are wonderful introductory obstacles and can be built so that they are easy to move yet look solid.

Solid coop built for both in and out of the arena.

Be wary of using leftovers or pieces and parts that aren’t quite big enough or long enough — this might look like slats spaced so far apart that a hoof could get between them. Or perhaps V-notches or holes that will trap a hoof or leg, or a stair-step jump with spaces between the boards. It might look neat to our eyes, but when a horse sticks a leg through it, disaster is sure to follow.

A solid front is usually OK. Use paint to make things interesting — it’s safer. Paint is often overlooked as a fun way to create neat stuff. I’ve seen some beautiful brick and stone artwork on plain plywood that is just fabulous and very real looking.

If you want to keep things natural, but want to preserve your wood surfaces, consider painting them with a good wood preservative or stain in a natural tan or brown. In my climate, a good preservative tends to last about two years before I have to touch them up or repaint. Barn paint available at farm supply stores also works well, but you usually have just two colors to choose from, barn red or white.

There are many ways to create good obstacles for schooling that don’t cost a lot yet get the job done. Stick to what works, keep things sturdy, and as one of my course designer mentors said, “Don’t scare the horses.” Good advice!