Q:   What was specific or special about the Animal Planet design?
A:   I was worried that the horse may be spooked with the animals on the side, as some have been by the ‘Shamoo’ jump or Clydesdale hoses that we have used in the past. Toronto Winter Fair once had a jump designed like a cow and many horses have refused to jump it! It was important that the animals were not too large.

I thought the way the poles were painted like bamboo, rather then the conventional striped poles that one normally sees at shows, made the jump look so more appropriate to the occasion. Although, there was the extra expense in making the animals three dimensional, and freestanding from the actual pillar supporting the poles, to me this added a whole new concept to jump design.

Also we had to use this jump for two very different types of classes - the Maclay Equitation Finals, where in the past competitors traditionally jumped a more natural style of jump at 3ft 6" high, - to the Sportshorse Cup, a more traditional type of show jumping course where the jump was built 5ft high.

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Q:   What makes a jump easy or hard?
A:   There are many things that the course designer can use to make the obstacle more difficult to jump, like:

• The height and width of the fence and the distance they are set apart as well as the type of obstacle before it on the course

• The type of course and the number of obstacles used

• Weight and length of poles and the depth of the cups used to hold them

• The color of the jump

• The size of the arena, any gradient and its footing

• Jumps going away from the in-gate are generally harder to jump them those ‘coming home’

• Tight measuring of the course to calculate the ‘Time Allowed’

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