Designing the Perfect Course of Jumps

Q:   How do you design a jump? How do you design a course of jumps?

A:   If the jump is being designed for a sponsor then I take into consideration the product that that company supplies, their logo and house colors and put this together in a tasteful way that both compliments that company and the sport itself.

If the jump is just a standard jump for a show then I will take into account any environmental or architectural features of the site, so that it will be harmony with its setting. Also, as we need variations in the jumps, some designs will be based on using ‘wings’, while other jumps will have ‘pillars’ to support the poles. Then there are the different items that we use with the poles like gates, planks, walls, etc. which are very much standardized, but there is a lot of freedom in the designing of the wings or pillars

The whole course should not look the same, so when I design a whole course of jumps I will come up with at least five or six different designs as well as the same number of different pole color combinations.

Q:   How did you get started designing jumps?

A:   Before being a course designer I trained as an architect so it has been a natural progression into designing actual jumps. In the old days a jump was very much just a standard type of wing in one of three basic colors, but today as events and competitors has become more sophisticated in their approach to the sport, so has the construction of the jumps. Also, with television and large audiences at shows, it is important that the jumps look attractive. Designing your own jumps can be very rewarding as you know of the different ways you can use them. You can also see them grow from a pencil sketch, through the design on the computer, to the actual construction of them in the workshop and then building them in the arena.

Q:   What are the important elements in designing a jump?

A:   The first and most important element is safety. The various elements that are to be jumped must fall easy and that no one item is too big or heavy, or has any sharp items that could hurt the horse or rider. The same applies to the ‘wing’ or pillar’ at the side, in case the horse ‘runs out’ and crashes into that part of the jump.

Of course, it must be attractive to the eye and be in proportion to the rest of the course. A horse is a very elegant animal with a lot of power and the sport comes with a lot of tradition so we should not forget this.

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. For example:

• 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’

Richard Jeffrey is a world-renowned jumping show course designer and jump course designer for the Syracuse Invitational. Jeffrey has designed courses seen on previous Animal Planet Sporthorse Championships.  He is the F.E.I. International "Official" Show Jumping Course Designer. Jeffrey was voted the American Horse Shows Association's "Course Designer of the Year" for a record seven occasions.