Horse show jumps are surprisingly expensive. You could easily spend thousands of dollars on just a few jumps!
Here’s how to make your own jumps at home for only $35 each.
I’m not an accomplished woodworker by any stretch but I was able to make this basic horse show jump in an afternoon with minimal help.
Read on to learn how!
Gather materials for your DIY Horse Show Jumps
I think the best thing about this horse show jumps project is that you can get all of the materials at your local building supply store.
No ordering from an online horse company – just head to your local Home Depot or Lowe’s!
Here is what you will need for one jump with standards and a pair of cross rails (prices are estimates):
- Two 8 ft. landscaping timbers ($8)
- One 8 ft. 4×4 pressure treated timber ($17)
- One 8 ft. 2×4 pressure treated lumber ($7)
- Three feet of 1/4 inch nylon rope ($1)
- Two carriage bolts 1/4 in. by 6 in. long ($1)
- One 2 in. x 2 in. x 36 in. pressure treated square end baluster (porch railing) ($1)
- 16 exterior screws at least 2 inches long (we had these hanging around)
The total for these supplies at my local store was under $35.
Even better, I was able to transport all of the supplies in my SUV.
Make all of your cuts & sand
After you get the materials for your horse show jumps home, you can cut the lumber to the sizes you will need.
First, we cut the 4×4 in half. These will be the uprights of the jump standards (supports).
Then, we cut the 2×4 into 8 equal parts (so roughly 1 ft each). You don’t want any sharp edges so I marked one corner with the angle cut I wanted and let my husband cut. These will be the feet of the standards.
Then he cut four 2×2 inch blocks from the balustrade. These will become part of the jump cups that hold the rails up.
You’ll want to do some light sanding to make sure there aren’t any sharp edges or splinters that will get you later.
The sanding took me under 10 minutes.
Measure & drill holes in the 4×4 standards
You will use the carriage bolts as the holders for your jump cups.
We used a 3/8 inch spade bit to drill the holes. It is the perfect size since the bolts are 1/4 inch thick.
Next I measured out the holes in the 4x4s for the jump cups.
Be sure to use a square to line them up in the middle of the 4×4 to make everything work!
I started 12 inches up from what will rest on the ground and put a hole every six inches up to 3 feet.
That was five holes total on each standard to drill with the 3/8 in. spade bit.
Here is one of the 4x4s with the holes drilled.
DIY Horse Show Jumps: Attach feet to upright
Next you will attach four feet to each upright in the pattern shown above.
Use your exterior screws to attach the feet to your upright.
I used two screws per foot and made sure they were flush with the bottom of the 4×4.
Drill holes in your blocks and assemble jump cups
If I remember correctly we used the same 3/8 in. spade bit to drill holes through the center of the wooden blocks.
Then cut the nylon rope in half and thread one piece through two of the wooden blocks.
I used double fisherman knots to make a loop in the end of the rope to I could hang it over the ends of the carriage bolts.
There is likely a better way to do this but it is working fine for us.
You want the blocks to be slightly tipped in so they make a stable support for the pole while also letting it roll off easily if the horse catches it with his hoof.
Assemble and admire!
Bring your landscape timbers over to place them into the jumps cups and admire your new jump!
I was so happy with how our DIY horse show jumps turned out!
Since all of this wood is pressure treated you don’t need to paint it, but you could of course.
If you want a taller standard just use a 10 or 12 foot 4×4 instead. If you do I may also suggest longer feet (such as 18 inches each) since the upright will be heavier.
Any questions? Please leave a comment below!
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