Hunter jumper courses aren’t always easy to set up because most people don’t have tons of jumping equipment. So the best way around that is to try to set up a course where you jump jumps twice. Once each way. That is often easier said than done. So here is a course that has 9 efforts but only needs 7 jumps. It’s also pretty good for a smallish arena. We don’t all have big show-size arenas at home.
This is an awesome exercise to use as show preparation, but you can obviously use it as an exercise to practice jumping a track if you don’t have any shows coming up in the near future. Exercises definitely have their place, but you can never be too good at jumping tracks. Don’t worry there aren’t too many jumps, because you jump a few of them twice.
How to set up this hunter jumper course.
This isn’t the simplest setup you’re ever going to come across, mainly because you need to make sure that the jumps don’t get in the way of the path you need to ride. So I’d suggest you just lay the poles out where the jumps are supposed to go first before you build them. Then just check that you can ride around the track ok.
Jump 3, 8 and 9
Ok, so you can start off by building this little line down the long side of your arena. Oxer too vertical, 20 paces apart for a four stride related distance. Keep it slightly more to the left side of the arena, because you need a little space to the right.
Jump 2
Then 28 paces away, on a curve, from the first oxer you just set up (Jump 3 and 8), you build another oxer. For a 6 stride related distance on a curve.
Jump 4, 5 and 7
Then down the other long side of your arena, you build this line. Vertical to an oxer, 24 paces apart for a 5 stride related distance. You also want to try to keep this line slightly to the left side of your arena as well.
Jump 6
Then you set up this two stride double combination, vertical to oxer 12 paces apart. Now the combination needs to be 24 paces away on a curve from the vertical in the line you just set up (jump 4 and 7). For a five stride related distance on a curve.
Jump 1
Then lastly I squeezed these 3 little bounce cavalettis in as a number 1. This is a nice way to start the track off. This can be optional, they don’t have to be there. You just need to figure out that you can ride this path to and from them.
And that’s how you set up this hunter jumper course. You’re going to need to watch me ride this because it doesn’t ride anywhere close to how you set it up. Video above. Also includes setup instructions that are a little easier to follow. It’s not that easy to describe the setup in words alone.
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