Customer Reviews

Jumps, etc.: Jumps, Dressage Arenas and Stable Equipment You Can Build

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I just purchased this book last week and think is is an excellent reference for anyone looking to build jumps for use in a schooling show, 4-H event, pony club, or for the model horse hobby. This book explains very clearly what equipment is needed, what supplies to buy, construction details, and dimensions of each component of a jump. It has clear photos and excellent line drawings. The weak points of the book is that it does not explain what design details makes a jump safe or inviting. It is also vague on color choices that are tradtional for hunter and jumper jumps. The author does mention in the back of the book what books to go to for additional information though. As a basic reference it is terrific and money well spent.

This is a great book for anyone wanting to build their own jumps or for model horse props. It covers jumps, cross country jumps dressage arenas even tack boxes, saddle racks, mounting blocks and stable signs! So easy to read and understand with many illistrations; anyone can build a nice jump. It lists all materials and tools you'll need to get the job done right. It even gives tips on buying and selecting the right type of wood.

We recently purchased this book to help us make jumps for our pasture. Initially, it looks and sounds great. The shopping lists are great also. However,the instructions for cutting and constructing most of the jumps are very vague, ie, "cut 2x4's to size." There would be no mention of angles or length and sometimes the picture does not match what is happening in the instructions. Plan on doing a lot of figuring out as you go. It would be helpful if angles were specified and more detailed correct sketches were given. Also, sometimes the jump would be listed as a 2 foot jump, but the picture is 2'6" and the instructions weren't clear. Some of the jumps, especially the brush box, for safety, needs to be able to be tipped over and the feet required reworking.

The majority of this book is about building a wide variety of jumps. Also covered is stable equipment and dressage arenas. Covers: Determining Your Jump Needs, Shopping for Materials, Tools You'll Need, Shopping Lists & Construction, Notes for Jumps and Other Equipment, Basic Schooling Standards, Deluxe Schooling Standards, Wing Standards, Slant Wing Standards, Jump Poles, 12' X 2'6" Panel, 12' X 2'6" Picket, 12' X 2'6" Gate, Coop, 8' Cavalletti, Rolltop, Flower Boxes, Brush Box, 12' X 12' RR Crossing Planks, Mounting Block, Sign Post, Saddle Stand/Storage Box, Portable Saddle Rack, Grooming Box, Paint Brightens the Ring, Logo Jumps, Setting Up a Dressage Arena, Recommended Reading, and Safety Checklist. Thorough instructions. Very usable.

Good visuals and details, especially when working with someone not familiar with jumps. Also includes constructing stable products, such as tack boxes, saddle racks, mounting blocks, etc. A few color photos would have enhanced the presentation.

This book is wholly in black and white and a bit thinner than I expected - however after initial aesthetic disappointment, I realised I had a pot of gold in my hands. The book has excellent diagrams, plans, descriptions and easy step by step instructions on how to assemble jumps and also stable equipment (such as mounting blocks, saddle stands and cupboards which utilise horsey gear) and tells you what materials to the last detail you will need to complete the project.

It gives you a good level of comprehension of what to expect from building jumps - and if you can't do it yourself, they provide plans that an experienced carpenter can make for you. The diagrams have measurements along them - as well as quoting them in the instructions - so you just can't get them wrong if you follow them. Nothing is made more difficult than it has to. An excellent buy that everyone making jumps wants to consider - however if you particularly want coloured images, best to give this one a miss.

Gage Slade's review initially made me decide not to buy the Jumps, etc. book! Further insight changed my mind--and I'm glad!!! I advise all prospective buyers to ignore that cranky person's review and read on. Remember, this book has approx. 75 pages of information, so it's concentrated and doesn't waste your time. It is not an encyclopedia nor a college-level construction course. But in those pages are sketches with detailed measurements, shopping lists (another review falsely accused it of being vague with that!!!) and tool lists. It also gives great advice I would have never known. The jump section is fantastic and very detailed in its measurements of particularly-named wood pieces. We will be first-time jump makers and this book is just the helpful guide I wanted!!! The book has a small, detailed section on MEASURING and SETTING UP the LINES for a dressage arena which is very helpful. My club kids are starting to do dressage and this will help set something up quickly wherever we want. It will also help at the fair show that I help at when we set up the already-existing chain set. It understandably assumes you already have proper footing AND chosen arena fencing--just as the jump section assumes you have your choice of arena fencing. It DOES give good ideas on what they suggest for the dressage letters and dressage arena borders like chain or rails, and HOW TO place the stakes as well as measure the letter placement. But, good grief, its purpose is not to lecture on arena fencing (just like jump arena fencing is not). Once measured out, how hard is it to lay out chain...or lay out cinder blocks and boards ...or railroad ties? Choosing what arena border to have takes just a little simple homework: What do the big shows use? What is our budget? This will determine whether to buy the pricey mail-order sets or go down to the lumber store and buy the materials yourself. I suggest to the disgruntled buyer, Gage Slade, that they buy a book specifically on full construction of dressage arena FENCING because this book's title, JUMPS, etc., says what it is: mainly Jumps and some etc. Even so, each different jump, cavalletti, or wing standard gets about 1-2 pages each, so having 5 pages for setting up a dressage arena actually takes the majority!!! (btw: 9 pages were on stable equipment: Mounting Block, Sign Post, Saddle Stand/Storage Box, Portable Saddle Rack, and Grooming Box...also Jump Logos, Jump Image Painting). Buy The Book. It's Well Worth It :)

Pros: I found this book to be very useful but not perfect. Very easy to follow and the jumps I built came out beautifully. I appreciate that it discusses materials and painting as well. The size of the book had me doubting it, but the information contained was concise and useful.

Cons: I would prefer that the author include some better information about reinforcement for the more solid jumps such as the coops. I read on USEA's site that they recommend frames of at least 2"x4"'s every 2 feet when using skins that are made from decking (1" thick boards). Info like this could be useful so you know how many internal frames are needed depending on the thickness of the skins that you use and the length of the jump.

Also, for the coop jump it tells you to cut the frame's feet on an angle, but it doesn't tell you the angle to use. For a coop that is as high as it is wide, I used 22.5 degrees. More info about the jump base's width to height ratios would be useful as well. That was not clear, but I made some guesses based on the info the author had.

Overall the book was extremely useful and I would recommend it to anyone looking for easy steps for building jumps. I made coops, plank jumps, jump poles, and panel jumps.

This is the book to buy....It is detailed but SIMPLE. Simple directions, shoping list for materials and it provides very good examples. You can't go wrong. When I started looking for books I bought several, too bad as this is the only one I needed and in fact is the only one I use. I looked at the other books for additional examples but relied on this books suggestions. Buy this one and forget the rest.....

I got this for my husband to build me a few things. There were more jumps in there than anything else but the saddle rack is good and the cavalettis. He liked the paper and the detail.