Hobby Horse Jumps and Obstacles for a Course You Can Build at Home
Show jumping is the main event in hobby horsing, and it is the discipline you cannot practise without equipment. Two broom handles across a pair of buckets works for a week; after that a rider wants a fence that stands straight, adjusts quickly and falls down cleanly when they catch it. That is what this hobby horse jumps range is for.
A knock-down fence matters more than it sounds. A pole that is fixed or tied teaches a rider nothing and hurts when they hit it. A pole resting in a cup drops the moment it is touched, which is exactly how a real course behaves and exactly what the scoring assumes.
What Height Should Hobby Horse Jumps Be?
Straight from our competition rules: heights are set by class, from roughly 20–30 cm in introductory classes up to 100–130 cm at national championship level. At the top of that range the limit is the rider's athleticism, not the horse.
Starting out: 20–40 cm
A first course. Low enough that a rider can concentrate on a straight approach and a clean landing rather than on clearing the pole at all. Most first shows run classes at 20–40 cm and nobody expects a clear round.
Club level: 40–70 cm
Where most riders spend their time. This is the range a set has to reach if it is going to stay useful for more than one season, and where a cone-and-pole set starts to run out of height.
Advanced and championship: 80 cm and up
Uprights rather than cones. You need a support tall enough to carry a pole at a metre, and a base heavy enough that it does not walk across the grass when a rider brushes it. Our largest set fills with water for exactly that reason.
Choosing a Hobby Horse Jump Set
Pole length decides everything
The most common mistake is buying a set with short poles. A 40 cm pole makes a fence too narrow to ride a proper approach through — fine for trot poles and schooling a straight line, frustrating for a course. A 100 cm pole gives a real fence. If you buy short, plan on setting two sets side by side.
How the height adjusts
Cones with moulded holes give you three fixed heights and nothing between them. Clips that grip anywhere on an upright give you any height you want. Three heights are enough to start; free adjustment is what a rider wants once they are training seriously.
How many fences you need
Three fences make a course a rider can ride as a course — approach, turn, approach. Two is a grid. One is a schooling exercise. Count poles and bases rather than pieces: a 12-piece set of six cones and six poles builds three narrow fences, not twelve.
Setting Up a Course at Home
Mark a working area first, then place fences so a rider has at least four or five strides between them and room to turn. Start every session over a ground pole regardless of level: it sets the rhythm and it is where a crooked approach shows up while it is still harmless.
Surfaces matter. Grass is forgiving and eats stability, so weighted or water-filled bases are worth it outdoors. On a hard indoor floor, lighter bases are fine but poles roll — keep them in cups rather than balanced.
Frequently Asked Questions
How high can hobby horse riders jump?
Beginner classes start around 20 cm. Advanced competitors regularly clear 100–130 cm, and record attempts have gone higher. The constraint is the rider's own jumping ability, since they carry the horse over the fence themselves.
What can I use instead of proper hobby horse jumps?
Broom handles or garden canes for poles, buckets or stacked books for wings, rolled towels for ground poles. It works while you are learning. The reason riders buy a set eventually is that household jumps do not fall down cleanly and do not adjust.
Are agility hurdles the same as hobby horse jumps?
Not quite. Dog and football agility hurdles are usually fixed at a low height and narrower than a hobby horse fence. They are useful for warm-up, footwork and pole work — just check the stated height before assuming it will carry a rider through a season.
How many jumps do I need for a course?
Three fences is the practical minimum to ride something that feels like a course. Competition courses run eight to twelve fences, but you can school every skill a course needs over three.
Can I use these jumps indoors?
Yes. Check your ceiling height before setting an upright at a metre, and keep bases unfilled indoors so nothing spills.
