Juggling Jump Cups

Equestrian jumpers know the simple truth. Jump cups tend to walk away by themselves. And they never vanish in pairs, only singly, sort of like errant socks in the laundry.

Fortunately, jump cups are readily available.

Here are a few jump cups we’ve found – both plastic and metal.

• Dapple Equine One Piece Jump Cups -for Round Rails
• EquiRoyal Jump Cups
• Intrepid International Metal Jump Cups  
• Intrepid International Plastic Jump Cups  
• Jump Cups - Metal
• Perri's Jump Cups
• Pin-less Jump Cups Black
• Roma Competiton Jump Cups  
• Roma Plastic Jump Cups with Pins  

Hunters and jumpers may go to the mat over which is better, plastic or metal. Some prefer lighter, rust-free jump cups. Others swear by the less breakable metal ones. Take your pick.

Have you ever made your own horse jumps?(Click for easy instructions.)

It’s not all that difficult. We’ve constructed plenty and found horse jump creation to be a fun spring break or weekend project. You just need a few poles, some wooden beams, a drill, a screwdriver, some heavy-duty screws, and paint.

Pick up a few extra paintbrushes, as enthusiastic volunteers tend to show up for the finishing touches.

What do you do with your jump cups, when you’re not jumping?

We usually keep ours in recycled kitty litter buckets. One of my personal pet peeves is finding jump cups half-buried in riding arena sand (even around the edges or in corners), where a horse might step on them.

Another pet peeve of mine, while we’re at it, is seeing jump cups still attached to the jump standards, especially if the cups are pointed outwards into the arena. They seem to beg someone to land on them or a horse to rub a bit too closely. I’ve seen horses scrape their sides – or even topple standards – this way.

Let’s pull those jump pins when we’re done, and pack the jump cups in a pail. Much safer. (OK, moms never stop being moms – particularly horse moms!)

The Mane Point: A Haven for Horse Lovers is participating in the April A to Z Blogging Challenge again this year. Stop on back, so you don’t miss a single post!

Image/s:

EquiRoyal Jump Cup – in Red

Product photo – fair use

Blog series graphics created by this user

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