“Jumps for Hunters and Jumpers will be made of 1-1 1/2″ schedule 40 PVC piping or other suitable light-weight material with jump cups, not to include pegs, nails, bolts, etc.  All jumps must be a minimum of five (5) feet wide… Jumps thirty-two inches (32) or more in height must have a second rail added.  All post and rail jumps must have a ground pole.  Uprights are to be a maximum of forty-eight (48) inches in height. …Any decorations or jump wings must not protrude more than twenty-four (24) inches from the uprights.”

Supplies

• ??— 10′ length of Schedule 40, 1.5″ diameter PVC pipe (Use the underlined totals in the directions to calculate how many 10′ lengths you will need according to how many jumps you want to make, and which height of uprights you want–hunter and/or jumper.)

  

• 2-4 — 1.5″ PVC caps (2 for hunter uprights, 2 for jumper uprights)
• 2– 1.5″ PVC T connectors
• 2-6– 2″ PVC T connectors (For jump cups. 2 for hunter uprights, 4 for jumper uprights because jumps over 32″ in height must have a second pole added to keep horses from running under.. trust me, I had it happen at a show once when the rule wasn’t followed!  I like to have a cup/D-ring on both sets of uprights so I don’t have to change them out when I switch from hunter to jumper)
• 4– 1.5″ PVC Elbow connectors
• 2-6– D-rings (To hold jump cups. 2 for hunter uprights, 4 for jumper uprights. I like to have a cup/D-ring on both sets of uprights so I don’t have to change them out when I switch from hunter to jumper)
• 12– 1″ Sheet metal screws
• Saw
• Drill and bits
• Screwdriver

Directions to Build Mini Horse Jumps

1. Cut the 1.5″ diameter PVC into the following lengths:

• Long side of base and jump pole length: 5′ (x3 for hunter, x4 for jumper) = (15′ of PVC used for only hunter, 20′ if doing jumper for an extra jump pole)
• Short side of base length: 10″ (x4) = 40″= (3.33′ of PVC used)
• Jumper uprights: 4′ (x2) = (8′ of PVC used)
• Hunter uprights: 3′ (x2) = (6′ of PVC used)

2.  Now it’s time to assemble the base!  Attach one 10″ piece to each of the two opposite ends of the T (x2) to form the sides of the base.
3.  Attach the elbows to the open ends of the 10″ pieces that are attached to the T (x4), with the open end of the T facing straight up so the uprights can go in later.
4.  Use two of the 5′ lengths to attach the two ends of the base and complete the rectangular base.
5.  Place the uprights in the T on the jump.  Put a cap on the top of each jumper or hunter upright pole.
7.  Use your measuring tape to mark where you will drill holes on the uprights:

• Hunter: By AMHA rules, hunter jumps have a minimum jump pole height of 18 inches and maximum of 28 inches, so I recommend starting with a hole at 18 inches, and ending at 28.
• Jumper: By AMHA rules, jumper jumps have a maximum jump pole height of 44  inches, so you don’t need holes past 44 inches from the ground.

8.  Time to drill holes for the uprights!  Grab a bit that’s bigger than the peg of the D-ring you’ll be using.  It’s hard to get the holes aligned perfectly through the upright and through the cup later, so you’ll want some wiggle room.  Get them as straight through both sides of the pvc as you can.
9.  Now onto the jump cups.  Take your oversized Ts and cut out a little more than half of the  section that branches out (see below).  You want it to be a little over half gone so it makes it easier for the jump pole to fall down.  That way your jump doesn’t get broken when a horse hits it!  Then drill a hole through both sides for the D-ring to go through.

10.  To keep the base together, I recommend that you use sheet metal screws.  You DON’T want to use PVC glue, because if any piece gets broken, you’ll have to cut it off and splice it together.  With the screws, everything stays together but if something gets broken, you can take it off without cutting.  We use screws at every connection point on the base except where the uprights go in.

11.  The final step is to put the jump cups on the up uprights, pins in, and adjust the length of your jump poles.  For measuring everything out, it’s easiest to use 5′ for jump poles, but for them to fall out of the jump easily, they need a few more inches taken off.  Just put the poles in the cups and see how much you want taken off, it should be at least two inches.

12.  Congratulations!  You’re now finished and can enjoy your jumps!  To learn how to make striped jump poles, visit our other blog post, How to: Paint Obstacle/Jump Poles.

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Miniature Horses as Pets

Miniatures are great as pets/companion animals. They’re smaller than “big” horses so they can be kept in the back yard just as you’d keep a dog or cat, and are lower maintenance than other breeds of horses. They take up less space, eat less, make less of a mess. In some cities where the zoning is more liberal like Austin, Texas, USA, they can even be kept in the back yard. Plus they don’t require shoes like many other breeds. They can be handled by children (I started showing when I was 3), or by the elderly (one of our customers bought a mini for his mother’s 96th birthday). Any age will do.

For people who are intimidated by big horses or had an accident with them in the past, or simply don’t have the energy for them anymore, miniatures are the perfect alternative. They’ll allow one to still be able to enjoy the beauty of the horse.

Showing Miniature Horses

At miniature horse shows you can do anything you do with a big horse except for ride. That might sound like a joke at first, like there’s nothing left if you take riding away, but boy would you be wrong. The two major associations for miniature horses, the American Miniature Horse Assciation (AMHA), and the American Miniature Horse Registry (AMHR) and their clubs offer lots of classes. A few are: halter, color, liberty, showmanship, jumper, hunter, obstacle, driving obstacle, and costume classes to youth, amateur and open exhibitors at local, regional, and world level shows.

One of the closest things you can do to riding is drive miniature horses. They’re quite strong and can pull a cart with two people without problem. Any miniature horse can be trained to drive; though they ideally training begins at three years of age.

Miniature Horses as Therapy Animals

Many have probably heard about miniatures being used as therapy animals. The seeing-eye-miniature horse idea got some publicity for a while there. However, our favorite use of them therapy-wise is done by Hearts and Hooves. Hearts and Hooves is a non-profit organization that takes miniatures to hospitals, nursing homes, and many other places to provide emotional healing. It was founded by one of our customers, who purchased her first mini from us and found his companionship to be very healing during cancer treatment. From there she decided to pay it forward and founded the group and began using them to help others heal. Therapy works particularly well with miniatures because they’re small enough that they can easily go into buildings. This helps them visit people who can’t easily make it out to a ranch to be with full sized horses.

Mini Horses as Investments

Finally, miniatures, like many other animals, can be used as investments, with values that range from a few hundred to a hundred thousand dollars or more. Successful breeding programs and horses that produce quality foals will up the value of your miniature horse. While the American Miniature Horse is a relatively young breed, there’s still a rich history behind it and the stallions that founded and have progressed the breed during its first 40 years. These bloodlines add value! Some notable names to look for in your mini horse’s bloodline are Boone’s Little Buckeroo, Orion Light Van’t Huttenest, First Knight’s Billy Idol and SMO Bolero de Suerte.

Also, developing a winning history in the show ring can increase a miniature’s value. The highest titles awarded at the American Miniature Horse Association’s World Championship Show each year are the “World Grand Champion” titles. These are given for halter stallions, geldings, and mares at both junior and senior levels, and for each of the driving divisions.

What can you do with a mini horse: Lots of things!

What can you do with a mini horse? Keep them as pets, show them, use them as therapy animals, or an investment. Do you do something different with your mini? Let us know!

Little America Miniature Horses is one of the the United States’ largest miniature horse breeding operations, with over 150 miniature for sale. Our herd features bloodlines from notable stallions in the industry, as well as World Grand Champions and progeny of World Grand Champions. Find your next miniature, or first miniature by looking at the horse section of our site today! Then come back and tell us your answer to: “what can you do with a mini horse?”

–Lauren Greaves

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