AR Course Walk-Through: Preview Your Show Jumping Course on Foot

Walking a course on paper or a PDF tells you the order. Walking it in the arena tells you whether fence 6 actually lines up with the ingate tree — and whether the related distance to 7 fits your horse's stride on this ground.

YardForge's AR walk-through places your designed course on the real arena floor through your phone camera (Android Chrome with WebXR). On iPhone, the interactive 3D viewer offers the same spatial sense without immersive AR.

Who benefits most

Riders rehearsing lines the night before a class.
Course designers checking sight lines and run-out distances before the build crew lifts poles.
Instructors showing pupils where the striding changes on a bending line.

How to open AR from a saved course

Build or open a course in the designer.
Tap 3D / AR to launch the viewer.
On supported Android devices, choose AR mode and scan the arena floor.
Walk the path ribbon between fences — distance chips stay ground-anchored as you move.

If your arena was mapped with GPS perimeter walk, fence positions align more closely with the real ring.

Android vs iPhone

| Device | Experience | |--------|------------| | Android + Chrome | Full WebXR AR placement | | iPhone / iPad | 3D orbit and walk camera (no WebXR AR in Safari) |

This is a platform limitation, not an app bug — Apple does not expose immersive AR to web apps at the time of writing.

Pair AR with rule validation

AR shows where fences sit; validation shows whether they are legal. Design under FEI or BS rules, fix warnings in 2D, then preview in AR so you are not discovering a illegal combination spacing while standing in the ring.

Stride confidence before you compete

Combine AR with the stride calculator: note the metres on the ground chips, compare to your horse's stride profile, and decide if you need a hand gallop or a waiting stride before the double.

Sharing with clients and builders

Publish a public gallery link so riders open read-only 3D/AR without an account. Builders can use the PDF export (Pro) for measurements while riders use AR for feel.

Limitations to respect

AR needs reasonable daylight and texture on the floor — blank snow or mirror-like water can fail hit-test.
Always confirm critical distances with a tape on competition day; AR is a planning aid, not a sanctioning measure.
Battery drain is real on long walk-throughs — fully charge before an evening course walk.

Also read: How to walk a course · GPS arena mapping · Try the designer