FEI vs British Showjumping Validation: Course Design Rules Compared (2026)

Published 21 June 2026 · Updated 25 July 2026

By Alex Young

If you design tracks for UK clubs, you switch rulebooks more often than you think. Saturday is British Showjumping Newcomers. Next month the same sand might host a national class under FEI tables. Use the wrong validation standard and the track can still look rideable while the combination band, unrelated-fence minimum, or arena floor fails the book that applies on the day.

This guide compares FEI Jumping Rules and British Showjumping (BS) for course design, then covers Unaffiliated / schooling and Hunter so you know which option to pick in software before the first fence goes on the plan. Numbers below match how YardForge enforces standards in the free designer. They are a planning aid, not a substitute for the official rule book or a technical delegate.

Quick pick: which validation standard?

| Situation | Use | |-----------|-----| | Affiliated BS class (British Novice → Grade A ladder) | British Showjumping | | CSI / international / FEI schedule | FEI | | Riding club, Pony Club, home schooling night | Unaffiliated / schooling | | Working hunter / hunter-style flowing track | Hunter |

Confirm the prizelist with the secretary. The standard on the plan must match the standard the judges inspect.

Side-by-side: FEI vs British Showjumping

These are the differences that show up most often when you build digitally.

| Check | FEI (competition) | British Showjumping (affiliated) | |-------|-------------------|----------------------------------| | Unrelated fence minimum | 7 m centre-to-centre | 6.5 m centre-to-centre | | Combination element band | 7–12 m (Art. 208.2 style band for structural combinations) | 6.5–12 m hard band for combination elements (legal 1- and 2-stride doubles; competition bounces fail the min) | | Typical outdoor arena floor | Area ≥ 4,000 m² and short side ≥ 50 m | Club outdoor often 40 × 60 m; BS grades do not force FEI CSI floors | | Indoor floor guidance | Area ≥ 1,200 m², short side ≥ 25 m | Smaller club indoor rings common; set the real dimensions, do not invent CSI size | | Class ladder | CSI height bands / championship schedules | Grass Roots, British Novice, Discovery, Newcomers, Foxhunter, Grades C–A | | Time allowed | Table A/C speeds in FEI tables; measure the ridden line | Wheel the track; BS Rule 162 guidance for speed/time | | Who it is for | International and FEI-adopting national events | UK affiliated BS shows and most county/club affiliated days |

Centre-to-centre is what the software measures between fence markers. Builders still tape base-to-base on the ground for combinations; walk both numbers on anything tight.

Related distances of four strides and more sit outside that combination band. They ride on the ridden line (including bends), not the straight chord alone. See bending lines and related distances.

FEI validation in practice

Choose FEI when the schedule cites FEI Jumping Rules (28th edition effective 1 Jan 2026 for current FEI work) or a CSI height class. In software that means:

Combination elements inside the 7–12 m band; bounces are schooling-only under competition FEI.
Unrelated fences at least 7 m apart.
Outdoor rings checked on area and short side, not a lazy “40 × 60 is FEI.” A 40 × 60 m club ring is 2,400 m², below the 4,000 m² outdoor floor used in our FEI checks. Full detail: FEI arena dimensions.
Course length and time allowed judged along the normal ridden line through the middles of obstacles, the way a measuring wheel is walked on site.

FEI software should not invent article numbers from older editions after the 2026 restructure. Prefer edition + topic (heights, combinations, length) over stale clause citations. Deeper schedule notes: FEI Jumping Rules 2026 for course designers.

British Showjumping validation in practice

Choose BS for affiliated UK classes on the BS ladder. Course designers are expected to measure heights, spreads, distances, and course length accurately (British Showjumping Course Designer Competencies, reviewed 2020). In software that maps to:

Heights and spreads capped to the grade (e.g. British Novice around 0.90 m, Discovery 1.00 m, Newcomers 1.10 m, Foxhunter 1.20 m, then Grades C/B/A).
Efforts and fence counts in a band typical for that grade.
6.5 m minimum between unrelated fences (tighter floor than FEI’s 7 m).
Combination elements in a 6.5–12 m hard band so both one-stride (~7–8 m) and two-stride (~10.5–11.5 m) doubles stay legal; gaps under 6.5 m read as bounce-scale and fail for competition combinations.
Time allowed as a planning estimate from length and speed, still wheeled and confirmed under BS Rule 162 tables on the day.

BS grades also expect a sensible mix of verticals and spreads once you are at Discovery and above. A wall of verticals may pass height but fail good building practice.

Club builders still use the Table of Distances and Notes on Course Designing for horse and pony related-distance tables. Full Appendix B tables may sit behind membership; digital tools should never claim to replace the official PDF.

For UK-focused software context: British Showjumping course design.

Unaffiliated / schooling validation

Unaffiliated is for shows without a BS or FEI technical book on the gate: riding club leagues, many Pony Club days, and home schooling. Limits are more permissive than affiliated sport, but you still get:

Stride and related-distance feedback on the free track
Combination and overlap warnings
Height bands for local classes (50 cm through 1.20 m and ground poles / training bands)

Use schooling purpose when the night is gymnastic grids, poles, and education rather than a graded competition track. Schooling relaxes some training-connection rules so bounce lines and tight grids are not treated like Foxhunter combinations. It does not make a bad 3 m double “legal” for a BS Discovery class if you switch the standard back to BS later.

Hunter validation

Hunter (USEF-style hunter tables in many products, including YardForge) is a different job from timed jumpers:

Fewer efforts, more flowing related lines
Generous distances and track emphasis
Less appetite for tight technical doubles as the main question

Pick Hunter when the prizelist says working hunter or hunter, not when the class is BS Table A. Mixing hunter spacing into a BS Newcomers track is a common digital mistake.

What software should do for each standard

Serious show jumping course design software should:

Let you select FEI, BS, Unaffiliated, or Hunter before or while you build.
Flag over-height / over-spread fences for the chosen grade or CSI band.
Enforce the unrelated minimum (7 m FEI / 6.5 m BS) and the combination element band.
Measure related distances and strides on the ridden path, including bends.
Estimate course length and time allowed as guidance, with official measurement still required on site.
Export a plan the crew can build from (master / athlete / builder / judge PDFs).

YardForge’s free course designer runs those checks live for FEI, British Showjumping, Unaffiliated, and Hunter. Validation is independent of the federations and is not an official FEI or British Showjumping product. Always confirm against the current rule book before competition use.

Common mistakes when switching standards

Building on a 20 × 40 m or 40 × 60 m ring, then switching to FEI outdoor without resizing. Area and short-side checks will fail.
Leaving a 6.8 m unrelated gap that is fine under BS and soft under FEI (7 m floor).
Calling an 11 m double illegal under BS because an old tool used a 6.5–9 m-only hard band. A true two-stride double sits near 11 m for a standard horse; the hard band must reach ~12 m.
Ignoring pony stride. Distances that suit horses can be wrong for 128 / 138 / 148 cm ponies; check the official pony tables for the class.
Validating as Unaffiliated all winter, then exporting a BS plan without re-running BS grades on the same layout.

Practical workflow

Read the prizelist: BS grade, FEI height class, unaffiliated height, or hunter.
Enter the real arena size (tape or GPS perimeter walk).
Set the competition standard and level in the designer first.
Place the track; fix red height, spacing, and combination errors before you polish the jump-off.
Walk critical lines with the stride calculator and, if you can, on the ground.
Export the builder PDF and keep a copy for the collecting ring.

Sources and limits

FEI Jumping Rules (current edition for competition year; 28th edition effective 1 Jan 2026 for FEI 2026 work) for international structure, combination band, and measurement culture.
British Showjumping Rule Book and Course Designer Competencies (2020 review) for measurement duties, time allowed, and affiliated building expectations.
Club and national course-design practice for the 6.5 m BS unrelated minimum and 7 m FEI unrelated minimum, and for treating 1- and 2-stride doubles as normal competition combinations.

This article and any in-app validator are planning aids only. They are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by British Showjumping or the FEI. Confirm finals against the current official rule book and a qualified course designer or technical delegate.

Design tools: British Showjumping course design · Free course designer · Course design software · UK course design guide