How to Design a Show Jumping Course: A Step-by-Step Guide
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In short: Design the track first, get the related distances right, validate against the correct standard, then walk the course like a rider. Measure the arena and pick FEI or British Showjumping rules before placing fences. Open with an inviting fence and build difficulty so the hardest question comes once horse and rider are warmed up.
A good show jumping course rewards a balanced, forward horse and asks fair questions of the rider. A bad one rides like a trap. The difference is rarely the fences themselves, it is the distances, the track and the flow between them. This guide goes from blank arena to signed-off plan, club night or affiliated class.
Worked examples use YardForge's show jumping course design software; the principles apply on paper too. When the track is set, export a course plan PDF the builder can print.
1. Start with the arena
Everything scales from the ring. Before you place a single fence:
- Measure the usable surface, a 40 × 60 m arena designs very differently from a 20 × 40 m school.
- Note the entry, the gate and any permanent features (mirrors, sprinkler heads).
- Set your dimensions in the designer so every distance is to scale from the start. You can also set arena size from a GPS perimeter walk.
2. Choose the standard before the fences
Set the competition standard, FEI, British Showjumping, Hunter or Unaffiliated, first, because it changes which distances and spreads are legal. Switching halfway through means re-checking every line. See FEI vs British Showjumping for which to pick. If you are writing an FEI schedule in 2026, also skim FEI Jumping Rules 2026 for course designers, article numbers and championship chapters changed.
3. Build the ridden track first
Design the line the horse rides, then hang fences on it:
- Open with an inviting fence on a forward, straight approach.
- Use the whole arena, long galloping stretches balanced with turns.
- Avoid pointing a fence or combination straight at a wall or the gate.
- Build progressive difficulty so the hardest question comes when horse and rider are warmed up, not cold.
4. Get the related distances right
Related distances decide more rounds than fence choice. A horse's canter stride is about 3.6–3.7 m. British Showjumping's guide sets one stride at 7.5–7.8 m and two strides at 10.7–11.0 m between fences for horses.
For a printable horse chart of one to five strides, use the free horse stride chart. Same related-distance model as the designer.
- Set related distances in whole strides and let the stride calculator confirm them.
- Treat combinations with extra care, the internal distances are unforgiving at the second element.
- Remember pony classes: distances that ride well for horses can be impossible for ponies in the same split.
5. Validate against the rules
Place every fence, then check heights, spreads and combination distances against the rulebook for your standard. In YardForge this happens live as you drag, and it auto-fixes the errors it can when you ask. For affiliated builds, cross-reference the BS course-building rules.
6. Check it at ground level
A plan that looks balanced from above can feel cramped at ground level. Walk the lines on foot, or view them at rider eye height, before you move a pole. That catches turns that are tighter than they looked on paper. 3D in the Designer is in early access for selected beta accounts.
7. Walk it like a rider
Numbers are not a substitute for walking the track. Pace your related distances, look through every combination to the next fence, and note where the line goes uphill, downhill or to a blind turn. Our guide to walking a course covers the method.
8. Export, share and sign off
- Export the plan PDF for the team.
- Share the PDFs with the course builder or technical delegate for final sign-off.
- Save the layout so you can reuse and tweak it next time.
The short version
Design the track, get the distances right, validate against the correct standard, then walk it.
Open the show jumping course design software and place your first fence free.
Related: British Showjumping course design software · Show jumping course plan PDF · Bending lines: distances and design · How to design a jump-off · FEI vs British Showjumping · Understanding combination fences · How to walk a course · Show jumping distances explained · Designing courses on your phone · Frangible devices and safer course design · Course design mistakes beginners still make · YardForge course designer introduction
Design tools: Free show jumping course designer · Course design software · UK course design guide · Open the designer