Understanding Combination Fences in Show Jumping

A combination is two or more fences with one or two strides between them (occasionally a bounce). Riders who walk them badly pay at element two.

Stride mechanics

The horse needs take-off room before fence A, landing room after each element, and enough straight line to see the next fence. Designers measure inside the line the horse actually rides.

Typical canter stride: 3.5–3.7 m for a large horse; ponies subtract 0.3–0.5 m.

Walking combinations

Stand at the centre of fence A — look through to B.
Count strides aloud at walk pace (one human stride ≈ 1 m for quick estimates).
Note whether the line is uphill, downhill, or to a blind turn after the combination.

Riding choices

Bounce: sit light, hands following; no kicking mid-air.
One stride: land and re-balance before asking for the next take-off.
Two stride: often the forgiving option for amateur classes — still ride the second stride actively.

Design perspective

If you build combinations, validate each internal distance against your rule set. A combination that works on paper but points at a wall is a trap, not a test.

Walk combinations twice. The second pass is where you commit to the plan your horse will execute.