Showjump set - plastic or wooden?

[Tronk]

OH is planning on earning some serious brownie points by getting me a showjump set of about 6 jumps. What would you wise people suggest please? I have a few cheap plastic poles that have shattered in the frost, so nervous of buying plastic. However I know the local pony club uses a lovely 'Jump for Joy' plastic set which seem to have withstood the test of time. A local supplier, Mosswood showjumps, do what look like a lovely wooden set but I'm wary of the maintenance.... Please help, I don't want to blow my once in a lifetime chance of getting decent jumps! Thanks.

 

[kathantoinette]

Well I can highly, highly recommend Mosswood. I've just taken delivery of a full set for a Show Committee that I run. They look amazing - finished to a very high standard. Are you going to keep them under cover during winter? They would obvs weather in time.

Personally I wouldn't go for plastic, a bit lightweight in the wind in my opinion.

I have a couple of steel stands made from a company in Lincs - Harborough Fabrication. These are very good and will last a lifetime stood outside.

Hope that's of help

 

[stencilface]

Plastic. Much easier to heft around on your own imho. Definitely for wings at least, could be handy to have a couple of wooden poles.

 

[FfionWinnie]

We have a variety of plastic block wings and wooden poles. I think from my experiences at other people's arenas, if I was buying some now for home from a training and longevity perspective I would go for the single pole upright wing stands with a plastic base and keyhole cups (don't like the slidy up and down ones) and wooden poles. Then I would have various killer fillers to jazz it all up.

 

[dixie]

We have a variety of plastic block wings and wooden poles. I think from my experiences at other people's arenas, if I was buying some now for home from a training and longevity perspective I would go for the single pole upright wing stands with a plastic base and keyhole cups (don't like the slidy up and down ones) and wooden poles. Then I would have various killer fillers to jazz it all up.

Thus for me too
I've had my jump for joy poles and a couple of wings for 15yrs and they are still in very good condition. Definitely no splintering. However some heavier poles would be good to mix with the lighter ones.
We've also had the Jumpkin plastic wings for 25yrs and they are so great as long as you don't want to jump higher than 3ft 6.

 

[Fiona]

We have plastic uprights which have lasted 14 years without a mark on them.

Personally I like wooden poles, but a few plastic poles would be handy too.

Fiona

 

[mrsh2010]

Some of the wooden jumps my dad made me have just started to give up this year and I've had them 11 years. They have been kept out in the element 24hrs a day 365 days a year.

It all depends on •how often will you be using them? • how often will you be setting them up and taking them down?

I've just bought some jump for joy blocks so that if I want a quick jump they are easy and lightweight to run out to the field. The wooden ones generally get set up in April and took down in September as I leave them on my field.

 

[milliepops]

We have a variety of plastic block wings and wooden poles. I think from my experiences at other people's arenas, if I was buying some now for home from a training and longevity perspective I would go for the single pole upright wing stands with a plastic base and keyhole cups (don't like the slidy up and down ones) and wooden poles. Then I would have various killer fillers to jazz it all up.

yep me too. I've just sold my wooden jump wings as they take up too much space and are awkward and annoying to move! The yard has lots of plastic uprights which are versatile and easy to carry about but stable enough to use on the field as well as in the school. If/when I ever have my horses at home again I'd get a few of those. Wooden poles all the way though, cheap, cheerful, last a long time and you can paint them yourself if you want to save some pennies.

 

[Shay]

We have a mix of Jump 4 Joy, a few poly jumps and some old wooden poles / wings. The decent plastic are far and away better. They weather better, last longer and are easier to move. But I would suggest absolutely not getting the light poles - you need competition weight at least. We have one light pole -it came with the wall set as an under pole - and the blasted thing is an absolute liability if accidentally used as a top pole.