Studs & Show Jumping

[missparis]

I am starting to make sure that I have all the right equipment for summer, and although most of my comps are either Indoors or on All Weather surfaces, some SJ comps such as Hickstead are on grass.

I have very high aspirations of jumping Foxhunters by July, however, Newcomers is more realistic at this point in time. Being a complete novice when it comes to studs, do SJ'ers put 1 or 2 studs per shoe? What type of studs would you put in for soft, normal and hard ground? I have decided to go with Supastuds as they seem to have a good reputation on here!

 

[bounce]

Its been a really long time since I've used studs so will be interested to hear whether people prefer 1 or 2 in each shoe.

I only ever used to have 1 stud in each back shoe when I was jumping ponies.

You should go for big domed studs for soft ground and more pointed shorter studs for the hard ground. I always went for the smallest studs I could get away with to minimise the risk of injury from the pony stepping on itself. If you put front studs in then a stud girth is advised.

 

[Loulou2002]

I put two in each but its really down to you. Equiport do a brilliant range of studs......they always have a stand at hickstead so you can get them there or mail order.

 

[missparis]

Is there much difference between 1 or 2 studs eg does 2 studs give better grip? will 2 studs cause that much more damage? As most of the venues I compete, will be on sand, I dare say the studs will only be used a handful of times this season.

 

[claire_p2001]

2 studs per foot will give you more grip, if you go for one in each make sure they are on the outside of the shoe. Use smaller studs in the front feet, most websites will tell you which stud is suited to which conditions.

 

[vhcx]

my personal preference is two in each foot. although at work top horses occasionally would have 3, dependent on height they were to be jumping and their personal way of going. last summer i think we only had one who had 3 behind. this probably isn't needed at just newc/fox level though.

i have bought all my studs from equiport as i think someone has already said, they have such a wide range that whenever i've needed to add to my collection i know they will have them!

also on ground going i agree with whoever said large domes in ofter going, the softer it is the larger the stud and also sharp pointed ones for hard ground.

 

[FigJam]

SupaStuds are the best. They have a brilliant selection of different types and also do fantastic "travel studs" which means you can prep stud holes the night before comp, put these in and then all that needs done at show is swap them for studs you want to use, so quick and much easier than stressing about cleaning holes on the day!

Travel studs;

I use these "mini sharp" studs in front for firm-good going, they are really little but sharp enough on firm ground to give a little "bite";

Then the "small conical" behind;

The "dressage" stud is great for fairly hard ground;

I have the "polo" (front);

and "bullet" (hind);

for soft conditions, but only used those a couple of times. As per advice from farrier and weighing up opinion on here, I use one stud per foot on the outside. My horse is quite small and sure footed naturally, which is why I try and stud as small as possible.

 

[jumptoit]

I always use what FigJam posted as the dressage stud but for everything (PN eventing, all 3 phases) with one in each shoe, though mine aren't the supastuds ones instead they're the stromsholm ones I think. I always just use the one stud in the outside as my silly mares can still stud themselves in their left hind with their right hind even though they only have one in the outside!

 

[stencilface]

I only ever put one stud in each hind, I have never used studs in front. My horse managed to stud himself in his own coronet band whilst standing still though, so I'm not sure he an be trusted with more

He will now wear a doughnut boot whenever he has studs in

 

[missparis]

Thanks for all the info - a lot to take on! This might be a daft question, but is there a time where you dont need studs to compete on grass? Or is it more of a safety net to always use studs? By the looks of things, I will be requiring 2 studs per shoe.

 

[wench]

I got some supastuds after reading advice on here - tbh I found I still needed to tap the holes first.

 

[gunnergundog]

Two studs per foot all round; sometimes smaller ones in front and bigger ones behind. Never one per foot as IMO you can get a rotation of the foot, with the stud side 'sticking in' and the non-studded side travelling on, causing strain on all the tendons/ligaments.

 

[Luci07]

I always had one stud per foot on the outside but that was for eventing. You mentioned Hickstead for jumping... from previous experience, do not stud up according to how you feel the ground is in the lorry park, go and check the rings. I know it is a bit of a walk but as someone (on video as well) who didn't stud up properly because the ground was hard in the park, only to find that, of course, Hicksteads rings are watered and well covered..having a horse "sit" in the ring is a little embarrasing to say the least! only my pride that got hurt (and on camera too!).

 

[jess_asterix]

Definatley use 2 in each always, I use the 'dressage' stud most of the time unless ground is particularly bad in which case i use bigger studs. I always put a flat one on the inside though and a blunter one.

For Hickstead I would stud up for every ring as thye all have a gradient to them. I stud for anything on grass.

 

[missparis]

I always had one stud per foot on the outside but that was for eventing. You mentioned Hickstead for jumping... from previous experience, do not stud up according to how you feel the ground is in the lorry park, go and check the rings. I know it is a bit of a walk but as someone (on video as well) who didn't stud up properly because the ground was hard in the park, only to find that, of course, Hicksteads rings are watered and well covered..having a horse "sit" in the ring is a little embarrasing to say the least! only my pride that got hurt (and on camera too!).

Oh wow - that is a lesson learnt. Do you care to share that photo? lol

Definatley use 2 in each always, I use the 'dressage' stud most of the time unless ground is particularly bad in which case i use bigger studs. I always put a flat one on the inside though and a blunter one.

For Hickstead I would stud up for every ring as thye all have a gradient to them. I stud for anything on grass.

Jess, do you use the dressage studs on both front and back, or a different set for the back shoes? I would guess the main arena would be soft as it would be regularly watered, however, what are the other arenas like?

 

[Rambo]

For every stud you can buy there is also an 'opinion' that someone will have on what is right and what is wrong. Two studs (or more) per shoe vs one. Big studs vs small ones...sharp vs blunt etc.

The key things to remember are...use as little as you can safely get away with and use what your horse feels comfortable with. Studs increase jarring in the legs and so the less you use the less damage you will do to your horses legs. There are many arguments about whether one stud is better than two...personally i use a single smaller stud in the outside of the front shoes, and two larger studs in the rear...one on the outside and one on the inside at the rear of the shoes.

My farrier told me that horses naturally rotate their feet when they hit the ground...hence the argument for a single stud as this still allows some rotation. In my head this is more important in the fronts than the rears though...but just my opinion.

As others have said, rings 3 and 5 at Hickstead are on a fairly hefty incline...so studs preferable in them. Rings 2 and 4 are pretty flat though. The going is usually pretty good there though (unless it's very wet !) and the grass coverage good...so you do get pretty good natural grip from the surface.

Less and less grass jumping around these days though so don't expect to be gettimg too much use out of the holes lol!

P.s i'm an advocate of the supastuds too...yes you may still have to tap the holes yourself...but not as perfectly as you do for normal studs...but the biggest plus imo is that they don't rust ! Worth the extra just for that

 

[Santa_Claus]

personally I've always been one for two behind and none infront for simple reasons (IMHO ) 2 behind to stop over rotation fo the foot especially as with one they would be pivoting around the outside of the foot not the inside which my previous farriers have said to be very damaging.

I don't use studs infront when jumping (i will for dressage if need be) because on landing a horse will move every so forward slightly on its front feet and by putting in studs you will have a sigificant jarring effect on the front legs. If the ground is really that slippy that you need front studs then I wouldn't be jumping full stop.

I also like to use the smallest studs possible and tend to use mini sharp supastuds for harder ground (but again if too hard wouldn't want to be jumping anyway) and either the small conical or polo behind if soft. Fleur is very sure footed though so I am confident that small studs are all that is required at our level. I did though have the same system of studding with Dan when jumping regulary at 1m20 and up to 1m30s which almost always on grass but with bigger studs behind and I can't remember ever having any problems slipping.

 

[missparis]

Even more advice! It's quite confusing. Fritz is a very sure footed horse (or so he seems), so it seems more important to have more studs in the back shoes, opposed to the front. Lucky there is not that many grass events for show jumpers anymore!

 

[Santa_Claus]

with studs its a very personal decision as there are so many theories flying about that are often just as correct as one another even if contradictory (if that makes sense!)

Best thing is talk to your farrier as I have known some refuse bluntly to put 2 stud holes and others insist that 2 are used or none at all! Your farrier knows your individual horse and his foot movement and so will be able to best advise. For example I bet hunter at yard would be banned from having studs full stop (if he ever had need for them) due to his over rotation of both hind feet!

 

[KatB]

The best advise it to look at how your horse naturally walks. If he naturally twists a foot slightly when walking, use one stud, if not, and he is dead straight, use two. I never want too much grip infront, because as Santa_Claus says, you can effectively "stop" the foot and cause concussion.

For jumping on grass, I will use road studs infront if the ground is slippy (2 of!), but nothing if it is good. I will use one bigger stud behind, but normally no bigger than the dressage stud mentioned here