Exactly How Safe Are Polyjumps? Can You Make A Spread?

[newforest]

Question in the title, bearing in mind the advertising of these multi jump blocks, suggests you can put the poles anywhere for a multiple of uses.

But, can you? This is the thing.

Up till now i've been using a pair as a spread with a pole on each section, friend says you can not do this as the pole cannot fall down. If you look at pic of the pink block and the blue advertised, this is what i've been doing.
My instructor bhsai didn't alter it and she was giving the lesson, so you'd guess she'd know roughly how safe these were.

The bareback pic she says is wrong as the first pole should not be there as it will not fall down, it should be a cross pole?

So would it fall down?

 

[eml]

A friend of mine who bought these for her livery yard also says that in some positions they do not fall easily but you just have to use common sense. I suspect if hit hard enough the whole jump would collapse but your friend is right that the poles would not fall easily if tapped.

I use the 'integral wings' and 'blocks' which cannot be built unsafely.

 

[jovi_y2k2]

When I used to go for lessons at my intructor's yard she had these and take it from me they do fall down

My instructor had a jump set up as in your middle pic and me and my pony had a bit of a misunderstanding on which jump we were aiming for resulting in a complete crash through the spread on the poly wings! :redface: other than a few bruises and dented pride me and my pony were fine!

 

[Snowyboy]

we use them but always to be sure the pole can fall

my friends little girl (8 years old) was jumping 2'9ish and pony caught his foot, the pole didn't fall as it was set wrong way, pony rotated over and landed on child

I saw the accident and am still feeling shakey even typing this

We do use them - and like them as they are flexible BUT we are very careful how we set the jumps now - really careful

I never ever want to see a child flipped over like that and landed on - the pony was flat on his back - was horrific

child and pony survived thank God as our surface is fab - it has a small amount of give (lots of good jumpers and top dressage rider at our yard so they've invested in a top of the range all weather surface) and I am sure that is what saved her

accident was some 6 months ago now - pony is not yet back in work - should be in next month or so, God willing

 

[newforest]

to use so the back pole can be pushed off it's support and to make it a spread, put up a cross pole on the approach as these will fall out of it easily?

 

[alwaysfallingof]

I'm not a huge polyjump fan, especially as I don't find they're any more convenient than just using the lightweight plastic wings - which give more flexibility as well.

I haven't even seen an accident using them (snowyboy, that sounds horrific!) but I've seen them being knocked quite hard and stay up too often to be 100% sure of them.

 

[newforest]

They don't really look inviting if you jump the top slot either, that pole looked more likely to fall off, but we cleared it 3 times:biggrin: