The Secrets to Show Jumping Course Design

The Equestrian Experience

Paul Connor is a British Show Jumping Level 5 Course Designer, FEI Level 3 Course Designer and British Horse Society Level 5 coach. Having designed in Hong Kong and Portugal, and for many international UK events including the Nations Cup at Hickstead, HOYS and the Land Rover Horse Trials, Paul shares his wealth of knowledge about course designing for show jumping.

A rider himself, Paul takes a practical approach to course designing with the intention to give the horse and rider an opportunity to learn and grow as a partnership. In this episode we delve into the importance of course designing and what goes on behind the scenes to make some of the biggest shows in the world possible.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Paul takes us through his journey to becoming a course designer.
• Building a course takes many considerations we go through the key elements that must be considered when deciding what course to build.
• There are many ways to approach a course walk, Paul explains how to get the most out of your course walk and how to use all the information available to you.
• Ever wondered how course design changes between pure show jumping courses and the show jumping course within a three-day-event? We get the answer straight from the course designer’s mouth!
• Have you heard of different show jumping class types and wondered how they differ? Paul takes us through the difference between Table A, B and C classes, how each class has a different intention and how the course design changes because of this.
• Building courses for some of the biggest shows in the world seems like a daunting task, we discuss whether Paul gets any pre-show jitters.

All this and so much more in this episode of THE EQUESTRIAN EXPERIENCE.