Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Jump Pole Storage

I finally bought jump standards and poles last summer, and since then the poles have been sitting in a stack in the corner of the arena. It was unsightly and annoying, and prevented me from riding deeply into that one corner. It's also not great for the poles to sit on the damp ground.

Unsightly pile of jump poles (actually 8' landscape timbers because they're inexpensive, have rounded edges, and are the perfect length for a narrow arena).
Recently I decided to get off my butt and do something with them. This was another thing I'd been putting off because I wasn't sure of the best way to do it (which reminds me of the adage that the best is the enemy of the good). I've seen other people use ladder hooks, hose hangers, and other random things that aren't sturdy enough and eventually bend or break. You can see in the picture below that the lower-left ladder hook that I've used for only four trot poles (two on each pair of hooks) has bent, which made me not want to go that route again.


I considered making wooden brackets but instead I decided to buy the Bora Portamate Wood Organizer. I am quite impressed with how sturdy it is, especially for only $39, and it was also very easy to install. I mounted it on a section of the fence next to the arena by adding two spare fence boards horizontally (because the existing boards are too old and weathered to be trusted with much weight) and two 2x4s vertically.

Here you can see the horizontal and vertical supports. The fence is on a slope so I made sure to use a level!
The organizer is advertised to hold 600 lb so it should easily support my 15 jump poles, or even more if I need them.

The old ladder racks should do for hanging this gate.

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