Bridge for the obstacle class
- Thread starter nicole
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MiLo Minis
Well-Known Member
I have built a couple. There are no specific dimensions. Some are wide and some are narrow, some are short and some are long. I used 2 inch thick lumber to make 2 side pieces that are kind of a big bump as if you are going up and over and then used 2 x 4's across the top - one end nailed to each side piece. You can get fancy and put railings on them too if you want.
well here's a cheap and easy alternative for you. I've been to a few show's with my big horses for trail class and they used a pallet covered by a peice of ply wood. worked great except for with big horse sthat had a long stride that can't stand all on it at once (my smaller 15hh horses do fine with it) . i've had my bit 17hh TB flip it up some by stepping on the edge of it for him i'd make it two or three pallets long and attach them together to make it more stable..but i know it wont for a lighter mini. it would make for a good practice bridge untill you can figure out "regulation" bridges!
Pallets are usually very easy to come by, free or cheap, and are made of nice strong hardwood that can take alot of weight and abuse!
Hillary
Pallets are usually very easy to come by, free or cheap, and are made of nice strong hardwood that can take alot of weight and abuse!
Hillary
well you could most certainly make it wider to (2 or 3 pallets wide). I always put slats on it for the big horse for my own at home but at show's i've seen them just use regular plywood top..but how about a carpet or some sort of rubber flooring stuff? you could maybe get some of that green astro turf stuff and paint it whatever coloryou wanted..jsut something to make it a little non-slippery.
I put 2 pallets end to end. They are the bigger ones so a cart could fit on them if I wanted to. You would have to build some kind of ramp for up and down though. The ones I've seen that were painted didn't have any kind of anti-slip on them. You could always through some sand into the wet paint to give it some texture or buy the anti-slip tape and put that on it.
hehe i dunno what to tell ya..lol mini mules idea's were very good.. all i KNOW is that pallets are free and free is GOOD when your as broke as i am all the time! lol my thought is that by using them the bridge is about 90% made and of good strong wood.. PLUS you can beat the crap out of it (i've dragged pallets behind cars ..those things take a licking and keep on ticking!)..and if it breaks..ohh well just go get more free pallets and start over..LOL sorry i'm a big time cheap skate! lol actually i've used pallets for lots of things..they make really good solid fencing or gates. they make awesome horse jumps for big horses (great solid cross country jumps ... nice vertical or great ramp or stack em..lol so many things you can do with them! lol). I've made little stalls for lambing lambs out of them.
Jitterbug
Well-Known Member
We've been using an old diving board resting flat on 4 X 4's. It makes a funny sound with their hooves on it, it's very narrow (we did not build sides) and it's not slippery at all. If Sting gets near it he thinks he's supposed to walk across it and he hops right on it !!
Justine
Justine
MInx
Well-Known Member
MY Husband had a couple of old sections od wooden dock we didn't need in the lake so he made a bridege out of them.We put it over a ditch we had but you could just lay them on the ground to start. Works great.
Good luck, Maxine
