This is an archived Horseadvice.com Discussion. The parent article and menus are available on the navigation menu below:
HorseAdvice.com » Horse Care » Horse Pasture, Fencing, Barns » Pastures, Fences, & Building topics not covered by the above »
  Discussion on Building cavaletti
Author Message
Member:
maggienm

Posted on Monday, Jun 16, 2008 - 10:35 pm:

I have a few questions about building cavaletti.

I have several jumps already, is there any reason why I couldn't drill some more holes in the jump standards so the rail is lower and use those as cavaletti?
I can hear someone ask how often I would use them.
Well, I would say frequently.

I was plannning to use square 4x4's, which are only 3 5/8 and bolt the two cross pieces together, then screw the pole to the x piece.
I was not planning to notch anything. Does anyone have experiece with something like this? Without notching will they stand up to use?
the measurements I am using will all the caveletti to be used in three height positions.

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.
Lori
Member:
muffi

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 - 2:37 am:

No comments but let me know how they work - I would like to make them too!
Member:
paardex

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 - 6:14 am:

I like cavaletti because you can use them with horses on a lungeline. The standards would get me into trouble with the line
Jos
Member:
ekaufman

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 - 10:13 am:

Hi Lori,

I think I may have misunderstood your plan, but never fix a pole solidly to a standard, even at ground level. We get away with it on true cavaletti because the small X's will generally roll if the horse strikes the rail. A standard is too large, and can be dangerous unless the pole can easily come free when struck, stomped, whatever.

I have very low rails on my jump standards for starter jumping exercises-- to habituate the horse to going between the standards and finding some sort of obstacle there. I use jump cups though, so the pole can leave if it needs to. They don't replace cavaletti, but are definitely handy to have.
Member:
maggienm

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 - 7:12 pm:

I am using jump cups with the standards.
Good to know not to fix the pole solid.

I was going to build my cavaletti according to the heights that Ingrid Klimke sets out in her book on using caveletti.
Then I got thinking do I really need both??

But as Jos pointed out it is easier to use caveletti when lunging.

Thanks for the tips.
Member:
muffi

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 18, 2008 - 3:27 am:

I made Cavaletti that were not cavaletti. I didn;'t know what I was doing. but here is the story anyway.
I have 4 - 4 foot PVC poles - the hard white kind.
I wanted to put them up off the ground about 4 inches or so to get the horses used to picking up their feet more.
So I grabbed some available 2 *4's from the shop - cut them a foot long each (12 inches) and nailed them together in an X. i made 8 of these little X's one for each side of the 4 PVC Poles.
So I trot on down (imagine horseless trot - goofy lady with 8 wooden 2 * 4 x's all jumbled together across a field aobut 1/4 mile from the house - long walk and even longer when you keep DrOpping these little X's)
so I get there an start propping one end of the PVC up then go over to the other side to prop the opposite side up. Opps the first end falls down. Drat. Go back over and prop that sucker up again. Drat that other side fell too.
Oh come on, there has to be a way to do this. So I take that wooden X and dig about 1 inch in to the soft dirt (and yes Dr O Wood Chips!!!) ok it stands then put the pole back in there one side at a time. Oh that looks nice about the right height - about 6 inches off the ground.
well yea you guessed it the wind blew and down they went plop, plop, plop.
so in trying to figure out a way to salvage this affair I took one end of each X and stuffed it in the open end of each side of the PVC Pole. they are now laying flat on the ground but now they stay in place unless there is a really hard wack. they are not up off the ground but they stay in place on the ground with their little X ends.
so there you have it the long Cavaletti done wrong story. so now you know why I want to know your your adventure turns out Lori...
Member:
maggienm

Posted on Friday, Jun 20, 2008 - 12:27 am:

Oh Muffi,

What a wonderful story, it made me laugh.
I can just picture it. Arms loaded, something tucked under the elbow, struggling to pick up DrOpped item, all to avoid two trips, done that!
Thank you for sharing.

I have spent a lot of time with boards propped up against each other in various positions trying to imagine how it would work.
Will take pictures of the finished product.
Member:
maggienm

Posted on Tuesday, Jul 15, 2008 - 7:58 pm:

Here are pictures of my finished caveletti. They have three height positions.


Now if it would dry up enough to use them.
cavaletticavaletti
Member:
maggienm

Posted on Tuesday, Jul 15, 2008 - 8:03 pm:

This is a different view.

cavaletti
Member:
mrose

Posted on Tuesday, Jul 15, 2008 - 11:31 pm:

Those are great looking! I like the dog in the front, too. I'm saving the pictures to show Lonnie in hopes he'll make me some like them.
Member:
maggienm

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 16, 2008 - 12:22 am:

Thanks Sara, I am just thrilled with them. If it hadn't been for the hubby help I would have bolted them together without interlocking them.

The dog is pretty special to me too, she shadows me wherever I go. She doesn't like the backhoe, it is sooo funny, she will bark and try to bite at the bucket.
Member:
paardex

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 16, 2008 - 3:55 am:

Just what I want to now I can show pics[much easier than explaining in French]
The dog looks as if it's her accomplishment[or perhaps she is waiting for her training session with them]
Jos
Home Page | Top of Page | Join Us!
Horseadvice.com is a BBB Accredited Business. Click for the BBB Business Review of this Horse Training in Stokesdale NC