How to Care for Aluminium Show Jumps

Aluminium show jumps are chosen for exactly one reason: they ask far less of you than timber. Aluminium is naturally resistant to rust and corrosion, so there is no annual sanding, no re-painting, no rotten feet after a wet Irish winter. That said, "low maintenance" is not "no maintenance". Ten minutes now and then keeps a set looking new for years.

The five-minute weekly check

• Walk the line. Look along each wing and upright — you are checking for bends, dents or anything knocked out of true after a hard rub.
• Cups and pins. Nylon cups are extremely strong, but a cup that has been kicked hard can crack or splay. Swap out anything damaged rather than leaving it in the wing.
• Safety cups. Your FEI-standard safety cups are the part that protects the horse in a bad rub. Make sure they still release cleanly and are not clogged with sand or grit.
• Poles. Check the plastic caps on the ends of the 3m poles are on and intact — that cap is what keeps water out of the end grain of the timber.
• Sandbags. Look for splits or leaks and check the bags are still sitting flat on the feet of the wings, especially outdoors.

Cleaning: gentle wins

Powder-coated aluminium and UPVC both clean up beautifully with almost no effort:

1. Brush off loose sand and dried mud with a soft brush.
2. Wash with warm water and a mild detergent, using a sponge or soft cloth.
3. Rinse with clean water and let everything air dry before it goes back into storage.

Avoid wire brushes, scouring pads, solvents and strong chemical cleaners. They dull the powder coat and can scratch UPVC filler faces, which is the one thing that makes a jump look tired. A pressure washer on a close, high setting can also lift a coating edge — keep your distance or stick to a hose and sponge.

Poles, planks and fillers

Our poles are capped lightweight timber at the FEI standard 3m length. Timber is the one component that genuinely benefits from being kept off wet ground: store poles on a rack, on blocks, or standing in a corner rather than lying in sand or a puddle. Rotate which face sits uppermost from time to time so they wear and weather evenly.

Standing fillers use aluminium stands with strong UPVC designs. Rinse the UPVC faces when they get splashed with sand or muck and they stay bright. If a filler gets knocked over regularly in the same spot, move it — repeated hits are what shorten the life of any filler.

Water trays

Empty the tray after a session rather than leaving standing water in it. It saves the tray, keeps the water clean, and means you are not lifting an unnecessarily heavy tray next time you reset the arena.

Outdoors, all year

Aluminium jumps are built for indoor and outdoor use and stand up to Irish rain long term. Even so, if you have the option, a set that lives under cover between blocks of schooling will always look newer than one that sits out in wind, sun and rain twelve months a year. That is about cosmetics and about poles — not about the aluminium failing.

When something needs replacing

Cups, safety cups, poles and sandbags are consumable parts — they take the impacts so the wings do not. Replacing a cracked cup or a split pole is normal and keeps the whole set safe. If you need replacement components or you are not sure whether a part is still safe to use, send us a photo on WhatsApp at 085 2465845 and we will tell you straight.