Tools Required: • Chop saw (or a curricular saw with two
saw horses or a work bench) • Electric drill • (3) Drill Bits in the following sizes: • ⅛˝ bit • ⅜˝ bit • ½˝ bit • Clamp • Yardstick • Measuring tape • Speed square • Pencil • Phillips head screw driver • ¼˝ socket and wrench • Eye and ear protection • 1 disposable respirator (this can be
reused, do not discard after use) NOTE: Acquiring these tools can be pricey,
Build Your Own PVC Schooling Standards By Dadre McCreary
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chooling standards are available commercially and can be purchased for about $300 a pair, plus shipping, per pair from the official jump supplier for the US Equestrian Team. Or, you can build 6 sets of your own schooling standards for about the same price. These PVC standards are inexpensive, and easy to make using your horse girl “know how.” They are also practical and lightweight for riding instructors who offer jumping lessons. They are also easy to move around to create oxers when placed behind a wing standard. All of the materials and supplies you’ll need are available at your local home improvement store. This is a relatively inexpensive and easy process; it shouldn’t cost more than $50 for one set of schooling standards. This project can be accomplished in a few hours, depending on your skillz. The skillz I’m 12
Winter 2019–20 | Riding Instructor
referring to are “standard horse girl skills” of wielding an electric saw and drill. If you can mend a fence, you can build these standards. If you can’t mend a fence, then this project probably isn’t for you. For this project, you will need to gather the following materials. If you are not a savvy home improvement store shopper, I recommend taking this list to the store. Ask the sales associate to help you gather the items you will need. Don’t be afraid to ask them questions, I have found that they are always willing to help and offer advice.
Materials Required: • (1) 4˝ × 4 “x 8΄ vinyl fence post • (2) 1.5˝ × 5.5˝ × 8΄ vinyl fence rails • (16) 1/4˝ – 20 × 2˝ stainless steel, Phillips
drive, pan head, machine screws with nuts • (32) 1/4˝ stainless steel washers
however, are all of these items are useful around a horse farm and as such are worth the investment. I recommend Harbor Freight if you intend to buy the aforementioned tools, especially if you don’t think you will use them frequently. Make sure to look online for a 20% off coupon. I use my power tools for many different projects and as such, I prefer Ryobi, 18 volt cordless battery driven power tools available from the Home Depot. If you are buying tools for this project only, I suggest buying electric tools with power cords verses battery driven tools. Electric tools with power cords are way less expensive than battery driven. For those budget conscious horse girls, consider buying used power tools from Facebook Marketplace. I am not a spokesperson for either retail store or Facebook. TIP: I recommend reading the following
instructions once or twice to make sure you understand the process. Now that you have collected the materials and tools, let’s get started. 1. Measure 4΄ on your 4˝ × 4˝ × 8΄ vinyl post using a pencil. Use the speed square to draw a line with your pencil where you will cut your vinyl post in half. See photos 1 & 2. 2. Put on your eye and ear protection,
