Are inflatable jumps the future?

The stadium jumping course at the upcoming Fall Horse Trials and Area 1 Championships eventing competition, put on by the Gennese Valley Riding and Driving Club (GVRDC) in Geneseo, New York on August 20-21 had an amazing new course to jump, all what was needed is to just add air. While the eventing community was most recently introduced to the revolutionary line of products by distributor Premier Equestrian at The Event at Rebecca Farms CCI3* held in Kalispell, Montana, the Fall Horse Trials and Area 1 Championships is about to make history as the first-ever sanctioned horse show in the United States that will feature a jumping course built with inflatable jumps. These revolutionary inflatable jumps and obstacles take on the appearance of jumps that eventers are more familiar with, but their low-impact material is designed to increase horses’ and riders’ safety while training and competing over them. The company behind this new trend in eventing is AIR Equine Safety Systems (AIR-ESS), of Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Located in the scenic Gennesee Valley of western New York, the Gennesee Valley Riding and Driving Club plays host to many different events throughout the year. This will be the third year that the United States Eventing Association will hold its Area 1 Championships at the venue. Riders of all levels, ranging from Beginner Novice to Preliminary, will compete in the event that will take place over two days. “I am really looking forward to this event!” said AIR-ESS founder Jacqueline Nadler ahead of the competition. “I hope that we will be able to start helping horses, trainers, and show management to jump easier and safer across the country after we make our competition debut here.”