Course Walk Timer Calculator
Walk speed and stride counting for show jumping courses.
About this calculator
Time allowed on a show jumping course is set by the class's required speed table, and this calculator applies that directly: distance in meters divided by the required meters-per-minute, scaled to seconds — go over that and you accrue time faults regardless of how clean your rounds were. It also estimates the horse's total canter strides across the course (distance divided by your horse's stride length) and, separately, how long your own course walk will take by converting the same distance into human walking strides at roughly 0.75 meters and 0.8 seconds per stride. The average-distance-between-jumps figure divides the course distance evenly across the number of jumping efforts and converts that into an average stride count, which is a useful sanity check before you walk related distances by eye, but it's a straight-line average, not a line-by-line count — it doesn't know where the turns, rollbacks, or combinations actually sit on course, so it can't replace physically walking each individual line to count exact strides.
Use it to get a feel for pace and total walk time before you're on the ground, then let your actual stride-by-stride walk of related distances and technical lines override the average wherever the course design demands it. Required speeds vary by table (Table A typically runs 350-400 m/min, though lower levels and technical classes often set the bar lower), so always confirm the number in the class specs before relying on the time-allowed output.
Inputs
Results
Time allowed (sec)
77.14
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter Course Distance (m) — measured along the optimum track.
- Input Number of Jumps on the course.
- Set Required Speed (m/min) per the competition table (e.g., Table A: 350-400 m/min).
- Enter Horse Stride length (m) — typically 3.5-4.0 m for a showjumper.
- Review Time Allowed (sec), Total Horse Strides, and Walk Strides (rider) to plan your round.
How the result changes with Required speed (m/min)
| Required speed (m/min) | Time allowed (sec) |
|---|---|
| 200 | 135 |
| 263 | 102.66 |
| 450 | 60 |
What each input means
- Course distance (m)
- Total course distance in meters.
- Number of jumps
- Total number of jumping efforts on course.
- Required speed (m/min)
- Required speed in meters per minute (325-375 typical).
- Horse stride (m)
- Your horse's canter stride length in meters.
What each result means
- Time allowed (sec)
- Maximum time to complete the course without time faults.
- Total horse strides
- Approximate canter strides over the full course.
- Walk strides (rider)
- Human walking strides during course walk.
- Walk time (min)
- Estimated time for one course walk.
- Avg strides between jumps
- Average horse strides between jumping efforts.
How this is calculated
Worked example, using the default values
- Identify Input Parameters4 parametersCourse distance (m) = 450, Number of jumps = 12, Required speed (m/min) = 350, Horse stride (m) = 3.6 = 4 input(s) provided
- Calculate Time allowedTime allowed = round((courseDistanceM / speedMpm) * 60 * 100) / 10077.14 = 77.14
- Calculate Total horse stridesTotal horse strides = round(courseDistanceM / strideLength)125 = 125
- Calculate Walk stridesWalk strides = round(courseDistanceM / humanStrideM)600 = 600
Engine last updated . Checked against 2 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators. Built by Paul Gunder, a software engineer, not a licensed financial, medical, or legal professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I go over the time allowed?
Time faults accrue for every fraction of a second your round exceeds the time-allowed figure, which this calculator gets by dividing course distance by required speed in meters per minute and scaling the result to seconds. Faults from being over time add to your score exactly like a rail down, so pace management matters as much as jumping cleanly.
Why is my estimated walk time different from how long I actually spend walking the course?
The walk-time estimate assumes a constant human stride of about 0.75 meters at roughly 0.8 seconds per stride, applied straight across the total course distance. In reality you'll pause to count strides in related lines, backtrack to double-check distances, and walk some sections more than once, so the number here is a floor for a single brisk walk-through, not a prediction of your actual time on course.
Why doesn't the average-strides-between-jumps figure match what I count in a specific line?
That figure divides the total course distance evenly across all jumping efforts and converts the result to a stride count using your horse's stride length, so it represents a course-wide average, not any individual line. Related distances, rollbacks, and long approaches between fences all vary the real stride count line by line — you still need to walk each one individually to get an exact number.
How do I know what required speed to enter?
Required speed is set by the class's speed table, not by the calculator, and it varies by level and discipline — Table A classes commonly run 350-400 m/min, but lower levels, technical classes, and some derbies set the bar lower. Always check your class specs or schedule of fees for the exact number before trusting the time-allowed output.
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