Want to teach your horse to jump a bullfinch? First, you need to understand the fence itself. A bullfinch is a brush fence that has greenery, twigs or foliage extending from the top, which the horse should push through, similar to when jumping an untrimmed hedge when out hunting. In this situation, the judge does not want to see the horse jump over the top of the branches and clear the whole fence.
If you’re worried about how to jump a bullfinch or want to improve your horse’s technique over this type of fence, champion working hunter rider Katy Greens shares her advice on how to teach your horse to jump a bullfinch with confidence.
With Royal International Horse Show and HOYS qualifiers often including a bullfinch, not to mention the impressive one at Hickstead itself, many riders will need to incorporate tackling a bullfinch into their training and show preparation.
Why are bullfinches a problem?
“Bullfinches are hard to train for because most of the time you want your horse to be careful and leave all the poles up, but in this instance you are asking them to jump through something,” explains Katy, who specialises in the horse workers, but also competes some native ponies in the larger mountain and moorland working hunter pony divisions.
“It can be hard for the horse to understand when you are training to accommodate one fence when everything else they learn is about clearing the element,” adds Katy. “So when they first see a bullfinch, unless trained correctly, they think that they need to jump over the top and clear it. It’s even harder for the horses who are naturally very careful to understand.”
Ruby Ward and Noble Banksy tackle a bullfinch with ease at Hickstead. Credit: Equinational
Mulberry Lane carried all before him in the 2024 season, as the ultimate example of a beautifully prepared show horse.
Credit: Elli Birch/Bootsandhooves
Bethan joined Horse & Hound as showing editor in January 2025, after spending two years as Editor for Showing World. Having adored ponies since childhood, she started showing as a teenager and has enjoyed wins at major shows up and down the country, including Royal Highland, New Forest, and the Royal Welsh, as well as HOYS, RIHS and London. She is particularly passionate about Welsh breeds and is also a Welsh language commentator.
