Background
The Royal Windsor Fun Ride is held in Windsor Great Park and covers approximately 8 miles with optional horse jumps.
In 2023, Elements Kitchens were invited to build a kitchen-themed jump for the event, and we were delighted to accept the invitation.
Challenge
Our kitchen designer, Jansen, was tasked with designing a kitchen-themed horse jump 9m (w) x 2m (h), including one low jump 350mm high, a middle horse jump 750mm high, and a high jump 1000mm high. This would ensure that the jump could be used by people of different abilities.
Recalling the moment when he found out about the challenge, Jansen said: “I’d never designed a horse jump before, so I was really excited to do this. On top of this, the thought of having horses and riders using this jump at such a prestigious location was thrilling.”
Solution
When asked about how he approached the design for the kitchen jump, Jansen said:
“I am not familiar with horse events, so I started with a little research on horse jumps. However, they turned out to be largely gates of different heights rather than anything as unique as a kitchen horse jump, so this route wasn’t particularly helpful.”
At this point, Jansen changed his approach and started to research different cabinetry configurations and appliance heights.
“This is how I came up with the middle and high horse jumps. A cupboard and drawer combination were a good choice for the middle horse jump at 750mm tall, while an appliance and cupboard combo added a really unique feature to the jump and a great photo opportunity for riders attempting to do the large jump.”
After finding the correct combination of cabinetry and appliances, Jansen looked at how the design could be easily assembled, disassembled, and fixed securely into the ground to ensure the safety of riders and horses.
Next, the aesthetics of the kitchen jump needed to be considered. This is more important than you might initially think, as Jansen explains: “We wanted the kitchen jump to be identifiable from a distance, and to suit the location where it was held. For this reason, I selected a traditional Shaker range. Shaker kitchens are very distinctive, so it would be recognised from a distance, and the traditional style would complement the location of the event at Windsor Castle. Overall, the combination of the Shaker range with a Range cooker* represents the epitome of British style. This was further enhanced with the colour choices: a classic white with contemporary navy blue.”
After the kitchen jump was designed it was sent next door to our workshop, where it was made, spray-painted by a member of the workshop team and assembled to ensure that it all fit together and looked good. It was at this point that Jansen got to see the real-life version of his design:
“It was brilliant to see something I designed being brought to life. That’s what I love about being a designer!”
*It should be noted that a Range cooker was not actually included in the design. Instead, an image of the front was printed onto a piece of Perspex and attached to the front of a cabinet. This was more practical for transport, assembly, and standing in a field during wet British weather.
The Result
The kitchen jump was a great success with many rider and horse teams, (and even stewards!) trying out both the small and large jumps. As a unique jump, it was greatly anticipated by those who took part in the event. The icing on the cake was seeing Windsor Castle rising in the background of the images taken by professional equine photographer Wayne Jones.
Jansen Ma
Elements Kitchens Designer
“I really enjoyed the process and novelty of creating a horse jump for such a prestigious event at Windsor castle. It certainly got me to think about kitchens from a different angle!”
Amanda Stewart
Event Director, Royal Windsor Fun Ride
“I was absolutely delighted when Elements Kitchens rose to the challenge of building us a totally individual jump.
When this charity event started, it was a one-day event and due to its ongoing success, next year (yet to be announced formally) it will be the first ever event of its type to become a three-day-event.
The Elements team not only listened carefully, they worked closely with our Course Designer and thus produced the only “unmistakeable-kitchen” jump ever!
You could almost say that they threw the kitchen-sink at it and the riders utterly loved the opportunity to jump this unique jump!”
