5 Foot Jumps, why did I wait so long?

It is funny how suddenly some idea occurs to you and then you wonder "why didn't I think of that before"?

A couple of weeks ago I decided to convert most of my field over to winged jumps with 5 foot bars.  What made me decide this?  Well, while trying to do threadles with Tangle it suddenly dawned on me, he just doesn't fit over a 4 foot jump bar when taking it at an angle.  There just isn't that much room for my very long boy to maneuver between stanchions that are 4 foot apart.  And, as Rachel Sanders would say, he fights for the tightest line so that REALLY doesn't leave him much room!

5' Winged Jump

This started me wondering, Tangle's size isn't that unusual.  Why don't all venues that have backsides and threadles require a 5 foot bar?  Have you ever really WATCHED the effort it takes for a medium/big dog to do a backside with no wing?  New found respect for that dog!

I believe USDAA now requires a 5 foot bar.  If we are going to see a backside or two in AKC and UKI, why don't they require a wing and 5 foot bar?  UKI strongly encourages wings, but neither AKC or UKI require a 5 foot bar.