This time of year is beautiful with the leaves changing to brilliant amber, gold, and rich reds. The horses enjoy the countryside as an alternative to the routine of the ring work. Riding cross country also helps the rider develop better balance and confidence as you must negotiate varied terrain. It is not uncommon to cross the path of a family of deer or see the red tail hawks flying overhead. So take advantage of communing with nature this next month and ride as much cross country as possible.

Jill and her daughter Gracie enjoy a hack in the countryside, Leroy is saying hello to his new friend, King Richard, probably arguing that he should be King due to his stature.

Sometimes its more fun to ride with your daughter bareback, this is a wonderful excercise to test your balance as well as the temperament of the horse. Lisa and Ava are having a blast!

King Richard is a spectacular horse in a tiny body, he is a super jumper and elastic mover. Jillian is lucky to be his new partner and is looking forward to winning many championships together in the future. Congratulations Jillian!

Indy gallops through the Preliminary water complex with confidence and his eye on the next question.

The water complex is often a problem for horses and riders on the cross country course. To prevent this from being an issue it is crucial that your horse schools through water often and always at a level above the one you plan to compete. Introduce your horse to water slowly to give him confidence. You never want to make a big deal about it. After walking in and out of the water, trot through relaxed, and finally canter through to give him the feeling that this is business as usual. Introduce the drop in and jump out of the water and when your horse works through all these excercises in a calm relaxed manner, you can begin to approach at your cross country speed. Remember always slow down enough before obstacles so your horse can ride through in perfect balance and rhythm. One common error riders make is to over ride the water, which may cause the horse to trip coming up out over a bank, dumping the rider. Safety should always be foremost in the rider and trainers mind which means go out and do your homework so that the day of competition is fun and easy.

Cosmo is a 6 year old Irish Sport Horse imported one year ago from Ireland. He is an elastic supple horse with the potential to be a show jumper, event horse or high level dressage horse. He is kind, easy to ride and learns quickly–always looking to please his rider. This gelding is an uber athlete looking for a new partner to win many championships with.

This is a lovely horse who is clearly demonstrating an incorrect neck position–that is he is falling behind the vertical. You can see how the topline just before the poll is broken, thus preventing the energy from the hind legs to push through the back and into the bit. The rider should try to ride this horse forward, offering her hands toward the mouth to allow the horse to stretch for the bit. Unfortunately the dressage scores will be severely marked down if all movements are ridden in this postion. Remember the purpose of training level dressage is to “confirm that the horse’s muscles are supple and loose and that it moves freely forward in a clear rhythm, accepting contact with the bit”.

Indiana Jones negotiating an oxer in perfect style. He is looking for the next fence jumping with ease.

Enter the show jumping arena with purpose and confidence. Know your course without question, watching a few rounds to study how the course is riding. Notice the terrain, any sloping around the course and if it is slick in the turns. Always finish your round with a quiet closing circle, shift to a trot and walk calmly out of the arena. Never take any jump for granted. Always ride with rhythm and balance and enough speed so that you feel your horse is in front of you. The show jumping will offer an excellent test of all the basic dressage training you have been working on as you will notice how supple and rideable your horse is as you jump around the stadium course.

An equisite moment of harmony between Will Faudree and Indiana Jones negotiating the water complex at Pine Top in September. Indy is relaxed, focused and confident with his partner as they negotiate this difficult course, coming in under the alloted time resulting in a fourth place finish at Preliminary.

Here is Beau after completing his cross country round. He is super fit and could run around the course again. You always want to be prepared for each phase of the competition with a fit horse to prevent accidents and injuries. And it is always a great idea to have someone from your support team supplying you with a cold drink after you gallop through the finish flags.