For many riders who event, the cross country phase is the most exciting and fun part of the event. The dressage helps prepare the horse by teaching obedience and discipline and the show jumping tests the accuracy and fitness of the horse.

Whenever planning the cross country ride, I tell my riders to focus on rhythm, balance, straightness and speed. Approach each obstacle with a plan and remember to have an alternate route in mind if anything goes wrong. Preparation is critical to success.

Once you master a clear round, speed may become a factor. Learn to gallop along the open areas to make up time and prepare to slow down for the obstacles. The length of stride will depend on the fence. If you are approaching a combination with bending lines, you will slow down to a show jumping canter stride and steer your way through the obstacles. If you are jumping a single fence, you may be able to jump out of your gallop stride. Always take care not to go too fast toward a fence or your horse may not be able to negotiate a perfect distance. Safety is key to riding cross country. Remember to take all the training from dressage and stadium with you when riding your course.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 18th, 2007 at 4:33 pm and is filed under Clinics, Cross Country, Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.