ASKHQ: WALKING THE CROSS COUNTRY COURSE

Q: How should you walk a cross-country course?

A: If you are going to jump a cross-country course, walking it beforehand is essential so that you can assess the terrain, going and the obstacles. This allows you to make the best decisions for you and your horse about how to tackle the course.

When walking the course look closely at the terrain (flat, undulating, steep etc) and the going (muddy, deep, hard patches etc).

It is also useful when walking the course, to give yourself a few landmarks to look out for along the way. You should select these landmarks carefully so that aiming for them when riding gives you the best approaches and landings after fences. These landmarks can also be useful for reminding you to look up and think forwards – something it is all too easy to forget!

For showjumping you are aiming, mostly, for the middle of the fence, but in cross country the wider and more varied types of fence means that you may need to select a take-off point that is away from the centre of the fence, because it is, for instance, less sloped or offers better going or a better line upon landing.

When walking the course you also need to take note of the areas where it will be safe to increase the speed, and the areas where you will need to hold back a little.

When walking the course you can also check out any alternative routes that are offered to see which you prefer. It is wise to decide before jumping which of the alternative routes you plan on taking. However, you should also check out the other route in case the course does not go as planned when you are riding it.