The cross-country part

Cross-country is riding out turned into a discipline: a course over varied ground, fixed fences and a speed you choose and hold. In Galop 5, the fences are small; the standards are already those of the big courses.

In the exam programme

Jump small cross-country fences.Cross-country
Ride steadily in balance on the stirrups in all three gaits, outdoors and over varied ground.Cross-country
Keep an even, controlled speed outdoors and through simple sequences of fences.Cross-country
Steer outdoors, over varied ground and through simple sequences of fences on varied ground.Cross-country
Ride a Club 3 cross-country course, or the equivalent Pony class, fluently.Cross-country

The cross-country part asks you to jump small cross-country fences, stay balanced and steady over your stirrups in all three gaits on varied ground, keep an even, controlled speed, steer through simple sequences of fences, then ride a Club 3 cross-country course, or an equivalent Pony class, fluently. Cross-country fences are fixed and built of natural materials: timber, brush, earth, water. You will learn their names in Galop 6.

Kit

A body protector and a riding hat to current standards: both are compulsory for the cross-country tests.
Gloves, so that wet reins don’t slip, and stirrups a hole or two shorter than for flatwork.
For the horse: boots, strong and well-fitted tack, and a hunting breastplate, which stops the saddle slipping back and gives you something to hold if you need it.

Balance over the stirrups

Across country, you are nearly always in balance over your stirrups, in the jumping position from Galop 4: heels down, knees supple, seat just clear of the saddle, hands following the mouth. This position lets you absorb the movement of the ground instead of being thrown about by it.

Uphill: balanced in the stirrups, upper body forward, hands forward
Downhill: upper body upright, heels down, legs underneath
The horse walks straight down the slope

Fig. 5.19Uphill and downhill

Uphill, incline your upper body and move your hands forward: the horse needs its neck to push.
Downhill, sit up and let the horse go down straight and slowly, without dropping the contact or snatching at it.
On the approach to a fence, come a little closer to the saddle, legs on: you are ready if the horse hesitates.

Speed and steering

Choose your speed and hold it: steady on the flat, reduced before fences, going downhill and on difficult ground.
To slow down, sit up and use brief requests, giving straight away; don’t hang on the reins.
Look ahead: the next fence, the next turn, the safest line.
Ride at every fence straight and in the middle, in a balanced canter, or at trot for the more imposing ones.

The course

Walk the courseWalk the whole course: numbers, flags — red on the right, white on the left — the going, the slopes up and down, the landing of every fence.
Start calmlySettle into your speed from the first strides, rather than hunting for it on the way round.
Keep it flowingPrepare each fence early enough, jump, then pick up your speed and your line again straight away.
After a refusalStay calm, circle back far enough and present again, straight, with more leg.
FinishAfter the finish, come back gradually to trot and then walk, and let your horse get its breath back.

Safety

A cross-country fence does not fall down. Never jump alone, never without your instructor’s go-ahead, and never over a fence whose landing you have not seen.

A word from the instructor

Across country, the fences don’t fall down. A rider in too much of a hurry, on the other hand, can — which is why you choose your speed before the fence, not after it.

Ekidemy

The Galops^®, from the first step to Galop 7