Ekidemy

At Galop 6 you ride a Club 2 cross-country course: fences of about 80 cm over varied ground, with one or more combinations. A body protector is compulsory, as well as a hat. Cross-country fences are fixed: they do not fall down, which calls for a bold horse and a rider who makes decisions early.

The log

One or more logs lying on the ground or raised: the simplest fence, and the commonest.

The log pile

A neat stack of cut logs.

The table

A wide fence with a flat top, jumped from a bold canter with plenty of impulsion.

The hedge, the brush

A hedge of branches; a brush fence is filled with pliable twigs that the horse can brush through at the top.

The ditch

A trench to cross: look far ahead, never down into it.

The trakehner

A log or rail slung over a ditch.

The step up, the step down

A step to jump up, a step to jump down. A step up followed by a step down makes a bank; several steps in a row make a staircase.

The water

A crossing through water, ridden at a trot or a quiet canter: the water drags at the horse’s legs and unbalances it.

The arrowhead, the corner

Narrow or angled fences, known as accuracy fences: they demand a precise line and a horse held firmly between hand and leg.

Riding over varied ground

• Steady: stirrups one or two holes shorter, heels down, legs under you. Downhill and at a step down, bring your upper body up and let the reins slip so that the neck can stretch; uphill and at a step up, bring your upper body and hands forward.
• An even, suitable speed: a constant canter on the lines, rebalanced before the tricky fences (steps down, water, narrow fences) and kept bolder in front of wide ones.
• Steering: choose your line, look for the next fence from the landing, keep the horse straight between hands and legs at accuracy fences.
• Combinations: a step up followed by a log, two logs in a line… The landing from one is the approach to the next: plan them before the first element.

Walking the course

1. 1Walk all of itOn foot, along the line you will ride, in the order of the numbers, noting the ground, the climbs and the descents.
2. 2Look at each fenceFrom a distance, as your horse will see it; note the flags — red on the right, white on the left — and choose where you will jump it.
3. 3Choose your optionsWhere a fence offers a longer, easier route, decide in advance which way you will go.
4. 4Plan where to rebalanceBefore water, a step down, a tight turn: note where you will need to slow down and put the horse back on its hocks.

Across country, as on the flat, fluency is what is judged: a horse that keeps its rhythm, a rider who plans ahead and does not get carried away. After the finish, come back to trot and then walk gradually, and see to your horse straight away, as the page on care explains.