cross country tips?

[FinneghansMummy]

hiya

i was wondering if anyone has tips for starting X country?

my lil boy is a good bold jumper although hes a bit big in his build for showjumping and finds the turns tricky. before i got him he was hunted in ireland and tends to enjoy a big jump with a long run up to it and after! i am going to start X country on him and was wondering if anyone has tips for starting him off, he is pretty fearless but spooks sometimes at light reflecting on water although hes better than he was, i do have a X country course near me but the jumps are a bit daunting for me at the mo, cant imagine him and me gettin over them together!

at the mo i set up X country style jumps in a big field and the farmer even let me dig a ditch! although they are pretty small
3' ish and arent nearly as wide as the ones i see on proper courses!

so any tips are really appreciated

thanks

ani+finn:D

[FinneghansMummy]

anyone??????

[Cochise]

It sounds to me like you have made a good start. Is he good to hack out and bold alone?

Some of the best tips I have and I use them with my eventer are to hack out in as many different places as possible and alone if you can. It gets them out seeing many different and spooky things. Are there any small local events near you? Where I live, some pony clubs have open days or training days where anyone for a small fee can get out and have go at the cross country course.
What do you mean by ""cross country"? do you mean full events involving dressage, cross country and show jumping or just cross country courses?
The best thing to do is to keep him as fit as possible, vary his exercise and let him try as many different jumps and situations as possible. As you have already said, he is bold, but are you wanting to compete with him? Jumping lessons are great for everyone.
Flat work os so important these days especially for jumpers, even cross country horses have to be balanced and well schooled....good luck and if you have any other questions, I will try my hardest to answer them, I have brought on a few greenies to their first one day event and its heaps of fun!! :)

[FinneghansMummy]

thanks for your tips!

he can be a pain by himself but is still very bold, im not wanting to event him just the croos country part! he is well schooled and has inproved since i have had him. we have jumping lessons and flatwork lessons once a week for each then i hack out on him and jump him for the rest of the time. i am going to contact the pony club and see if they have any Xcountry events coming up.

i think the only problem i will have with him is his strength, he is in a pelham all the time but i do find him a bit too strong in it for jumping. what do u use on your eventers for Xcounrty?


thanks
ani & finn:D

[Bev Heron]

-- glad to see there is someone else who wants to do XC without necessarily doing eventing. I have somewhere between no interest in and an aversion to dressage and arena jumping. I've only been riding 6 mos, so haven't started jumping yet. They want to build a XC course at the ranch where I ride, so hopefully by the time I'm ready, they'll have something for me to do. :)

FM, please keep us posted on what you learn and how you're doing.

[Cochise]

I dont think that we have straight cross country competitions here...mainly eventing only.

Most of the horses I have evented are in a snaffle. My first pony was the only one that I put in a pelham, but mainly out of fear of him bolting with me. I put him into a frenchlink snaffle and this made a HUGE difference to the way he went. He no longer tried so hard to evade the bit. I had a pony who would be really scared of the chain on the pelham so I just rode him in a snaffle too. My current horse now, Cheeky is great in a snaffle, I have just changed him to a nice fat eggbutt.
I have found that as long as you can sit out and steer into the first few jumps say the first 3-4 jumps, you can use this to your advantage if they are bold. After this, as long as they are listening to you, you can use your bodyweight to get them under control and listening more. Aim for a good forward and positive pace. When you walk the course dont just look at the jumps and think oh ok I can jump that.....Look at the jump and think of your individual horse and yourself and how you think that you might deal with the jump.....look at the approach, the jump its self and the landing, check out any combinations and stride it out, imagine you are riding your horse as you walk it...it will make actually riding the course so much easier....and the most important thing is to stay positive and see it as being fun!!
As for the bit thing, ts up to you.....I find that there is too much emphasis on the bit in the mouth as the brakes. I think that the ability to sit the bottom down in the saddle and ride it out is so much more important.

[Bev Heron]

Originally posted by Cochise
When you walk the course dont just look at the jumps and think oh ok I can jump that.....Look at the jump and think of your individual horse and yourself and how you think that you might deal with the jump.....

So, if the course is 4-5 miles, do you walk it and make a map, notes, etc?

[Cochise]

I walk it once or twice. Depending on the level I am riding at, I map it and make notes.....I can get quite competitive lol!!

But why if anything is to go wrong should it be because you didnt take the time to get to know the course in the first place? Thats when you should be kicking yourself if you get out there and have no idea where you are going!!

[FinneghansMummy]

he is a very strong horse although is very responsive to my aids and the slightest touch on the bit and he pulls up when he is in a pelham but in a snaffle he took off and i had no chance of stopping untill he wanted. i have tried lots of different bits and found that the pelham works best for him.

i think i'l just have to see how he goes in it and if i find he gets too strong for it during Xc (god forbid) i'l look at other options.

thanks for your tips anyway and im sure it wont be too long before where doing our first event!


Ani & Finn


:D

[Cochise]

you are welcome!! have fun and good luck with it!! let us know when you get there!! if I can help you with anything else, PM me if you want I am here most days

[happyhorse]

hi,

i have been competing x country this winter for my first time and i must say i am loving it.!!! i go and walk the course the day before , paying attention to the jumps that might prove tricky, although on the day its usually the jumps u least expect to cause trouble that do! lol. i have also hired this course out a couple of times and we have schooled over the course, which does help alot!

i have now competed at 2 just x country events, ( i did loads of show jumping events thru the summer). Our first time out we did the mini as a warm up round (1'6 - 1'9 ) and got 3 faults. Then the novice (2'6 - 2'9) which we got eliminated in (ran out three time sat one fence) but we continued and finished the rest of the course clear! so i came home chuffed to bits.

My second event was yesterday and we did both courses again, but this time we went clear in the mini and was a second of being placed, and got 9 faults in the novice, (nasty looking ditch! and steps! ) but i am soo pleased with him and our perfomance. i don't go to win or get placed although it would be nice¬!!

Last year when i first got my boy who is a 16.2hh dtch wb. i had never done x country and was scared of doing the mini!!,so we did alot of x country schooling to get my confidence up, the show jumping thru the summer did wonders for my confidence to! i was worried about doing 2'3 when i started last summer but now enjoy 2'9 - 3' courses.

i think practise is the best thing and the more you do the more confident you get!

[FinneghansMummy]

thanks for the encouragement!

i do clear round jumping and have been in novice horse but as he is a big build (ID X Clydsedale X Irish Sport Horse) he finds the turns tricky as he has to do a bigger corner etc.. then the time is slow although he does a clear round. iv'e done loads of working hunter, ridden and equatation classes this summer and he is pretty calm with it all.

i have only had him since june so am still workin on our relationship aswell, lately he has been trying it on with getting a lil bolshy.

i cant wait to do my first XC event on him, i know he'l give it all he has to do his best!

i will let everyone know how im doin with him and good luck with your horses!

Ani :D