Less is more

It can be easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you need fancy fences to practise cross-country skills. But while access to shoulder brushes and skinnies is great, it’s also possible to recreate these questions even if all you have is a couple of sets of poles and jump wings. With the right exercises, you can create a horse who learns to look between the flags, no matter what you’re jumping.

Get in line

Successful cross-country riding isn’t only about being fast and brave, it’s also about being accurate and decisive. If you’re to come home clear and inside the time, you’ll need to jump and land in balance in order to avoid losing time setting up and readjusting. You’ll also – crucially – need to have planned and then ridden efficient lines between your fences.

Being able to plan those lines is one thing, and it requires careful course-walking – ideally with a trainer – but executing your plan is another challenge entirely. You’ll need to be able to channel your horse between your aids to specific take-off points, at specific angles, to manage it, which means first making accuracy a habit at home.

Flexible planning

Being adaptable is important, even more so if your horse is inexperienced. Some days, you’ll have a really robust plan of action for your ride, but it won’t suit the way your horse is feeling in the moment – maybe he can’t focus on schooling or isn’t at his most confident. It doesn’t always mean you need to totally change your plan, though – simply revise it to help your horse succeed.

Top tip

If your horse is a bit fresh, canter 10 laps around the school to burn off some nervous energy and make settling into the real work much easier.

Build the exercise

You’ll need: Two sets of wings, two planks or poles and two more poles to create the shoulder.

Set it up: First, on a diagonal line, build two small uprights on a 7m distance – try a straightforward one-stride line, but you can adjust it as needed. Using a cup on the highest hole, place a pole diagonally across each fence, effectively halving your jumpable area.

Back to basics

When introducing an inexperienced horse to a question like this, I start by breaking it down into its basic elements. Helping your horse understand each part of the question individually will boost his confidence when you ask him to do something more complicated, which means it’s never a waste of time to go back to basics.

First, trot your horse over one of the uprights, meeting the fence straight so he can make sense of the narrow jumping area without having to figure out an angle, too. Pop it a couple of times on each rein in trot and then, if he’s calm and confident, in canter, too.

Discover more of Susie’s advice on how to ride this great exercise in April Horse&Rider – out now!