On the straight and narrow

A successful cross-country round is all about the preparation you put in beforehand. And while going cross-country schooling is an important part of that, it’s important not to overlook the value of work in your arena at home. By practising your technique over trickier fences at home, you’ll set yourself up for a confident round.

In this feature, I’m going to look at how to ride skinny fences. Not only do they require your horse to be bold and straight through his body, but they’re also the ultimate test of a rider’s accuracy.

Step one: Mind the gap

Horses are often reluctant to go through narrow gaps, so building their confidence in this area is the first step towards riding a skinny successfully. To do this, begin by riding through a pair of wings with guide poles.

Set it up

You’ll need…

• a pair of wings
• two 3m poles

Place the wings roughly 1.2m apart and rest the poles on top of the wings to form a V shape to funnel your horse through the gap if he’s nervous at first.

How to ride it

1. Begin by walking, then trotting, your horse through the gap before picking up an active, steady canter. Then look towards the gap to assess the line you’re going to take.
2. Ride a square turn onto the line, pressing with your inside leg and sitting into your outside seatbone to prevent your horse from falling in and rushing the turn.
3. Keep your hands soft as you ride towards the wings, and focus on maintaining the quality of the canter without speeding up or slowing down.
4. Widen your hands a little to help channel him forward and keep your legs on to encourage him to maintain the energy.
5. Keep riding straight afterwards before making another conscious turn back onto the track.

Discover more of Georgie’s top tips for tackling skinnies in April Horse&Rider – grab your copy today!