Equestrian Life Magazine September Issue 220 | Page 54

Cross Country
Clear
Courtesy of Aloeride, the
natural organic aloe vera
supplement for horses and
Golly Galoshes the versatile
gaiters for horses, sponsored
rider, event rider and exracehorse trainer, Victoria Bax
gives readers her cross-county
top tips and also caring for your
horse post event .
1. As with the dressage and
show jumping, your horse
needs to be responsive to your
leg more so than ever, as there
are many different canters
which are required when
jumping XC fences. These
stem from a balanced forward
canter for the more straight
forward galloping type fences
to the shorter bouncy canter
required for steps or coffins
etc. One thing that needs to
stay the same throughout
though is the rhythm.
2. Horses need to be fit to be
able to comfortably go XC. It
is no good getting half way
around a course and finding
your horse and sometimes
even the rider are completely
out of breath and can no
longer continue to canter
safely incorporating fences as
well. To ensure your fitness

levels are good enough,
regular hacking needs to
be included in your horse’s
general routine. This includes
trotting and cantering for
periods of times, rather than
simply walking everywhere.
Try to make this a habit rather
than an inconvenience, so try
to find a good piece of ground
and use it to your advantage.
I would recommend that you
get to a standard that you are
able to canter happily for at
least 3 minutes consistently
before even considering
taking on the added
pressure of competing in an
unaffiliated cross-country
competition. However, the
further up the levels you go,
the higher the level of fitness
is required. Up to BE100
level you need to be able to
canter for at least 4 minutes.
Obviously when actually
going cross-country, you need
to incorporate jumping the
fences too so this will take
up more of both yours and
your horse’s energy levels so
you need to be practising
cantering at home on the flat
for slightly longer periods
than you would at an actual
event. This canter includes the

rider being able to balance
him or herself out of the
saddle rather than bumping
around on the horse’s back
and doing the ‘rising canter’
which is commonly seen
but not correct. To enable
the horse to use its back
comfortably the rider needs
to carry his weight completely
off the horse’s back and
ensure that they stay relaxed
and move with the rhythm of
the horse rather than tensing
up and going against it.

jump different types of fences,
especially ditches and water
fences alike.
5. Make sure your horse has
enough fuel in the tank
when it comes to feeding.
Alongside a good diet, we
also feed Aloeride, which
helps keep our horses in great
condition and feeling and
looking great throughout the
year.

After The Event

6. If you want your horse to be fit
3. A good schooling tip is to
and ready for his next event,
make use of puddles when
out hacking, don’t
avoid them, as they
Make sure
are a great way to
your horse is
help your horse
responsive
get used to getting
and off your
his feet wet before
leg both
he makes it onto a
on the flat
and when
cross-country course
jumping
and sees a purposebuilt water feature.
My Golly Galoshes
come in really
handy for this and
also cross