But first:
Have you got the right safety
equipment for the cross country course? If yes,
that’s great! Have you checked it out recently to
make sure it is safe and working properly? If no,
then it would be a good idea to invest the neccesities for cross country riding. If you can’t afford to
buy new then have a look for good quality second
hand products or see if you have a friend that you
could borrow from until you can buy your own.
Flat work first
One very important thing to keep in mind when jumping any sort of fence is that if you have any issues
on the flat, they will only be exasperated over a jump,
so iron out any problems you have on the flat before
moving onto jumping. Set yourself up for success and
give your horse the best chance he has to do a great
job! In a sport where things can go wrong very quickly
and when they do, there is a lot at stake, give yourself
every chance to be successful and safe!
Perfect your position!
We are all different and as a result we all have different
riding styles, there is no one size fits all approach but
there are some common factors among all of usthat we
should focus on.
Find your centre of balance. This is where you will feel
comfortable sitting on the horse, you will be balanced
and independent- leaving your horse to do his job well.
You really want to be training your horse to think for
himself, looking for the jumps and confident. In turn
you should ride well enough that he can do that with
little interference from you. If you are shorter, try and
focus on sitting up a little taller intothe fence, sitting
vertical on the approach. The stronger you are through
your core the better, as you will be less likely to fall
ahead of your horse’s movement. Taller riders can get
away with sitting in a more forward seat but remember
that no matter what your body type, sit up once you
reach the fence. That way if something were to happen
you won’t topple over onto your horses neck and you
will have a better recovery. Not to mention your horse
will too!