Advice for Your First Time Cross Country Schooling

Photo by Christine Quinn Photography.

This article contains sponsored links. Be sure to visit our awesome supporters, Breeches.com, to find all the supplies you’ll need for your first time cross country schooling.

“Experience is what you get just after you needed it.” – Jimmy Wofford

There’s no better way to start off an article about cross country than with a quote by Jimmy Wofford. Quite possibly our nation’s best resource for the sport of eventing, Jimmy was an advocate for the importance of the cross country phase and published many, many books on the subject. If you’re preparing for your first time cross country schooling, this quote will ring true for you. 

While going cross country schooling for the first time can feel nerve-wracking, there’s no other way to get the experience you’ll need for the cross country course. But, before you put your horse on the trailer and hit the road, there are a few ways to tell if you’re ready to go cross country schooling. 

First, are you experienced with jumping in a controlled arena? You should be able to comfortably pop over a minimum of 2’ show jumps. Remember, cross country fences are solid and won’t fall down. This means that the risks increase. If you can’t jump a 2’ fence without knocking it down, you may need to practice a bit more before you head to the cross country field. 

You should have experience trail riding at varying speeds over varying terrain. You don’t have to gallop up and down steep hills during your first cross country school, but you should feel comfortable walking, trotting, and cantering over some hills and some rough terrain before you start adding fences into the mix. 

Cross country is widely-regarded as the most exciting phase of eventing for a reason– it combines the endurance needed for galloping with the scope needed to jump fences of considerable height. Before you head to the cross country course, practice some in-hand galloping, or at least a quick canter. You have to be comfortable with a faster pace than what you might experience in the ring. 

To keep yourself safe, make sure you’re wearing a well-fitted helmet and body protector. A safe helmet doesn’t have to be expensive. The TuffRider Carbon Fiber Print Helmet was rated in second place in the Virginia Tech Helmet Study and is a great budget option for your first time cross country schooling. 

Last but not least, are you able to compensate for some odd movements from your horse? Can you stay on if your horse takes a misstep? If you chip into a fence or take a long stride, are you able to avoid hitting your horse in the mouth? All of these are skills you should have at least some experience with before you hit the cross country course. You don’t have to be an expert– but you should at least feel comfortable in all of these situations before you add in the risk of solid fences.

A good pair of sticky full-seat breeches can help you stay in the saddle when something goes awry. Consider wearing a pair of high-quality breeches when you go cross country schooling, like the Equine Couture Heather Full Seat Breeches. These breeches have a silicone full-seat for even more grip, and less bulk, than traditional leather full seat breeches.  

Preparation is key– set yourself up for success for your first time cross country schooling. Bring your trainer with you. Having someone there to guide you, critique you, and share their experience with you is invaluable. Your trainer can also help you school the height you’re planning on jumping at home before you head to the cross country field. If you don’t have fences at home, you can easily create jump standards on a budget. All it takes is a few jumping blocks, like these ones, and a pole. 

If you don’t have a trainer to bring with you, that’s okay, but be sure to take a great support team. You should never go cross country schooling alone, especially not for your first time, as this can be a safety issue. Bring friends, family, or a more experienced rider with you. Make sure to bring a support crew who won’t pressure you to jump higher than you’re comfortable with. Instead, bring someone who will support your mission to have fun and learn for your first time out in the field. 

Bringing someone with you has logistical benefits, as well as emotional ones. Having a support team on hand means there’s someone there to help you load and unload your horse, tack up, and give your horse a friend. Having another horse will also give your horse the confidence they may need if they’re new to cross country. Following your friend from a safe distance over fences can give you and your horse the confidence to try something you may not have done on your own. 

If your horse does get stuck and refuses to jump, it’s important to stay calm. Having a trainer with you that can help you work through this is key, but a trainer can only help so much if you don’t have the right tools to work your horse. Always bring a crop on cross country for extra encouragement if you need it. If you have to get off and work your horse over the obstacle from the ground, you’ll need a lunge line, like this one. 

Your first time cross country schooling is not the time or place to put additional pressure on yourself. There’s going to be a lot of “firsts” when you go cross country schooling– your first time jumping a log, your first time using a water complex, maybe even your first time trailering to a cross country field. There’s no need to add pressure to the situation. After all, that’s why we practice before we perform. School a height you and your horse feel confident doing. This might be lower on the cross country course than it would be at home– and that’s okay! Don’t be afraid to jump just the logs if that’s what you feel comfortable with. 

Choose your fences carefully. Many schooling facilities have a wide variety of fences available for you to choose from, from coffins to ditches to water complexes. You don’t have to do a full course on your first time out, as a matter of fact you probably shouldn’t. Instead, the jumps will be set up so that you have plenty of options. You can either tackle a fence on its own, or you can make a short course of your own. Jumping a few different lines will help you to get a feel for what it would be like to ride a full cross country course, without having to gallop for miles.

Consider the technicality of the elements you’re jumping. Don’t dive right into highly technical elements like skinny fences or corners. If you build up to that by the end of the day, that’s great. But start off with straightforward simple fences, like logs. 

Cross country schooling can be hard on your horse’s legs, even if you’re jumping non-technical fences and keeping the galloping to a minimum. Always use leg protection on your horse’s legs when you go cross country. We recommend using boots like these ones, as they won’t hold water when you go through the water complex.

You want your first cross country schooling session to be a fun confidence-building exercise. Don’t worry if you get a few bad distances or don’t jump all the same fences as your friends. Be wary of overfacing yourself or your horse, particularly if you’re on a green horse who doesn’t have much experience with cross country. Start small and build your confidence over some logs. Don’t dive straight into your max height and don’t worry if you don’t jump what you and your horse consider to be big on your first session out.

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