YOUR HORSE’S TRAINING EVENTING | CROSS-COUNTRYPREP
THE WARM-UP at any competition is first and foremost a tick-box exercise to prepare the horse for the class—it isn’t a training session. By the time the competition comes around it is too late to put in any more training, and falling into that mindset can lead to things unravelling. Therefore, what are the criteria to meet when warming up for the cross-country?
The first question to ask is what is the competition?and working through the gears before he’s given a breather and pops a few fences. Think flatwork with a jumping mindset. I try not to jump too early at a hunter trials, especially if the horse comes offthe lorry feeling fresh, as this can give the rider an untrue feeling over the fence and get them a bit quick or off-key.
