Cross Country / Eventing? ?
17.February, 2009
I ride English and I’m switching my focus from show jumping to cross country. I have a few questions. First, for those of you who ride cross country, can you tell me how it is? I do english pleasure, but I’m going to do Xcountry when I get better.
2. How many jumps are there typically per course? Or can you give me a range? How high are these jumps?
3. For those of you who do eventing, can you tell me which you enjoy more and why, Xcountry or show jumping?
4. Also I looked on the FEI website, and it’s kind of surprising. Their disciplines are Youth, paralympic, vaulting, reining (did they just add that?), driving, endurance, eventing, dressage, and jumping. So how come, if eventing is dressage, jumping, AND Xcountry, are jumping and dressage FEI sports but Xcountry isn’t?! In the Olympics, you can compete in Dressage, Jumping, and Eventing, but not Cross country. Why?
5. When I start riding Cross Country, I need a body protector (vest), correct? How high should I be jumping before I buy the vest? I currently jump 2′6″. I’m 5′ and 85 pounds, so I would probably need a youth. Any good youth vests out there?
6. Any tips? I appreciate all tips and I will be selecting a best answer! Thanks!
Let me start by saying that Cross Country is not an individual sport, it’s one phase of Eventing. Cross Country will never be an individual event because to excel at it, you need to have the dressage background. There are already horrific casualties and injuries on the cross country course because riders are unprepared for the demands. These fatalities would only increase if the riders no longer had to meet dressage requirements (thus demonstrating their control and precision).
1) I’m a show jumper now, but I have a background in eventing. The cross country phase is fun and a rush, but honestly I don’t have the courage for it anymore. I had a few hairy moments, and those fences don’t come down. I switched back to the hunter/jumper circuit and never looked back after seeing a good friend severely injured on course.
2) The number of jumps and the height of them depends on what level you’re showing (Training, Preliminary, Novice, etc.)
3) As stated before, I liked the stadium phase better and went back to my hunter/jumper roots after a stint in the eventing world. The jumps fall down if you hit them, and the chance for injury or death is smaller.
4) Yes, reining is fairly new to the FEI. It’s hugely popular in Canada and Italy, oddly enough. I said before, Cross Country is one phase in Eventing. It will never be an individual event because of safety concerns. The three Olympic equestrian events are Dressage, Eventing (which is comprised of dressage, cross country, and show jumping), and Show Jumping.
5) Yes, you will need a vest. I had a custom vest when I rode eventing, and that’s the best way to get the correct fit. A tack store can take your measurements and order you the vest.
6) Work with a trainer. Always wear a helmet and a vest when schooling cross country. And start by schooling jumps in the field that are 6″ or more below what you school in the ring.
4 Comments für “Cross Country / Eventing? ?”
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17.February, 2009 um 7:01 pm
Heya. I’ve never done a cross country course myself but work on an olympic eventing gold medallists yard over here so hopefully can help you out
1. No idea- most I talk to say it’s thrilling, and the most fun part of a one day event, 3 day event etc.
2. Again not sure. Range depends on the level at which you compete, as does height. Not sure what country you live in, but here in Aus, you basically have pony club grade 5 at the lowest (which is about 50 or 60cm), that goes up to about grade 1 (1m or so?). For EFA you have prep, prelim, prenovice, 1 star etc up to 4 star (which is olympic standard). I think 1 star is about 1.10m high, 4 star would be about 1.5 to 1.6 metres.
3. Can’t say- but again, most seem to enjoy X Country more!
4. Again no idea, and thats something I’ve often wondered myself.
5. Depends on who you are competing with (ie pony club, riding school etc). Generally the answer is NO- you don’t ‘NEED’ one, but it’s a damn good idea to have one, and you’d be crazy to ride a XC course without one. Check with your local saddler for the best types for you, and they can help you fit one.
6. Tips- be brave! That’s whats stopped me so far haha. XC takes a lot of courage, on you and the horse’s behalf. Good luck!
References :
17.February, 2009 um 7:21 pm
2. Go to the USEF web site and download the eventing rule book. http://www.usef.org/documents/ruleBook/2008/12-EV.pdf. Appendix 2 has a chart that lists the required number of fences, speeds, heights, etc, for all six levels. The numbers vary from level to level.
3. I like cross country better because it’s faster and more challenging with terrain questions and water obstacles, so it’s more technical. I have a friend that says that no one gets into eventing to do dressage. They get into eventing to do cross country.
4. Yes, they just added reining in the past couple of years. Cross country is not a sport on it’s own. It is a part of eventing. There are no competitions that are only cross country. Cross country is an Olympic sport as 1/3 of eventing.
5. Yes, you need a body protector to school or show cross country. You need to have one before you start schooling cross country jumps no matter what size you are doing. It is required in competitions and practically all facilities require one to school their course even if you are not at a competition. I use and love the Tipperary eventer vest. I’m sure they have a youth size. Tipperary is the official team vest of the US, Canadian, French, Aussie, and New Zealand Olympic teams, I believe.
6. Buy Practical Evening by Sally O’Conner and read it from cover to cover. Get some professional instruction because there is more to this sport that you realize.
References :
17.February, 2009 um 7:28 pm
1. How it is: it’s great! So much fun. Not only physically, with the galloping and jumping, but mentally too, since you are always planning your ride as you go along to meet each challenge. It’s much different than show jumping.
2. Jumps per course will vary and will also depend on what level you’re at. Typically at the lower levels I think you’ll find 12 - 16 jumps. Heights will vary by level. Some local events will have jumps as low as 12″. It’s more common to find entry level events at 18″ or 2 feet.
3. I prefer cross country the most. You can’t even compare the way it feels to show jumping once you’ve done it.
4. Cross country is just one phase of the discipline of eventing. I am sort of surprised that it has never become something you can compete in individually (although they’d never make it an olympic event). Around here there are “Pipe Openers” which is almost an X-C competition, but it’s really more like a one-day opportunity to do a schooling ride around a farm’s course.
5. Get the vest any time. It will protect you no matter how high or low you jump. You will need one before entering your first event at any height.
6. Have fun! Make sure you ride your horse and don’t just perch above the saddle. You will need to be an active, thinking rider to have a sucessful X-C ride.
References :
17.February, 2009 um 8:02 pm
Let me start by saying that Cross Country is not an individual sport, it’s one phase of Eventing. Cross Country will never be an individual event because to excel at it, you need to have the dressage background. There are already horrific casualties and injuries on the cross country course because riders are unprepared for the demands. These fatalities would only increase if the riders no longer had to meet dressage requirements (thus demonstrating their control and precision).
1) I’m a show jumper now, but I have a background in eventing. The cross country phase is fun and a rush, but honestly I don’t have the courage for it anymore. I had a few hairy moments, and those fences don’t come down. I switched back to the hunter/jumper circuit and never looked back after seeing a good friend severely injured on course.
2) The number of jumps and the height of them depends on what level you’re showing (Training, Preliminary, Novice, etc.)
3) As stated before, I liked the stadium phase better and went back to my hunter/jumper roots after a stint in the eventing world. The jumps fall down if you hit them, and the chance for injury or death is smaller.
4) Yes, reining is fairly new to the FEI. It’s hugely popular in Canada and Italy, oddly enough. I said before, Cross Country is one phase in Eventing. It will never be an individual event because of safety concerns. The three Olympic equestrian events are Dressage, Eventing (which is comprised of dressage, cross country, and show jumping), and Show Jumping.
5) Yes, you will need a vest. I had a custom vest when I rode eventing, and that’s the best way to get the correct fit. A tack store can take your measurements and order you the vest.
6) Work with a trainer. Always wear a helmet and a vest when schooling cross country. And start by schooling jumps in the field that are 6″ or more below what you school in the ring.
References :