steep course where you have to jump over a ditch

How to start jumping ditch jumping?

A friend riding an older, more experienced ditch jumper who can give your horse a lead is the ideal aid to a novice horse. Be prepared to go to several different venues, in the company of a second horse and then on your own, to build up confidence. If you have a particular competition in mind, ask if you’re able to hire the venue beforehand.

How to train a horse to land in a ditch?

Train yourself to look just the other side of the ditch where you want to land, which will encourage your horse to get to that point and make it much easier to keep your head and shoulders in the right position. Practice will help boost your confidence where ditches are concerned.

What is an obstacle in jumping?

An obstacle is placed on a prepared course or track over which the horse must jump to negotiate the rest of the course and continue on their track. Obstacles in jumping are called fences or jumps.

How far apart should a hillside ditch be?

As slopes become gentler, farmers can build them farther apart (35 or 40 feet / 11 to 12 meters). Hillside ditches shouldn’t be more than 400 feet long (122 meters) and should be across the slope (no steeper than 2% slope in the channel at the very most).

1. Normandy Bank

A Normandy bank jump is a jump that makes the horse jump down rather than up. It is kind of like a sunken road jump where the horse jumps down off of a ledge and into a ditch instead of up over one. These jumps test the horse’s bravery and trust in the rider regardless of the horse’s poor depth perception.

2. Tiger Trap

A tiger trap jump is probably one of the only jumps on the cross country course that is similar to that of a jump found in a showjumping arena. This jump consists of poles like on a showjumping jump, only they are arranged in a triangular pattern causing the horse to jump further out than they would normally have to over a showjumping jump.

3. Corner Jump

Corner jumps are jumps that look really intimidating but are less so when you actually clear them. A corner jump is a large triangular shaped jump that can either be covered in brush or look more like a wooden platform. In these jumps there will usually be markers or stakes that show where the horse should jump over.

4. Chevron Jump

A chevron jump is a jump that consists of two standards or anchoring posts of some sort, and a flat piece of material that leans against these posts. This causes the jump to be in a lean-to shape making the horse not only jump up but also out.

5. Log Jump

There are a variety of different types of log jumps. Some are in the shape of the tiger trap jump; a pile of logs that a horse needs to jump over. Other log jumps are just a log that a horse must jump over.

6. Key Hole

The keyhole jump is one of the most unique jumps on the cross-country course. This jump can be seen in a number of different shapes, sizes, and heights, but all of them share one thing in common, the fact that the horse must jump through a hole or gap of some sort.

9. Sunken Road

A sunken road jump is a jump where a horse must jump down into a ‘road’ and up back out of it onto the other side after crossing it. This obstacle is often paired with other jumps both in the ‘road’ and back out of it.

What are the obstacles to cross country?

Three basic types of cross-country obstacles—ditches, banks and water—must be carefully and systematically introduced to even the boldest cross-country horse. If you give your horse a good start over these jumps, there’s no reason to ever have a problem. But make the mistake of overfacing your green horse at them without proper training, and you’ll end up with a timid campaigner instead of an intrepid one.

Can you jump banks on a green horse?

Jumping banks, ditches and water should never be considered by riders who have just started jumping or those mounted on green horses. “Before you even think of tackling these jumps, you and your horse should be comfortable hacking out alone through the countryside, working on hilly terrain and navigating simpler cross-country jumps—like logs, coops and stone walls,” Jennie says. “If you have control problems out in the open, you shouldn’t even think about cross-country jumping.”

What is a corner jump?

This jump is a triangular shape jump where the horse jumps over one point of the triangle. In the lower grades, a corner jump looks similar to a fan jump in showjumping; it is more open and inviting. In the higher grades, it’s built more solid and has a closed top.#N#This type of jump needs to be jumped as close as possible to the apex of the corner, but the horse and rider still need to be between the flags, and some horses may refuse towards the open side of the fence as it is a technical jump.

What is a Hogsback jump?

A hogsback jump is built similarly to a triple bar but, where the trie bar has the highest pole at the bag, the hogsback jump has the middle pole at the highest point and the two outer poles lower.

What is eventing obstacle?

Eventing obstacles are the more solid type of obstacles. These obstacles are designed to test the bravery, fitness, and hunting skills of a horse. In the cross-country phase of eventing, the horse and rider navigate a long course over a big track or field at a much faster pace than showjumping.

How many poles are in a fan jump?

A fan jump consists of three or more poles that all rest on one upright on one end and then is spread out at the other ends on different uprights, resembling a fan shape