Gidgegannup CNC - Cross Country

Cross country was first thing on Sunday morning and since we were the ‘big’ grade out this weekend, it was before show jumping for a change. There was nothing on the course that really worried me, I knew I would just have to support him and I had a good plan for each fence, though mostly my plan was to sit up and kick on!

We were up early and arrived with heaps of spare time, so I coached my friends warm up and watched her show jumping round, then slowly got ready all the while feeling rather queasy! Competition nerves suck but I focussed my mind and went over my plan and once I was on I felt heaps better.

Henry warmed up very nicely in the first warm up but lost his mind in the second warm up. Horses galloping are not ok! There were theatrics but I managed him through it and he jumped 3 jumps nicely before we tried to keep out of the way and keep a lid on the explosions.

Soon enough we headed to the start box and by headed I mean spun and snorted in the general direction. I had him walking in and out calmly until a horse galloped over the finish behind us and freaked him out again. Of course at that moment we were being counted down from 10 and weren’t even in the box so when the starter said go we were slightly delayed in starting.

Once he was out of the box he settled back into normal Henry mode and got on with his job of eating XC for breakfast. Jumps 1-3 were all fine but he didn’t settle into a rhythm until 4, an apex after a long gallop. 5 was a big log before the water then 6 was a ramp out of the water. I really expected him to back off into trot at the water but he flicked his ears at me asking of it was ok, so I closed my leg and we kept the canter. He nailed that line, then we galloped up the hill to the first combination, a bank then 2 strides to a brush oxer thing. 

I closed my leg to keep him forward through the combination and we cruised through and kept galloping on up the hill. At this point I thought when can we upgrade this is so easy and so fun!

8 was a table and while I had worried about it on the course walk coz it was big and square, I knew it would ride fine and Henry jumped it perfectly. 9 was another log then 10ABC was the next combination on course, a drop, and then a curved line to a bank before 3 strides to a wagon. My plan was to bring him right back before the drop then ride forwards up the bank to the oxer. We executed this perfectly and cruised through easily.

Making it look easy

I let Henry jump the next few fences out of stride a pheasant feeder and another table that he took a bit long before setting him up for a bench and the last combination of an upright to a ditch. I don’t think he noticed the ditch, cantering right over it. We had 2 easy fences and then we were over the finish line barely puffing!

I swear these are bigger when I walk up to them!

Once again, Henry was so cool and confident out there. Once he gets out of the nightmare that is warm up he is fully focussed and on the job. He knows what he is doing and is happy to do it. I have never had such a fun horse cross country. He is safe and reliable, easily adjustable and feels so capable. 

He strutted off the course and I ice booted him and hosed him off so he could relax while we waited for show jumping. I rang my coach and she was so proud of us! We finished with 2 time penalties, and I didn’t even wear my watch. I generally don’t ride to time and just totally forgot to put it on but it didn’t matter anyway as our pace was spot on and the time we lost getting into the box was where those penalties came from.

Two from home