Cross-country is one of the three phases in the Olympic horse sport of eventing, also known as horse trials.
It is considered the unique selling point of eventing. Horse and rider “cross the country” at a canter or gallop, taking on obstacles as they go. The fences will include obstacles such as steps, drops, ditches and water as well as conventionally shaped jumps.
Eventing penalties are given on the cross-country phase for jumping faults such as refusals and also for going too slowly and, at some levels, too fast.
Eventing takes place as both one-day events and three-day events. At both, the first phase is always the dressage, where horse and rider perform a set routine which is marked by a judge or judges, depending on the level of competition.
At a one-day event, the showjumping is usually the second phase and the cross-country comes last as the third phase. Occasionally the showjumping is the final phase at a one-day event.
At a one-day event, all three phases are generally completed in one day, although (confusingly) sometimes this isn’t the case, particularly in a large class when some or all of the dressage might need to take place the day before the jumping phases.
At a three-day event, the cross-country will always be the second phase, with the showjumping as the last element. The dressage usually takes two days at a three-day event (traditionally Thursday and Friday), with the cross-country and showjumping taking a day each (traditionally cross-country on Saturday and showjumping on Sunday).
As well as being a phase of eventing, cross-country can be used to describe various other competitions where horse and rider “cross the country” at speed – for example, hunter trials are competitions in which cross-country is the only phase and there may be some challenges you might meet in the hunting field such as opening a gate as well as jumps.
There are also cross-country races in National Hunt racing, such as the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
Another form of cross-country race is contests such as the Melton Hunt Club Cross Country Ride and the Yeomanry Ride. These have their roots in hunting and all the contestants ride the course at the same time – or in a few different waves for different sections – crossing natural country with obstacles such as hedges and walls at speed.
Last week we were treated to the sole five-star of 2020 at Pau. To give us a proper feel of how the cross-country course rode, here is a video of young British talent Mollie Summerland and Charly Van Ter Heiden tackling their first five-star track. Buckle up and enjoy the ride!
Have you always dreamt of riding round the iconic five-star cross-country course at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials? Well, now you can thanks to this incredible video
If you are going eventing, you will need to ride across country at a certain speed in order to achieve the optimum time. But how do you do it? International event rider, Jesse Campbell, explains
Kiwi event rider Jesse Campbell advises how to ride this challenging cross-country obstacle
‘I nose-dived to the ground and Holly followed, landed behind me then rolled on my legs and pelvis’
Event rider Padraig McCarthy explains how repetition and praise helps to build up confidence in a green horse
We take a look at which fences on the course caused issues for horses and riders and how achievable the time proved to be
Check out what horses and riders have ahead of them at Luhmühlen tomorrow
Find out what some of the world’s top event riders, such as Pippa Funnell, Tina Cook and Nicola Wilson make of this year’s Badminton cross-country course
Take a virtual walk around this year’s Badminton cross-country course — what do you think of it?
Here’s some helpful pointers from five-star international event rider, Kate Honey (pictured), about how you can make the most of a cross-country schooling session in an arena
‘One thing people always comment on is her attitude; she is a very sympathetic rider and is always positive and polite...’
Find out what riders think of this year’s cross-country course, and take a look at what they think will cause trouble
Take a look at some of the most eye-catching fences combinations tackled at a recent eventing championship
Take a look at this year’s CCI3* cross-country track at Blenheim
Take a look at what the cross-country course has in store for horses and riders this year
Organisers are so confident of their ground, they are offering refunds to riders who are not happy
Here’s some helpful pointers from New Zealand international event rider Jesse Campbell on how to keep both horse and rider cool in the cross-country start box
Horse & Hound’s eventing editor Pippa Roome takes her “sports pony” to try out Slades Farm, a new cross-country schooling course in Surrey — and gets Lucinda Green’s verdict on the facilities
Eric Winter explains some of the key changes and reveals details of a couple of tricky new combinations on the Badminton Horse Trials 2018 cross-country course
