Top tips for cross-country success!

Have you ever noticed that when you feel nervous or worried about something, your mind can get really distracted and you find it hard to focus? Well, that’s because stress hormones are released that can disrupt the decision-making part of your brain. However, when you feel confident in yourself and your abilities, your body is more relaxed and that means you can think more clearly and, ultimately, perform better. So, whether you’re riding, taking a test at school or performing in another sport or activity, confidence is key to success.

This issue, I’m going to reveal some of my cross-country schooling secrets to help you feel extra confident. Let’s go!

Fitness focus

Fitness is super important when it comes to cross-country riding. To increase fitness, work on raising your pony’s heart rate during training sessions – this usually means working them in a faster pace. But the problem with this is that the faster you go, the more at risk of injury your pony is.

So, how do you get your pony fit while minimising this risk? Research has shown that even the slightest increase in the incline of a hill can increase a pony’s heart rate even without increasing canter speed. This means that if you can do some of your pony’s fitness work on a small incline, you don’t need to go as fast to get their fitness levels up – phew!

TOP TIP

Ask your instructor or an experienced adult to help you come up with a fitness plan that is right for your pony – it’s important to work on improving fitness gradually.

Pick ‘n’ mix

Carefully choose the fences you jump while schooling to help keep confidence levels high. For example, if there are three of the same type of fence next to each other, as long as the height isn’t too dissimilar and something you’re comfortable with, opt for the middle fence – especially on an inexperienced pony. Why? Because having a fence on each side acts as a natural guide and helps funnel your pony towards the middle.

Feel the rhythm

Maintaining a powerful (but not too fast!), consistent canter rhythm helps your pony keep momentum into and away from fences. Once you’ve found that rhythm, the key is to not interfere with it – this can put your pony off balance or take their mind away from the fence.

While training, focus on a long run-up to every fence and letting your pony travel forwards – once they’re set up, the less you do the better!

If you want to read more of Alex’s top cross-country tips, pick up a copy of May PONY today!