Feb 19, 2022

Safety First: Building Your Own Cross-Country Schooling Course

By Meagan DeLisle - USEA Staff
USEA/ Meagan DeLisle photo.

Having the ability to school cross-country obstacles and questions at home is an invaluable resource, but designing a home course requires a lot more than just a few jumps scattered around the property. Safety should be your number one concern, no matter if you are building the course for your own benefit or to create a new opportunity in your community for open schooling. The USEA has several documents to help give you guidance when constructing a cross-country track at home such as the Create a Safe Cross-Country Schooling Course handout or the USEA Cross-Country Course Design Guidelines. Here are a few examples for you to take into consideration before you get to building:

Footing is Key

The following excerpt is taken directly from the Create a Safe Cross-Country Schooling Course handout: “Footing is probably the most important aspect to consider in maintaining your schooling course. The education and safety of the horse all starts with good footing.”

Things for consideration regarding footing:

  • Footing around permanent jumps will have to be fixed routinely and the use of stone dust in high-traffic areas will help maintain the integrity of the ground around your jumps.
  • Water complexes need regular monitoring for footing quality to ensure no holes or depressions have occurred as a result of regular schooling.
  • Gas up that lawnmower! Grass courses will need to be mowed a minimum of two times per month, sometimes as many as four times a month in the growing season.
  • And on the topic of mowing, be ready with the weedeater as well.
  • If your course is mostly soil or sand, be sure to create channels for water run off when heavy rain occurs.

Jump Safety

  • When it comes to building a course at home, less is more. Don’t overcrowd your schooling field.
  • Consult documents such as this one if you are building your jumps on your own. When in doubt, consult a licensed builder and designer for guidance in building and placing jumps on your property.
  • Inspect your jumps routine for safety hazards such as loose boards, nails, and screws. Replace rotten logs and repaint/restain jumps as needed so the horse’s ability to see and read the jump is not impacted.
  • Stake down any portable jumps on the property. It is recommended that any jump, no matter its size or weight, be anchored into the ground to render it immobile.

Logistics

  • If constructing your own jumps and obstacles, know the allowable dimensions for each level and build jumps suitable to your needs now. For example, an open ditch has varying degrees of inside width. Novice ditches will be 2.6” in width while Advanced ditches will be 8’ in width. All ditches other than Beginner Novice should be approximately 2’ deep.
  • If your course is open to outsiders to school, ensure that all jumps are flagged appropriately so your visitors know which jumps fall safely within their abilities.
  • Ground lines help the average horse take off at a safe distance from the jump. The closer to fence the ground line, the taller it should be. For example: Obstacles at 1.20m/47” high with the anticipated speed of horse at 300mpm; the average horse should not get closer than .90m/35”
  • Consider the impact of the approach when placing obstacles. Upslope fences are easier for horses to jump, downslope fences add in difficulty so fences on a downslope should be 2” below the maximum height allowed.

Creating your own cross-country schooling course opens up unlimited opportunities for supplemental education before making your way to a show, but the key is creating a course that is safe, inviting, and allows you and your horse to benefit from.

Mar 18, 2024 Interscholastic

Double the Fun for the Spirit Award Contests at the 2024 USEA Intercollegiate & Interscholastic Eventing Championships

The coveted Spirit Award, which originated from the USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championship and quickly became as important as the competition itself, will be returning this year with double the excitement at the 2024 USEA Intercollegiate & Interscholastic Eventing Championships! With the two program championships merging for the first time, the organizing team at Stable View is committed to making the weekend an unforgettable experience for these middle school, high school, and undergraduate students. Separate Spirit Contests will be offered for each program , and Stable View has generously donated perpetual trophies for the two contest champions. The 2024 USEA Intercollegiate & Interscholastic Championships will be held at the Stable View Local Charities H.T. on May 4-5, 2024 in Aiken, SC. Click here to learn more and prepare to enter on opening day tomorrow, Tuesday, March 19!

Mar 17, 2024 Membership

Membership Minute: How Lucky I Am to Have My Horse

Sometimes all it takes is a little luck on your side to make your dreams come true. We recently asked our USEA membership to share why they feel so lucky to be partnered with the horses they compete with, and we received over 100 heartwarming stories! We compiled some of our favorites below in celebration of today’s luck-themed holiday.

Mar 16, 2024 Eventing News

Miks Master C Passes the Test at SRF Carolina International CCI4*-S

With Paris Olympic team selection this summer as a big goal, Liz Halliday headed out onto Ian Stark’s CCI4*-S cross-country course today at the Setters’ Run Farm Carolina International hoping to make the time with Miks Master C and show off a smooth round. After leading the division from day 1’s dressage on a 22.5, Halliday was able to accomplish both things and win aboard Ocala Horse Properties’ and Deborah Palmer’s 12-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding (Mighty Magic x Qui Luma CBF).

Mar 15, 2024 Eventing News

Miks Master C Makes Easy Work of Show Jumping at SRF Carolina International

The standings after today’s CCI4*-S show jumping at the Setters’ Run Farm Carolina International shuffled with 14 double-clear rounds out of 35 to start, but Liz Halliday stayed right where she was at the top of the leaderboard aboard Miks Master C.

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