The Twins

It’s all about cross-country jumping

Emma Simmons

(12/2020) People ride horses for different reasons. I ride because I love jumping. I mean I really, really love jumping. And not just any kind of jumping, cross country jumping. Cross country jumping is when you and your favorite horse head out towards a field or wooded area and jump whatever is there. You can also set up cross country jumps anywhere you have an open field. Where I ride, my coach has log jumps, hedges, ditches, a stone wall, and even a bank jump!

Like a lot of kids, I started out in an arena. It was great. This is a good way to begin horseback riding and jumping. It’s flat and clearly marked. You can easily see where you are and what’s around you. Mike is good about using different types of fences to keep things interesting for me. I jump cross rails, verticals, oxers, and combinations with two or three fences. And I even do some dressage to help improve my balance and precision.

But at the same time, the good things about being in an arena can also be negatives. After a while, I begin to feel like the arena is a bit confining. Sometimes I just want something different, something unpredictable. And for me, that’s cross country jumping. I’m away from the arena, out in a field with tall grass and trees around.

There are also more types of things to jump over, not just fences. And because I’m out in an open space, I’m able to ride faster than when I’m in the arena. And these are the two things I love doing the most, jumping high and riding fast. So, for me, riding and jumping cross country is like a day out of school when I get to leave all my work behind and just go out and have some fun with Wesley, my BHFF (Best Horse Friend Forever).

Even though I love cross country jumping, I know it’s a serious business. Mike and my Mother remind me of this frequently when they tell me to be careful. They encourage me, but also make sure that I’m doing everything the right way. And I am careful. I wear a helmet, riding vest, riding boots and chaps. I know I’m still early in my riding career, so I always listen to my coach.

But even being careful, unexpected things will still happen. In an arena, I can clearly see fences and what’s around the fences. I can see if the ground is wet or if there is an obstacle, like a stick, on the other side of the jump that might interfere with how Wesley lands. But when I’m jumping out in a field, I can’t always see those kinds of obstacles. So, I have to be prepared for anything. I have to always be ready to meet any challenge. And one thing that you may have guessed about me already is that I do love challenges.

Some of the cross country jumps at my coach’s farm are not too difficult and are really fun to go over. One day, Wesley, Mike, and I were out in the field getting ready for me to jump the log pile. The log pile is about three feet tall, four feet wide and 12 feet long. Wesley was raring to go as he turned toward the jump. I asked Wesley to canter and he gave me all he had. We were going so fast I think Wesley snuck in some gallop strides right before the jump! We took a flying leap over the logs and I almost fell off when his hooves hit the ground. But I hung on.

As I trotted back toward Mike, he said to slow down and focus on my form and control rather than speed. As Wesley and I began to canter toward the jump, I took more of my reins and held them very tight. Wesley and I were cantering at the speed of a slow trot! As we approached the jump, Wesley’s canter was so unhurried that it felt like we were going in slow motion. We continued toward the log pile, and I laughed to myself, wondering if we would have enough 'horsepower' to actually make it over the logs. I’m so used to flying furiously fast over jumps that it was a strange sensation to amble like a sloth over this one.

There are two other cross country jumps at Mike’s farm that are especially exciting for me. The Bank and Stone Wall are big jumps and technically difficult ones. So, they are not always easy for me to clear. But I enjoy the challenge.

The Bank is a new type of jump for me because I’m jumping off a small hill with about a four foot drop instead of jumping over something. This means that the way I sit on my horse is the opposite of how I usually sit when I’m jumping. Instead of leaning forward when I jump, I need to lean backward. Instead of holding my reins very tight, I have to keep them loose so I don’t get yanked off when Wesley goes down the bank. I also need to make sure that I am looking up rather than down at the bottom of the hill. Most of the time when I go down a hill, especially a steep one, I look down at where I’m going. But when I’m on a horse, I have to remember to look up in order to help keep my balance. If I lose my balance and fall off, I’m not just falling from the back of the horse to the ground, but from the back of the horse down to the bottom of the drop.

The stone wall is a more traditional jump, but it is also the most challenging for me. It requires a lot of focus. It’s a high wall with wood fences and trees on both side so I must approach it very straight (I’m not a very straight jumper) and with as much a speed as possible, while also making sure that I keep Wesley under control. When I’m jumping the stone wall, I start as far back as possible, focus my eyes just above the wall, make sure Wesley is lined up straight in front of it, and give him a little kick to let him know it’s time for business. Then we’re off.

Horses can run quite fast so the wall comes up quickly. When we start the jump, I lean forward, reach toward Wesley’s mane and hold the reins tight in my hands, make sure my heels are down, and say a little short prayer. Then Wesley and I fly. When it goes right, it’s amazing. But occasionally it’s gone less than right. Sometimes Mike’s Jack Russell dog, Jake, decides he needs to participate in this activity. So just as Wesley and I start our run toward the stone wall, Jake begins his run toward us. Barking incessantly, he heads right for Wesley’s hooves (probably because Jake is short and that’s all he can reach).

To his credit, Wesley never flinches or swerves from his path. However, I have a lot of concern for the well-being of this little dog that I love so much. So, I quickly pull Wesley to one side, so we keep from having an unfortunate collision between a 16 hand, 1,200-pound thoroughbred and a 12-inch, 12-pound pup. And even after we have slowed to a walk, little Jake continues his mission toward us, jumping and barking excitedly until Mike catches him and puts him in one of the horse stalls in the barn. With Jake safe and secure, Wesley and I give it another try. We canter back around towards the jump. I brace myself for the leap and we soar through the air and land safely on the other side.

I love the variety of different jumps in cross country. While the arena stays mostly the same year-round, the fields and woods are changing all the time. They change with the weather and with the seasons. The grass grows taller, limbs fall, the water holes fill and dry up. So, there’s always something new to try. I love cross country. Maybe one day I’ll get to do a steeple chase.