XC schooling - a question

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Just a musing really but interested in how everyone else prepares for the event season. I went XC schooling last weekend - first time since last event last May as been off due to injury. He popped everything no questions - ditches, water (inc steps in and out), steps up and down, trakehners, coffins etc etc.

I had pencilled in a couple more XC schooling sessions/clinics before first event but not entirely sure how much benefit they will be having proved he is totally non-plussed about not having been for months. I know he'll jump anything I point him at but jumping him schooling is totally different to how he is at an event - he's mr.chilled schooling and I daren't jump anything big as he just cant be bothered so I tend to stick to technical stuff. At an event he's super strong and bold and I trust him to jump anything I ask but control can be a sticky subject - not really any way I can practice that though as he morphs into a loony-toon at an event.

Was thinking about doing a clinic at Tweseldown next weekend to get him out there as first event there in a month but TBH he's jumped every fence on the BE90/100 courses so many times there I'm not sure what I'll gain from it. Toying with either going hunting (which will benefit his fitness but not sure about ground at the moment) or just going to the gallops instead.

How many times would you go XC schooling pre-season with a seasoned eventer and do you just go by yourself or have lessons with a regular trainer or go to clinics?
 
My rough plan would be to go to somewhere we have been before, probably LMEQ, so its both familiar territory and I also know what fences are where and know that there are options if it goes tits up for any reason.

I would then plan on going to a clinic somewhere new/only been to once (much easier said then done) but this would purely be for my confidence and to get me thinking forwards and xc ready!!

Sounds like your ginger beasty is more than ready and there is NO sense in getting covered in Tweseldown sand so go hunting and get covered in mud instead!!
 
Go hunting! ;)

I go XC schooling to work on a specific problem or as a refresher (mainly for me), if you are flying everything and confidant it will all be fine on the day then I don't see much point in going more, unless you had a lesson to work on your position or something specific.
 
I would personally go more than once, I like to get my eye in if nothing else and it helps with their fitness.

I am lucky that I have a xcountry course very near, so I can go regularly but don't necessarily jump loads each time.

There is always something in particular I like to work on. Whether it be my gettaway from a fence, or getting a tight line to a fence etc.

How lovely that after such a break your boy confidence was spot on :)
 
I'd aim to go a couple of times at the very least. Interestingly, of the top riders who I think of as real xc gurus, they are the ones who do the MOST xc schooling, both before and during the season.
If you treat a xc schooling session more like a competition, e.g. warming up and then planning a 'course' of, say, 10 - 15 fences, motoring on between them, rather than just jumping a few here and there (as is very easy to do), does that get his blood up more and make him behave more the way he does at a competition? I'd also have a good opening up session first if ground/room allows, and see if that helped. Obviously you need to try to get him in the same frame of mind as he is at an event, to help you both! I think I'd take him somewhere he doesn't know so well, if you can, obv they can get very blasé about courses they have schooled and jumped around many times.
 
I do tend to put courses together rather than just jump single fences as he is better that way but still nothing like he is in competition. We have schooled round all the local courses so many times I would have to travel well over an hour to find somewhere newer and even most of those he's competed at. Boomerang would be the one I've done the least at that has the most potential for stringing together some interesting courses. Tweseldown is difficult for courses as so spread out.
 
Do you go by yourself? What would his reaction me if you took a friend, warmed up together, then the friend set off round a mini course whilst you followed a short while later? Would he be more inclinjed to go faster to catch up with his mate / make a little bit more exciting?

Or maybe do a bit of pairs work to get him a bit hotter?
 
Brimmers - yes I think that would probably work to wind him up! Not sure I like him wild though - bad enough having to deal with it at events. I could jump bigger stuff as he's more up for it but not sure there's any other benefit to making him wild.
 
Depends on the horse and on me to an extent! And on what I plan to do - which level I plan to go in at and when I wnat to move up. Previous mare was v looky and needed plenty of reminders, so I went as much as poss pre-season and wld try to top-up during the season. I did clinics, as I found it useful for me to have instruction. Plus it gets round the issue of having someone with you! With her, I started last season at Nov, so I wanted to get plenty of schooling in, to make sure we were ready.

Current horse is not so experienced, but has a v different attitude and will just jump whatever I put in front of him. But we've both had time off as I am about to have a baby, so I will need to get my eye back in. With him I will probably only go once or twice, check he still knows what ditches and water are, do some skinnies in the school at home, then start at 90, which shd be in our comfort zone and we can take it steady. So I guess that for him, I'm using the 90 as schooling and education, rather than doing more schooling and then starting at 100! I think I'd rather do this because I think he just needs mileage and experience on the XC, and I need to know where I am post-sprog. He's not a youngster though, just had a different job before. I think if he were young, then I'd be inclined to do more schooling. Of course, if either of us encounters a specific issue, I'll do more schooling to address it!
 
I have a similar issue but with slightly different background as our XC experience is somewhat limited. He's fine schooling but we both suffer from competition ;nerves' and it doesn't help that my first fall from him was my first hunter trials with him.

I've schooled since with no issues and am still aiming for our first BE at some point this year but will do some unaff HTs (even if I have to enter HC) as I will get the benefit of some 'competition' experience.

Not sure how the dates fall but if he gets het up at events would it be worth doing something similar and doing a hunter trial or something to see how he behaves?

Otherwise hunting would be good (I'm not brave enough to try!!)
 
I usually go once or twice go to two different places, I find boomerang great as you can pop round the sj course there aswell! And if you have certain problems with a certain type of fence (ie, a jump in a water complex) you can ring them prior to your visit and they will try and sort that for you. Other than that I just do my general fitness work with gallops etc!
 
I don't know of any in the next 3wks on ground that will be any good otherwise that would be perfect. Decided to go to the tweseldown clinic on Sunday - at least ground there will be ok and in a group session he is likely to liven up enough to jump some decent stuff.
 
Not quite the same but there is an indoor eventers challenge at Sparsholt on the 2nd March run by Winchester Riding club.

Can't help much on the xc schooling front, my horse is similar in that he's full of it at comps and will jump things I wouldn't dream of trying at home! Whereas for general schooling he is lots cheekier and will try to duck out of easier fences if he thinks he can get away with it and is generally a lot lazier, I find stringing a few fences together works better as others have said and then riding determindly. Sounds like your boy will be fine though :)
 
Thanks - already committed to RC Combined Training qualifier at Munstead on the 2nd though. not really worried about the XC at all - it's generally our strongest phase (hope that doesn't come back to bite me on the bum) - just wondered if I was not preparing enough given the break we've had but unless we come a cropper at anything at T/down on Sunday I think we'll be happy that's enough prep. I'd take him eventing tomorrow if I could - the season cant come fast enough!
 
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