Do you thrill at cross country eventing? Some people were made to ride cross country, while the sport just doesn’t appeal to others. Here are 7 signs that you were made to ride cross country.
1. You Have a Need for Speed
Galloping your horse? You live for it. The faster the better – you’re not afraid of speed, and in fact you thrive on it. You show no hesitance in galloping toward a fence, clearing it, and continuing on on the other side. Cross country is fast-paced, so you’d better enjoy speed if you want to try your hand at this sport.
2. You Love to Jump
You can’t get enough of the power you feel when your horse launches over a jump. You love jumping, and you’re fearless about it. Solid fences don’t bother you, and they actually make you jump better. You have a secure jumping position and an excellent eye for putting your horse just where he needs to be before takeoff.
3. You’re Not Afraid of a Challenge
You’re brave. You can navigate ditches and banks and water jumps without being worn down by the challenges that they provide. You rise up to meet any challenge, and pride yourself on your determination as a rider.
4. You’re Excellent Under Pressure
Sticky issues in riding don’t bother you, and you’re excellent when the pressure is on. You’re also skilled at helping your horse out of a tight spot, and your performance only gets better with a healthy dose of competition.
5. You Don’t Back Down
You’re driven and when you set your sights on a goal, nothing can keep you from it. You don’t back down when things go wrong – instead, you find ways to fix the problem. You can’t be intimidated by the competition or by the massive fence you’re facing – you’ll overcome them both.
6. You Like to Ride – A Lot
Getting a horse fit enough to navigate a cross country course takes conditioning – a lot of it. Be prepared to ride your horse a lot for months in advance of a competition. Trot sets and canter sets and hill work – it all comes with properly conditioning a horse so that he’s ready for the athletic demands of a cross country course.
7. You Can’t Imagine Anything Else
Cross country riders live for their sport, and can’t imaging doing anything else. If you find yourself dreaming of cross country fences and galloping at them full speed, then you just might be destined to be a cross country eventing rider.
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