Day 3 Lesson Plan

On Day 3 the group that was at Show Jumping yesterday will move out to the cross country course. Riders will be required to wear a certified crash vest on the cross country course as well as the helmet they have been wearing at all times while riding the horses.

Day 3 Lesson Plan (75 mins)

Before starting the lesson, the instructor will introduce cross country and tell the riders a little bit about the sport. They will learn how the sport is scored and how they could get penalties. The instructor will really stress that the jumps in cross country do not fall down, unlike show jumping, and that the riders need to set their horses up very good to make the jump. Like they learned yesterday, they will need to bring their horses up to the jump in a straight line keep a steady speed when approaching the jump. The will also go over the 2 point and to release with your hands over the jump so the horse is not jabbed in the mouth.

The warm up will take place in a arena to make sure that riders have control of their horses and they feel comfortable. Because the cross country course is an open field with no boundaries, it is very important to have full control of your horse. Riders will walk their horses for a few minutes to warm up their muscles and then the riders will progress to trotting and cantering their horses in the arena before heading out to the course. (15 mins)

After the riders feel comfortable and in control of their horses, the instructor will lead them out to the course and they will start with some walking and trotting to make sure the horse is still listening and in control. (5 mins)

The instructor will take the riders to a spot in the course that has some small jumps and they will be once again reminded about what they have to do when jumping (come in straight, 2 point, release etc.). Then one at a time the riders will go over one jump and receive feedback from the instructor after they jump. They will practice this for a while on a couple of different small jumps one at a time. (30 mins)

Once the riders are taking their horses over these single jumps in a controlled and proper manner, the instructor will pick two small jumps and tell the riders to go over them both. The instructor will tell them that if they feel their horse getting a little bit out of control, then to stop and not go over the second jump. Horses can get very excited and sometimes out of control when they are out in a open space. Each rider will go over these jumps one at a time and will receive feedback on how they did from the instructor. (20 mins)

For a cool down riders will walk their horses back to the arena and then walk them inside the arena for a few minutes. (5 mins)