Emily Beshear and Robin Walker talk about introducing drops and banks to riders and horses. Emily discusses how the horse moves over a drop and what the rider's position needs to do to stay balanced and with the horse. Then Robin talks about how the rider should approach the bank and the importan...

Karen O'Connor works with a modified level rider on jumping drops and banks. First she shows the rider about standing straight up to bring the horse back without pulling on the horse's mouth. They progress to working on rider position at a drop fence. 

The first group of riders, consisting of starter, beginner novice and novice levels, warm up their horses for cross country. They start on the flat, including showing their galloping positions, and then jump a few low, warm-up fences.

Buck Davidson explains his basic philosophy about the cross-country phase. He has the riders start by galloping and practicing adjusting their horses’ strides. He then talks about rider position and where they should have their hands to best communicate with the horse. Miscommunication can lead t...

Ditches can make riders nervous, so Buck Davidson stresses that riders should focus on where they want to go and not where the problem might be.

Buck Davidson helps the riders school banks. He wants them to focus on trotting straight up the bank, turn around on the same line and trot down the bank. The key is knowing where you want the horse to go and making sure he gets there. The horse doesn’t have to do it fast, but he does need to be ...

David holds another rider accountable for noticing that her horse is changing his pace and having a reaction to fix it. Bringing her focus onto this, he's able to demonstrate how important that reaction time is, and she goes on to have a much better jump in and out of the water. He works with all...

David begins to work through each of the rider's responsibilities, focusing first on speed and the different paces for each kind of cross country fence. He also touches on direction, timing, rhythm, and balance, emphasizing that once the rider is taking care of these responsibilities and has enou...

Riders each tackle the course individually while Ian offers feedback. Two of the riders work on sitting down in the saddle through their combinations and riding with their legs and seat so the horse doesn't drop behind their leg. Ian uses the analogy of squeezing out a tube of toothpaste to encou...

Kyle removes the rails to reveal the ditch and the riders attempt it from the canter. Kyle talks more about his philosophy on teaching ditches, and the importance of the horse drawing confidence and courage from the rider on the approach. By staying soft and following the established routine, the...

Olympian David O'Connor works with riders on the cross country course, focusing on their responsibilities in the saddle. From the rider managing their own body and position, to having control of direction and timing, David works through everything expected on course. He helps a rider teach her ho...

Trailer for Olympian Boyd Martin's 'Which Canter Do I need?' session. Boyd works with a group of talented riders on the cross country course. The focus is on selecting the right canter, or gallop, to answer the question presented by each elements. From coffins to skinnies, Boyd works with the gro...

Trailer for Olympian Boyd Martin's 'Which Canter Do I need?' session. Boyd works with a group of talented riders on the cross country course. The focus is on selecting the right canter, or gallop, to answer the question presented by each elements. From coffins to skinnies, Boyd works with the gro...

Part 7: Boyd builds more elements into the lesson, challenging the riders to adjust their rein length, position, and the speed and quality of their gallop for each fence. As they apply the skills they learned, the riders have more clean and successful jumps. Boyd works with the group on riding fo...

Part 6: Boyd explains that jumping up bank out of water is one of the most dangerous elements on course, as often the water is covering the take off point. He stresses the importance of practicing this, and having a short balanced canter in, and a focus on safety. The riders struggle to balance t...

Part 5: The riders work technique for riding a mound. Boyd shares his philosophy of keeping the horse balanced at the bottom and getting their feet moving to the top. The group also tackles a log going into the water, which presents a challenge as the horses don't see the landing or the water unt...

Part 4: The group works on two brush fences where the horse can't see the second jump. Boyd encourages the riders to focus on accelerating on the last stride, as they school the horses to gain confidence and not lose focus when they see the second fence. The riders practice some gallop between fe...

Part 3: Boyd discusses the sue of the artificial aides on the approach to a fence. He encourages the riders to choose an appropriate stick, and learn to use it properly in both technique and timing on the last stride. The group works over a difficult fence where the ground drops away. The riders ...

Part 2: The session moves on to more difficult fences where the horse can't see the landing. Boyd explains how this can be dangerous and how easily a horse can chip, stop, or choke in mid air and catch a leg. He discusses the importance of opting for a more defensive position over this type of fe...

Part 1: Boyd has the riders jump three fences individually. He challenges them to land lightly and be soft and smooth in their riding. When a rider has a tough distance, Boyd opens the discussion on how to react when coming into a fence and not finding a good distance. He explains that he always ...

Trailer for top level international eventer, Jonathan Holling's Warm Up & Banks, Preliminary session. Jonathan takes to the saddle to demonstrate his philosophies for warming up and working on banks at a preliminary level. He reminds the riders of the importance of believing in the horse and havi...

Part 5: The group works through a line of fences including a bounce bank, and a show jump. Jonathan rides through first, and again discusses his ride and uses it to help set objectives for the others. The riders have to focus and fight hard to maintain their line while riding through he almost gy...

Part 3: Jonathan explains that the first thing that he likes to do when working on banks is to make sure that the horse can walk down and trot up them. He reminds the riders that when they drop off a bank, they must make sure to land into the stirrups and then into the saddle. The group practices...

Part 2: Jonathan demonstrates the line of fences. When his horse makes mistakes he has an opportunity to explain the importance of letting a bad fence go and riding for the next. He shares his visualization of train tracks, and how once he sets his horse on the train track into the fence and puts...