The Ride to Lexington: Cross-Country

Eventers from team USA and team Canada on their way to the 2010 WEG (World Equestrian Games) in Lexington, Kentucky - and a few others from Argentina, Ecuador, Holland and Mexico who've competed in the US recently. From my archives.
At the 2010 WEG Tipperary Liadhnan and Mr. Wiseguy were withdrawn before inspection and Azteca was spun from the opening jog. This was obviously a big disappointment to the riders but eventing requires a partnership and it don't work if the other is not feeling well.
The Canadian team got a silver medal with Great Britain in first, and New Zealand second. The highest placed individual was Michael Jung and Sam (GER), with William Fox-Pitt and Cool Mountain (GBR) and Andrew Nicholson aboard Nereo (NZL) at silver and bronze resp. The US team place 4th with the highest placed US rider being Boyd Martin on Neville Bardos. They placed 10th, not bad for an $800 race-track reject.
It was the first time since 1978 that the World Championships of Eventing were held on US soil, and they had over 170,000 spectators back in '78! I guess I'm mad about this sport. If you want to know more about eventing see the following links:
useventing.com
eventingnation.com
Most of the video was shot with a Lumix GH1 and stock lens, Sanyo FH1 for the remainder.

[@leahphelan5539]

I love the way Tim lips patted the horse after the croud applaud love to c people appreciating their horses😀😀😀

[@micaelaraymond1203]

They slip their reins on the big drops to allow the horse the free use of his neck; instead of fidgeting with their reins 2 strides before another jump, they simply pull their arms back to make up for the excessive length. These riders are professionals at an international level, there is a method to their madness :)

[@micaelaraymond1203]

Rebecca Howard at 3:49 is a really good example. Notice how long her reins get, yet after she jumps the roll top at about 4:00, almost instantly she's shortening her reins.

[@hospitalready5038]

Micaela Raymond “a method to their madness” lol I love that

[@applesauce9473]

Oh thank you for explaining I don’t do Xc lol so I was confused 😂

[@nefferteri2]

These are truly beautiful horses and an amazing performance, especially in the rain, whereby a horse could take a fall easily due to slippery grass.

[@imanahmed5677]

Wow, these horses and their riders are amazing!

[@elisabethdrinkwater6121]

I love the water jump on one cross county my pony thought he was thirsty and took a nice gulp of water :/

[@stanfemalesonly745]

Can we all just stop this childish hate of which discipline is better and focus on the reason why we started riding; bc we have a love and passion for horses

[@wildstallionequestriancent4834]

I hate how everyone just puts theses XC riders down. I never joined this sport to read hate and see those people who think they know it all when in reality they have been riding for 6 months, it disgusts me. I would like to see all of the haters get on one of their horses and jump at that level in gallop.

[@halflingereq6795]

SOMEONE FINALLY SAID IT honestly, if you dont jump or do XC then dont critique it.

[@aviator3330]

HalflingerEQ ikr, its so annoying when people act like they know everything about something without even doing it themselves

[@fionaoreilly5962]

I've been riding for 8 years, and xc is my passion

[@bezoticallyyours83]

Kudos to you guys and your amazing horses that do this.

[@missvoisines]

Cross-Country, my dream !

[@almika360]

question... is that some sort of grease they put on the horses front legs or is it foam from sweating?

[@GotSnowedIn]

Grease. Its anhydrous lanolin which is really thick and oily, if a horse touches a jump it helps to lubricate the skin and make it slide past the jump so it doesn't get an open injury.

[@sbeventing]

It's mixed with cool aid and sweat

[@tbpartnerperson43]

Amazing footage again. Just discovered this one. So the house will have to wait, again.

[@anam.2347]

I rode this course with my Paso Fino when we had our national show in the park. It was beautiful.

[@alissaricapito9246]

i thought you said you didnt jump? and this is a 4**** course no random horse can just jump it. not trying to be mean... everything sounds rude over computer just asking a question.

[@anam.2347]

Alissa Ricapito we don't jump... I didn't mean we jumped it lol. They had it open to us to ride inside the course. My horses don't jump ANYTHING! By we rode it, I ment we rode inside area, not jumping. Haha could you image it? A performance Paso Fino jumping? Sorry if it sounded like I jumped it. None of my horses will ever be able to jump anything close to this. I used jump a lot in this comment lol. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

[@anam.2347]

Alissa Ricapito as a matter of a fact, my horse was scared to death of the jumps. My gelding wanted to chew on them, but my mare wanted nothing to do with them.

[@alissaricapito9246]

wait what? i though u said you did the course

[@anam.2347]

Alissa Ricapito Okay. By ride the course,I ment we rode the path of the course. Going by the jumps, not jumping them. I don't jump, neither do my horses. They are strictly arena horse with some exceptions like riding in a field.

[@EarthChild25]

Love the vid compilation, but the slow mo is even better. The action slows to show these incredibly difficult sets and then the commenting matches the slow mo, just too funny. But seriously, great teams! Wish the industry would lighten up on the push for higher, faster, more excitement and focus on the horses.

[@hayleighsmom03]

Compared to what we do in the Hunter/Jumper division, their posture was terrible... But I still want to do cross country 1 day

[@sbeventing]

It's called light seat

[@andreamchome1815]

hayleighsmom03 it's because in xc they don't really every canter they are always galloping to jumps

[@Feathers181]

fantastic footage, especially of the horses!

[@teenyrific]

I wish I had the guts to do cross country! It look so fun!

[@bezoticallyyours83]

These people and their horses are amazing to watch!

[@eventingfreak101]

OMG WOOOOOO THIS IS EPIC! ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! :D

[@HorseyLuvr99]

The first rider was all over the place but besides that it was a great video! I love these kind of vids:)

[@horselover238]

where do you get these videos? :o awesome!!!!!

[@JumpersHeart]

Great! :) What program did you use to make this video?

[@HWfarm]

My heart skipped a beat here or there! WOW!!!

[@michzieg765]

I have a couple Questions. What breed of horses do they use to do xcountry? How long to they live ( the horses)?

[@sfaulder]

What a beautiful horse!!

[@riderschannels6132]

I love how the horses even did flying lead changes!

[@buzzterbrown]

Riding cross country requires a different technique from show hunters (jumping on the flat) but it's like the riding done by fox hunters (jumping on terrain). Which one do you mean?

[@DeeOShea]

I love the horse called Napalm. His jump is beautiful!

[@lucky13bball]

@TerraNovaFanatic where is this jump that you speak of?

[@blazemyhorse13]

Love the blue water and the goose jumps! :D

[@bReYeRhOwRsE99]

I love at 2:13 the horses ears how well he is concentrating on the rider

[@CHEVYedsf]

Oh I LOVE that second gray!!

[@KorynnWeber]

There are many circumstances in cross country where looking 'messy' is beneficial for horse and rider. The most common one is on drops where the rider has to let the reins slide. This definitely makes things look 'messier', especially if it is a complex. Also, hunter courses are set up differently from cross country, as the strides and combinations are perfectly spaced for that ideal 12 foot stride. In cross country this is not the case, so there are many more long distances or chips.

[@DeeOShea]

Amazing

[@PartnershipEq]

You always want to return to correct form, but jumping down banks calls for letting the reins slide out longer. The form you are used to looking at in a hunter ring has been stylized to show the judge how steady and obedient your horse is while you are still and compact on his back, giving very subtle cues. Cross country comes down to problem solving, having to push through a tough spot and often just trusting your horse to get the job done.

[@bezoticallyyours83]

Courageous Comet is so gorgeous!

[@TheBanana1226]

I'm just curious, why don't they go into two point over some of the jumps?

[@joannpriepke7938]

Watching this, does anyone know, whatever happened to the annual Cherokee Trail Ride? 20 or mor horses and riders all at the same time, cross country, fast as they can endurance race with a steep down hill run at the end.

[@laniosgood5506]

Well in xc you are basically beating the clock and getting over the jumps. Timing and also which part of the jumps and sometimes there are optional jumps, or two or three combinations of ways to jump a certain part of the course. If a certain level of neatness can be acheived as well, then that is just a bonus but as far as im aware, no pionts are added for landing awkwardly although it may take you those extra few seconds on the clock be cause of your stumble. :) hope that helps

[@f1lthyfangs]

I love cross country! :D I'm learning it and I love gallop through the field on Hope :D (My horse is called hope) xD

[@CHEVYedsf]

That grey, courageous comet is beautiful!

[@laces47]

awesome!

[@mel2001taurus]

Napalm is a beautiful horse!

[@maddipenson5855]

Hey I am a barrel racer so I dont know... what do they do if they knock over the flag do they get a penatly?

[@ninaoln363]

I love cross-country

[@rogerailshie9950]

This is amazing.

[@kochanedzieci1]

90

[@kochanedzieci1]

To nie

[@englishshowjumper]

Wow, that was epic

[@hayleycrouch]

these horses are bloody amazing :)

[@valleyhillschleich]

And the lizard jump!

[@HorsieGal321]

0:39 heavenly horse!

[@elliewilson5706]

Azteca was so freaking perfect

[@upcountrygirl123]

awesome!!!!!!!!

[@ArabianHorseGirl26]

My horse would take one look at the animal jumps go "Aw no way!" and I'd be on the ground so fast...XD

[@cassidymccutchen]

do you mind if i steal some of these clips :)

[@THEMILLAMILLA1]

grandiosi!

[@JumpingPerfection121]

Oh my word! I want Phillip's saddle! It's blue! Someone at the Rolex had a red saddle! If only they made purple...

[@RiderxNina]

Some people just pulling so hard.. but i love jumping and cross.

[@Painted099]

The sweat between a horses' legs is white. If you are referring to the white on the horses front legs, that is grease to help them slide over a jump better of their legs get caught. I don't think people do bridle-less XC because you need an intense amount of control to speed up, slow down and navigate tight corners.

[@jimmyescobar6574]

LA EQUITACION LO MAXIMO ES GRANDE

[@1yearyounger]

i got all sad near the end when amy tryon popped up RIP

[@littleofmadness]

I like it! :D ^^

[@ameleni]

Death traps. If only those horses could talk...They served us for centruries and this is their payback nowadays.

[@Court1Elbow]

coolest saddle at the end there :)

[@annieogrune]

Ser så vildt ud.

[@dianalovekavkaz]

Perfect *-*

[@limonade2063]

Ils sont vraiment tous de très bon, gentil et incroyable chevaux !!

[@megangraceconnerjunioreque574]

wow!

[@Rachel7861]

@NicoleAndBandit they clip the sides of them. You don't HAVE to but it does look cleaner. Some horses have a really bushy tail and they look like a toothbrush if you don't clean it up a bit. That's what i think anyway.

[@TehPuddinz]

I think it may be te pressure to do well? They may not even mean to, but because they may be a bit tense from the pressure of it they get a little heavy in the hands. I'm not sure though. its just an idea. ^^;

[@buzzterbrown]

Thanks - Adobe Premier Elements.

[@Rachel7861]

@NicoleAndBandit He's a 14 yr old TB. I love the way he jumps. He has his own way.

[@piprocks3986]

boo posture and the reins

[@alissaricapito9246]

its not really about that

[@piprocks3986]

wel to not fall off you need to have a good posture and a good rein length

[@sbeventing]

It's xc posture goes out the window and light seat flys in for a faster ride!

[@sbeventing]

+Sophie Barnes it's xc,* is wat I meant

[@Lilaloume]

Why do they have their hands so high and why do they pull on the reins so violently? 2;40 is horrible.. the horse is relly not cool and the rider hurt his mouth.. Their perfomances are impressive, but it seem some of them are really hurting their horse's mouth and are really too violent on reins...

[@anam.2347]

I noticed that. It doesn't look like their form I right. I don't jump, but I've seen other riders. They just look sloppy in my opinion.

[@anam.2347]

You can easily see that the women had softer hands than the men.

[@sbeventing]

That's xc for ya! Because they are getting the horse prepared

[@riza7481]

I know that this is old but the reason we do this is because our horses are going as fast as possible while jumping huge courses it's so we can focus on things other than our hands

[@mel2001taurus]

So is Courageous

[@96chocoholic]

peter atkins and hj hampton are very talented with a lot of potential.

[@TheDenverOmelette]

I will never ever ever have the courage to do this.

[@nelesteiner6621]

Cool

[@BarackObama-lm9ev]

Don’t mess with us XC riders 😈

[@turpoemmelie]

Anyone who know how to download from youtube?

[@Rachel7861]

@tbpartnerperson43 haha! i'm right there with you. I get started on these videos and nothing else gets done. The dogs think i hate them lol.

[@Horses4ever8]

w00t go woodburn! rip buddy!

[@CloudEquine]

These are some of the worst riders I've seen when it comes to jumping position. At least go without bit if your position sucks so badly you have to rely on the bit to pull you up. In the long run that's going to scar the horse -_-

[@ShahrukhKhanForever]

horses4ever 375 I totally agree! it was aweful to watch him riding. There was no body tention and he has his full weight on the bit.

[@lily_daisy5165]

I completely agree!!

[@ghequestrian6707]

+-Cloud Equine- XC positions are completely different to normle jumping. with drop jumps your reins need to be long and you have to sit right back so the horse can extend itself, as its such a big drop at this levle of XC . look it up before commentig you know it all comments about putting on the rein. and with the one bounce big jumps like this its hard to maintain a healthy position so this is easier and safewr to jump instead of having shorts reing, have short reins are more at risk of hurting the horse than having long reins .

[@sbeventing]

+-Cloud Equine- I'd like to see you jump all those jumps perfectly

[@augusthinkle3294]

i like courageous commet!!!!!!!!!!

[@sportsfan1209]

0:10 i think your reins are bit long there don'tcha think?

[@AnneKwella]

god dammit, i LOVE those duck-jumps. :D

[@Ummmmmmmmlol]

In cross country you need a different position to get over jumps and stay in the saddle! :) From what i hear :) I haven't done it myself

[@CHEVYedsf]

@shellylanette Probably not. It would be EXTREMELY difficult.

[@bodyprotector]

wow...

[@Letsbefrank01]

Qualifying events the last couple years that riders completed to be considered for WEG.

[@daveh3410]

So does Tim

[@Heztnord]

Well in Swedish: Kateryds Terrängläger XD Kateryd is the name of the place and it´s also my ridingclub. Terrängläger= xc-camp :) unfortunately they don´t have special camps any more :( The camps was not that big success as they thought :( But they still have ridingcamps :)

[@fannyr8751]

The First one's jumping potion

[@SilverStirrupProd]

It's not the fact that they need to loosen up their reins a bit.. they're plenty long. Their bodies just need to be independant of their hands. It's really difficult in these kinds of situations (especially awkward distances to banks or in water combos), but you can tell a good eventing rider from a great evevting rider in these situations.

[@EnglishPointer11]

Why? What's there to hate about it?

[@yoshmosh85]

Unfortunately, this sport requires that you lean back and hold back as much as possible.

[@unbekanntunbekannt13]

wie cool

[@lily_daisy5165]

What's with the white with on some of the horses legs

[@ahorsecalledlloyd1539]

Its greese to if the hit a fence they slide over it so it doesnt hurt. They also cant get stuck on fences xx

[@sbeventing]

It's called cool leg it turns as hard as rock so it protects the horses legs

[@fionaoreilly5962]

It's called Eventers Grease

[@Heztnord]

Almost al xc riders have a funny possition. When you jump a normal show, you follow the movement of the horse in a very different way. At first a thought they looked soo stupid riding like that, but 4 summers ago i went to a special xc riding-camp here i Sweden and that totally changed my opinion! You almost stand up in the saddle, and that is actually a safety thing! If your horse take of wrong you don´t wanna end up on his/her neck. And almost every time you fall of, you fall of forward!

[@TheLieselotsHorses]

nice ;d

[@Heztnord]

Not that special since i live in Sweden :P But i really loved it!! :D

[@feliperodriguez3900]

esta buenisimo cross me encantaria probar por ahora ago equitacion ,salto

[@OneMoreMileAnHour]

Seems no one commenting knows anything about xc position lol it's different to SJ. I'd love to see any of you doing these jumps with your "perfect" position and staying on ;) And no I've never done it (not yet anyway but plan to next month) but even I know your position for xc/hunt jumping is different to SJ...

[@sbeventing]

Huh I'd be like 'fuck dis shit' let go of the reins and flop off XD

[@erinkeane1255]

OneMoreMileAnHour non of us is "perfect" xD

[@raquelazevedo1687]

Samantha Liew - eeesqalq q filmes

[@raquelazevedo1687]

- Oi amor nao rrrf