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No matter your level in eventing, water is an element you will encounter in the cross-country phase. Approaching water methodically in every cross-country schooling session will build your horse’s confidence and strengthen your partnership. This way, at competitions your horse will come out of the start box ready to take on the water question on course.
Cross-Country Schooling Versus Competition
It’s important to note that schooling and competition are two different scenarios. A student once asked me why she shouldn’t immediately jump her horse into water during a schooling session, rationalizing that she’d have to do this at competitions. I don’t think the two situations relate. If you run your horse at a question he’s not confident about when you’re schooling, you can create a moment of doubt or hesitation, which is more detrimental and will ultimately catch up to you at the competition. You never want to put your horse in a position where he doesn’t understand or trust what you’re asking him to do. If he starts to doubt you, it’s going to take a lot of work and time to rebuild that trust again.
