Calling nervous jumpers! How do you fancy riding across country without having to deal with tricky jumps?
It may sound crazy, but apparently there’s a market for riders who eschew fences who still fancy cross-country.
Enter JumpCross Basics, a new competition allowing you to ride a cross-country course, tackling water, inclines, wooded areas and wide-open spaces, without leaving the ground.
JumpCross, which was founded by Robin Dunlop in 2003, involves jumping showjump-style obstacles in a cross-country setting and earning penalties for knockdowns.
But in Basics you ride through jump wings with no poles, to an optimum time.
JumpCross spokesman Nigel Baker said: “Thirty per cent of riders in the UK don’t want to jump, but some still like the idea of doing cross-country.
“This way, you can get your confidence before you jump and learn about rhythm and balance.”
Basics will be offered at all 12 JumpCross centres across the country and competitions will soon be introduced.
For more information, visit www.jumpcross.com or tel: 01780 782356.
This news story was first published in the current issue of Horse & Hound (14 July, 2011)
