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Feb 18, 2011 · Does your horse turn a but wild at the sight of a cross-country fence? Pippa Funnell has some easy exercises that'll keep you in control. Click here to find Pippa's tips to accompany the...
- 5 min
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- horseandridermag
May 11, 2024 · Pippa Funnell, Tom Jackson and Caroline Powell all press the leaders at the conclusion of the Badminton Horse Trials cross-country phase.
- Martha Terry
Mar 15, 2011 · Jumping a cross-country round with a horse who has a tendency to refuse can be more than a little unnerving. But top eventer Pippa Funnell divulges her expert advice for getting up and over...
- 6 min
- 95.8K
- horseandridermag
- Tip 1: Sit Tight
- Tip 2: Slow But Sure
- Tip 3: Stay in The Tube
- Tip 4: Avoid Overriding
- Tip 5: on The Straight and Narrow
“Never get in front of the movement,” stresses Pippa. “It’s all about being effective and in balance.”
Pop some small fences from a slow pace – even walk. It might jump you out of the saddle, but this will help you develop a really secure position. “Try not to interfere with your horse’s mouth, as he needs his head and neck to balance,” advises Pippa.
Keeping your horse straight between your leg and hand – ‘in the tube’ – will help in tricky combination fences with lots of twists and turns. “You need impulsion, but not speed,” says Pippa. “Keep your arm soft – just as a subtle guide to keep him straight – and keep him in tube with your leg.”
Water complexes offer horses a prime opportunity for putting in a stop, which can cause some people to ride their horse forward a little too much. But Pippa advises: “Try not to override it – give your horse time to work out what to do with his feet. Speed is never the solution – impulsion is!”
It’s easy to be fazed by skinnies if your horse tends to stop or run out. But Pippa says: “Just imagine that it’s a wide fence and you’re jumping in the middle of it.” Find more cross-country exercises and advice from Pippa, including diagrams of fence complexes you can try, in April 2011 Horse&Rider Magazine. Horse&Rider would like to thank Champi...
Sep 2, 2023 · Mark Phillips said Pippa Funnell “showed all her evergreen class” across country with Majas Hope at Burghley 2023. Credit: Peter Nixon
May 1, 2022 · Pippa Funnell talks about her Kentucky Three-Day Event cross-country rounds with two contrasting horses, Maybach and Majas Hope.
In this video, Pippa gets Richard and Rodney performing some easy exercises over small cross-country fences, to keep the keen gelding in check and get him looking before he leaps. Try the exercises for yourself and see if they work for you…
