The British eventing squad’s chef d’equipe, Yogi Breisner talks us through how to use your horse’s canter gears while going cross-country, with the help of four-star event rider, Laura Collett.
Cross-country riding lessons with Yogi Breisner: canter gears
Riding cross-country is a bit like driving a car in that you need to be in the correct gear for what is ahead of you.
If you are tackling a straightforward, large fence, you want the horse to continue to gallop and jump out of his stride, with the rider in a light, forward position but with security in the lower leg so that you don’t waste too much time or energy of the horse by making a lot of adjustments.
Laura Collett riding COOLEY AGAIN in the CIC ** during the Barbury International Horse Trials at Sharpridge Farm, Rockley, near Marlborough in Wiltshire, UK on 11 July 2015
(Image credit: Peter Nixon)
If you are approaching a more tricky fence, you need to change down the gears. The gear you switch down to depends on the severity of the line or combination ahead of you.
Don’t forget that once you have changed gear, to ride forward in that rhythm, not backwards so that you are best placed to jump what is ahead of you.
Cross-country riding is eesentially split into three sections:
The time in between fences where you treat your horse a little like a racehorse and make use of gallop
Preparation for the jump
The jump itself
The rider’s responsibility is to put the horse in balance, establish the correct speed, going in the correct direction.
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
Look out for more expert advice on cross-country riding from Yogi Breisner, brought to you in association with NAF, on the Horse & Hound website during the next few weeks.
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
