Cross Country

Oxstalls Cross Country  is designed and built by Charles who is a BE designer and builder with over 20 years experience.  Olympic designer Mike Etherington Smith is always on hand to help with new courses, lines and ideas so that Oxstalls keeps up to date with  course design at the top of the sport.   We benefit from just under 100 acres of well maintained, free draining pasture.   Three large fields are used for schooling with a  huge variety of fences.  We cater for all abilities / levels from novice to elite riders.  After an event flagged courses are left out, usually for a week, for schooling. 

Key features of our course include:

• Ground maintained to a high standard.
• Fence heights from under 50cm to advanced level.
• Combinations and lines ranging from BE 80, to BE Advanced technicality.
• 2 WaterS with steps, a variety of combinations, Jumps in there water.
• Banks, steps and drops using the natural fall of the land, boast a range of different combinations.
• The schooling makes use of the natural camber, to allow a more realistic cross country feel.
• Ditches including coffins, trakeners, ditch palisades, and the new ditch brush, nicknamed the 'vicarage V".
• Separate event course with walls, steps etc. Available for schooling the week after the events.  These incorporate both the normal schooling fences as well as new fences. 
• BE approved flags used
• Flowers / birch used to decorate fences to ensure horse are not surprised when they get to an event.
• Fences moved and combinations changed regularly by Charles, and super consultant Mike Etherington-Smith
• On site course designer and builder means new fences added all the time. If you require a particular fence it can be added to the cross country.
• We have a baby field, nearest the parking area, with fences ranging from a tiny log to approx 70cm. This is a perfect starting point for horses and riders alike.  There are times of the year when this field  might not be available, or fences may be on the flagged courses.

Our course is cared for...

The course will be closed for a few months over the winter, when all the portable jumps will be removed to allow the grass to have a rest, and to allow the sheep to do their magic. This will also allow the majority of the course to be relocated to allow the best possible ground every season.

...and always growing

There is continuous development to the course with new mounds added for 2020. In addition, copses have been planted to add variety to the course, and allow for a few extra combinations to run through them.

Before and after

As well as ample parking / hard standing, toilet and a wash down bay, you'll also find our Tea Shed, with Bean to cup coffee, fresh cakes and even Ice Creams in summer!