Cross Country Equestrian Competition

What is CCE?

CCE is a brand new equestrian sport based around a cross-country jumping competition, that rewards a well developed partnership between horse and rider.

The competitor rides a course of obstacles, scoring points for successfully jumping and incurring penalties for errors and exceeding the course time. CCE is a completely objectively scored equestrian sport.

POINTS – PENALTIES = FINAL SCORE

The competitive goal is simple: to finish with the highest score.

The most unique feature of CCE is that every obstacle is optional, so a rider can choose whether to attempt an obstacle or to pass and ride on to the next. There is no penalty for passing an obstacle.This flexibility makes it much easier for competitors to do what is best for their partnership, and allows the partnership to progress toward their own goals.

CCE asks for a well trained and conditioned horse, and a knowledgable and capable rider, but does not require a singular talent such as incredible movement or jumping scope. The sport is about horsemanship and partnership as much as it is about athletic ability and skill.

CCE does more than just test these attributes - it creates the perfect environment for their development.

What are the main components of CCE?

The principal components of CCE are the Cross Country Ride (CCR) stage, and the Jump Off Ride (JOR) stage.

The CCR stage is a course of obstacles in an open setting with many outward similarities to an eventing XC course. The competitor rides at pace, jumping the obstacles in sequence, but may elect to PASS any of the obstacles. Courses are of moderate length similar to eventing, but are longer in the higher Classes of competition.

The JOR stage is a shorter and more intense course than CCR and has two or three sections, depending on the Class. The first section begins in an arena setting with many of the obstacles found in a show jumping competition. The course continues to an open setting very similar to the CCR stage, but may also include a Gallop section with no obstacles. In some Classes the course returns to the arena setting for an exciting finish to the competition.

Why CCE?

CCE was designed around 5 core values and a unifying goal.

Accessibility: dramatically reducing the barriers common to equestrian sports and allowing more horses, riders and organizers to participate and providing clear paths for everyone to progress.

Flexibility: a wide variety of competition formats and inclusive structures that allow more organizers to participate, which creates more opportunities for competitors; rules that allow competitors to choose exactly what is best for their partnership.

Horsemanship: developed at all levels and required at the highest; a well prepared horse and thoughtful tactical riding is fostered, incentivized and ultimately tested.

Partnership: developing the partnership between horse and rider, without the uncompromising pressures that can often damage this relationship.

Sensibility: designed to develop horses and riders of all levels, by asking the right questions, with straight forward rules absent of unnecessary rigidity.

A sport that returns equestrians to their origin… connecting with their horse.