All our fences are built to British Eventing standard - take-off and landing on all 45 permanent fences are all-weather.

The original course design and construction was by Huw Lochore. New fences and complexes are under continuous development under the supervision of Tim Bennett, who sits on the designers' and course-builders' panels for British Eventing.

All our courses are available for schooling and training, to individuals and to groups:

• 2' 3" training course: designed for younger and less experienced riders and horses, with a wide variety of forgiving fences incorporating water, ditch, pallisade, logs etc.
• British Eventing Intro course: a variety of inviting fences, including the water complex, with new fences designed and built by Tim Bennett
• British Eventing Pre-Novice course: as above, but a slightly more challenging course incorporating a loop through the woods
• Unaffilliated courses ranging in height from 2' 3" to 3' 6", incorporating some fences not featured in the affilated courses

Interactive Map ckick here

Eland Lodge Cross Country Obstacles

The key aim of the Eland Lodge cross country course is to provide riders with a broad and varied range of obstacles of as many types as possible to ensure that their schooling is varied, interesting and as comprehensive as possible and their competition is exhilarating and challenging. There have been many changes in the course over the last twelve months with enhancements of many of the existing jumps and the creation of entirely new ones with in some cases significant improvement in the presentation and safety of the obstacle, key amongst these developments being the installation of all weather take off’s and landings at all of the permanent fences to ensure that whether wet or dry the jump itself is safe. The course developments will not stop here, there are significant plans in build for more improvements during the winter closed season and it is our ambition to continue enhancing the course toward the establishment of a genuine BE open standard track. This development will not be at the expense of the more novice riders however, the Mini track is also being improved and expanded in concert with the other more demanding alternatives to give a complete range of experiences over the full spectrum of rider ability.

(Click on small photos to see larger versions)

The Brick Kiln Complex

This four track option is our principle step complex with a range of heights and numbers of steps with the a three step 75cm option, a two step 60cm option and a single step 80cm alternative on a 3.5 metre drop within a 1 in 1 gradient. For those not yet ready for steps there is a simple bank under a Hawthorn arch between hurdles of woven Hazel. The Step Complex is grouped in an old clay hollow with the banks landscaped and planted with wild flowers and a Hawthorn hedge re established on both flanks. To complete the complex we have constructed a working bottle-neck chimney to give the horses and rider something else to think about on the day, it will of course be our intention on competition days to light the kiln. We feel the rising smoke will ask a significant question of the horse if not the rider. This feature fence is one of the most striking on the course and stands out boldly on the hillside, it has what I consider to be the best view on the whole site with views to Hollybush Hall, the historic seat of the Meynell Ingram family, now under new ownership. With such a commanding view, it is our intention to create a spectators' area offering some welcome refreshment on event days.

The Broken Bridges

One of our genuine rider scarers this. The fences as their name suggests represent two bridges broken at their apex with a barrier at the end. The horse and rider are jumping blind until the last moment and with the drop on the far side, the fence, tests resolve as well as technical ability. The barriers themselves measure 50cm and 75cm with drop of 30 and 50cm respectively Sitting at the bottom of the vale the fence provides a real spectacle for the spectator as well as a genuine rush for the rider. There is a bridge (unbroken) between the two primary obstacles for those not ready for the big test but even this challenges the novice horse, being reasonably narrow with trees overhanging on both sides.

The Pallisades

These upright, topped poles mark the return to the tree planted area from the open course. The fence height ranges from 60cm to 1mtr across a 30 yard range and there are 3 all weather take off/landing tracks. This is quite a straightforward fence in essence, but a reasonably quick turn is required after landingin order to present for the next fence.

The Sunken Road

Following immediately after the Pallisades is the Sunken Road. This fence, as it’s name suggests, consists of a step down onto a metalled surface followed by a corresponding step up 6.5mtrs later. The step heights are at 65cms and 85cms respectively while the mini track runs through the middle of the roadway with a single 30cm step up.

The Water Complex

This fence option is octagonal in shape giving eight points of entry/exit ranging from ramps to 80cm drops. There is a double step option a step up/step down route and a log on the out ramp giving the full range of experience. This obstacle is normally the penultimate effort on the course and no doubt provides a welcome refresher for the horse on it’s way to the finish.

Tim’s Suite

A name not a statement, this fence was designed and constructed by Tim Bennett during his first summer at Eland Lodge and was our first novelty fence. Designed to represent a “Three piece suite” it represents one of the more challenging fences on the Mini Course being just short of a metre wide as well as 50cms high, it is always beautifully dressed on event days and is doubly attractive as it normally represents the last fence on the competition course.

Rails

Two sets of rails exist on the course, one set sit towards the start of the course at it’s most Northerly point and comprises a group of four rails at differing height, the other set is towards the end of the course just after the Eland Lodge fence comprising a set of three rails. In both cases the smallest option is at 60cms and the largest at 1mtr, the biggest option is fitted with frangible pins in line with B.E. regulations.

Into Space

The first real rider scarer on the course. The Into Space fence is a wall of logs leaning away from the rider at a 45 degree angle, it is 90cm high with a drop on the far side of the top rail of over 1mtr. The challenge for horse and rider is in the fact that they are up to the last minute, jumping the obstacle blind, a test of courage therefore. The fence in positioned over Eland Brook but the water way has been piped and the ditch backfilled as we felt the danger of a horse taking a tumble into the ditch, although small was to great a risk to take.

Pheasant Feeders

Crossing out of the wooded area back to the course proper the Pheasant Feeders are a group of three triangular fences with open faces at 75cm, 90cm and 1.1mtr in height with a span of 1.1mtr.

Houses

We have two portable fences on the course built in the shape of small “Crofter's cottages”; both are at 90cm height and span at just on a metre. The challenge of these fences lies in their unusual shape to the horse; they both look very pretty for the spectator.

The Small Trench

Part of the Mini course this fence is a simple ditch of 50cm width and less than 30cm in depth. It is a safe introduction to ditches for the nervous horse and or rider and as well as fulfilling it’s role as an integral part of the Mini Course it is often used as a schooling fence for novices and horses with a dislike of crossing ditches.

The Ditch Complex and Step Down

A combination of ditch and step down into water ( dependant on the weather) the jump has been constructed by pallisading the banks of the Eland Brook and widening this out from the 50cm ditch to a hexagonal step down of 2.3 mtrs. Normally jumped in combination with the Roll topped portables on the far side of the ditch this fence can be jumped as a moderate double or a difficult triple depending on requirement. The format of this fence will be changed for the BE event in August, to a more typical Coffin format.

The Sheep Feeders

A combination of two roll topped open faced fences at 50cm and 75cm in height made slightly more difficult by the fact that they are normally jumped downhill on perhaps the fastest part of the course. These two fences sit with a simple raised log from the Mini Course and the three together make a useful little schooling area for the younger horse or rider through the combination of heights uphill and downhill options.

The Ditch to Pallisade

This jump sits on the site of the old Trachaner which was taken out of the course as it represented a level of difficulty out of line with the rest of the track. An upright palisade ( 80cm and 1mtr) behind an open ditch of 50cm is a daunting obstacle but ridden positively it should not pose a problem for the competent rider. This fence dresses very well on event days and even has it’s own plant pot holder make sure your horse isn’t plant watching on your approach.

The Woods

For those riders who have not been down to the woods for some time, a big surprise certainly does await, we have completed at long last the track through the woods. In technical terms the question being asked of the horse is the jump into the dark of the wood and out from the trees into the full light of the course, in a less technical sense the Ditch to Step to log fence (75cm) into the wood, and the Skinny Log (1.0mtr) out are a test of concentration and courage of horse and rider but the woodland track itself is a delight, particularly in the Spring with a carpet of Blue Bells. The path through the woods was a particular ambition of mine and I must confess to being very happy with the result as both a rider and a walker.

Eland Lodge Arch

Our signature fence sitting on the highest part of the track adjacent to the entrance road. The fence itself consists of three logs in a line , the right hand option at 65cms, the left hand option at 75cms with the central log sitting between two pillars and under an arch at 1.0mtr, the obstacle not the arch. The central log carries our name in big bold letters and sits on a small raised flower bed making for a very pretty fence. We do our best to keep the flower bed well stocked and the rabbits thank us for the food.

Bill the Crocodile

An interesting log that stands on feet in a cantilever form has become Bill the Crocodile (apologies to Tomi di Paola - Bill and Pete Go Down the Nile). The fence is 65cm at its lowest spot and 85cm at its highest and, due in part to its unusual shape, it unsettles quite a lot of horses.

Log Piles

We have a range of log piles on the course in a range of sizes. We have simple piles of three logs arranged in a triangular form measuring 60cm, and more complicated open stacks at just under a metre, with spread from 60cm to 1.2mtrs. These fences are all portable and can be moved about the course to fill specific needs in a particular track.

Sharks Teeth

A fixed fence at 75cms with a top rail and inverted triangle of timber pointing downwards as in a sharks top jaw. The open aspect of the fence, coupled with the strong geometric shapes, can be a little unsettling for the younger course and it has proven to be a deceptively difficult little challenge.