A sunken road may include as many as four jumping components at the upper level. For instance, it could be a vertical, then a stride to a considerable drop into a pit, a one-stride distance to a bank going out of the pit, and beyond the bank, another vertical or even a bounce. But a sunken road is more than just a combination of cross-country elements. It tests your horse’s power, balance and agility to jump down, then rock back and rebalance within a short distance to jump up again.

Learn Boyd Martin’s system for introducing and riding the sunken road in this video.

Video and editing by www.akdragoophoto.com

To read more about riding sunken roads, see the article in the February 2009 issue of Practical Horseman.