The first time you introduce a new questions, such as water, you must give your horse a chance to understand what you are asking. Here, MP is being allowed to sniff the water and get comfortable, while the rider's legs encourage the horse forward and the rider's eyes are up and focused forward. It can often be helpful to have a more experienced horse on hand to provide a lead over new fences the first time you school cross-country. If you don't have easy access to a cross-country course, you can use the world around you. Here, a creek crossing is used to introduce the water question. With a little hunting, small natural banks and ditches can also usually be found.