How do you introduce a horse to its first fence?

Introducing a horse to its first fence requires building on a foundation of ground pole and cavaletti work that has already familiarized the horse with stepping over and eventually trotting over ground obstacles before the concept of actually jumping is introduced. A horse that has developed comfort and rhythm over ground poles arranged in trot distances has already learned to adjust its footfall in response to obstacles on the ground, which is the foundational coordination skill that jumping builds on. The first actual fence is typically a cross rail — two rails arranged in an X shape at their intersection, creating a fence that is very low in the middle and higher at the sides — placed after a placing pole approximately nine feet before the fence. The cross rail's shape naturally encourages the horse to jump over the center where the fence is lowest, provides a visual target for both horse and rider, and is forgiving of imprecise distances because the fence's very modest height allows the horse to step over it even if the approach is not perfectly calibrated. The approach to the first cross rail should be at trot — slower and more controllable than canter — with the rider in a light two-point that allows the horse to use its back freely without interference. The first session with actual fences typically involves trotting the cross rail multiple times in both directions until the horse is relaxed and rhythmic in its approach, and ends before the horse shows any fatigue or anxiety. Raising the height is a subsequent session's task rather than the first session's goal — the objective of the first fence introduction is establishing a positive association with jumping through successful, calm repetition of a very simple obstacle.