At the 2008 American Association of Equine Practitioners convention held Dec. 6-10 in San Diego, Calif., Reynolds Cowles, DVM, of Blue Ridge Equine Clinic in Free Union, Va., reviewed the logistics of various cross-country jumping events that involve the need for veterinary care.

Cross-country hunt meets typically have 70-75 mature (6- to 9-year-old) horses competing. He explained that licensed hunt meets run under racing rules, yet the horses encounter hurdles, brush, timber, or run on the flat. "National fences" are constructed of metal frames and plastic brush up to 4'6" with a padded foam roll covering the frame. A point-to-point race has fewer regulations and functions according to fox hunting club rules, rarely with post-race testing. Hunter pace horses encounter timber, brush, and ditches, and those events are loosely organized with local rules.