
Enjoy the virtual course walk for the Olympic Cross-country track with course designer Sue Benson, courtesy of the Chronicle of the Horse.
The optimum time is 10:02 and Benson predicts that just two riders may come in clean and within the time.
The first two fences are described as “friendly” and “confidence building.” Not exactly how I would describe them.
What struck me is how few of the fences look like, well, fences. It’s more like the Disney version of XC with farm animals, figures and wildly decorated fences. Denny Emerson has been posting pictures on Facebook of Olympic XC from years gone by and it does make you a bit nostalgic for the fences of yesteryear that actually looked like cross country.

How does the course designer determine the ‘optimum’ time?
Kind regards Pauline Baker Perth Western Australia