Corks: Get a Grip

Bobbie Reber offers her dos and don’ts for using corks.

“Whatever the discipline you are showing, it’s critical that you know the footing. Is it on grass and hard? Has there been a lot of rain and it’s slippery? Corks are used most often on grass or varying cross-country terrain, although some riders do like a small cork in behind for bigger classes on sand. Be organized with your cork box and be prepared to do a last-minute cork change at the in-gate if you notice the footing has changed since your initial course walk.

With the hunters, we obviously want them to move flat and with as little knee as action as possible, so we use very small corks in front – only enough to give them a bit of purchase in the footing. If the grass is hard, I’ll use a smaller grass cork or half-moon behind. If it gets wet, I’ll use a small “bullet” behind.

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“With the jumpers, I’ll use a bigger cork in front, never anything spiky like a grass cork (in case they step on themselves), but the five- or six-sided “mini bullets” that are about the size of the tip of your baby finger. Of course, if it gets very wet, you can use a larger bullet or half-moon in front as well. For the hind shoes on hard ground you can use larger grass corks. When the footing is wet and slippery, we’ll use larger half-moons or larger bullets. The wetter it is, the larger we go, and often use three corks behind. In extreme weather conditions we’ve even been known to use cork extenders.”