If you have a horse who you don’t want to jump big fences on yet, but it’s getting a bit too keen on the approach to a fence, a high cross-pole such as this is a good way of backing the horse off, encouraging straightness, and improving front end technique.
Because it’s quite a ‘skinny’ fence in the middle, but with good ‘wings’ made by the tops of the poles, it can feel a bit claustrophobic for them, so this one should be used with care!
You can make a spread of two identical X poles like this… again, use with care though!
A series of these on a circle, or a grid of them, is pretty hard work.
Of course the two touching poles support each other a little, so it will take a slightly harder knock than a single pole, which can be useful too if a horse is getting blasé.