Sunken road

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An advanced level Sunken Road, such as this one from the 2005 Rolex Kentucky Three Day event is challenging because of placement of log obstacles before and after the drop into the road.

A sunken road is a type of obstacle found on the cross-country course of an eventing competition. It is a combination type fence involving banks and rails. At the lower levels, it may consist of a bank down, with a few strides to a bank up [1]. At the upper levels, the sunken road often is quite complicated, usually beginning with a set of rails, with either one stride or a bounce distance before the bank down, a stride in the "bottom" of the road before jumping the bank up, and another stride or bounce distance before the final set of rails.

Sunken roads are very technical, especially at the upper levels, and require accurate riding. A bad approach or extravagant jump in can possibly ruin the rider's distances, which may result in a stop from the horse, or a fall. Additionally, the quick change in the type of obstacle, from upright fence, to down bank, to upbank, makes it physically difficult for rider and horse. It thus requires that both horse and rider are balanced, and that the rider stays centered and follows the motion of her mount.

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