Alevel horse riding

[tozdaman]

For my Alevel horse riding coursework I have to complete a section on strategies/tactics. I am struggling to think of a strategy or tactic (it can be for show jumping or flatwork). Once I chose a strategy it then has to be split into 1.) My weakness in the preparation phase 2.) My weakness in the execution phase and 3.) My weakness in the result phase.
I know the obvious one is the timed round of show jumping and whether I chose to go fast or steady in order to obtain a clear round but I need some other ideas.... so if anyone can think of a strategy or tactic which could possibly be broken down into the three weakness stages - it would be hugely appreciated!!!

 

[Django Pony]

A' Level horse riding?? Blimey, I wish they'd had that in my day!
Sorry, that's not much help, I just didn't know they did A' Level horse riding!

 

[Lolo]

My sister did A-level sport science, and used horse-riding in it (alongside netball I think!).

I'll ask her for you and get back, but she did very well on it. I'm sure she used memorising dressage tests though, and wrote in a lot of detail about long/ short term memory and things like that...

 

[Nicnac]

A' Level horse riding?? Blimey, I wish they'd had that in my day!
Sorry, that's not much help, I just didn't know they did A' Level horse riding!

^^^^ this!

 

[tozdaman]

My sister did A-level sport science, and used horse-riding in it (alongside netball I think!).

I'll ask her for you and get back, but she did very well on it. I'm sure she used memorising dressage tests though, and wrote in a lot of detail about long/ short term memory and things like that...

Thank you so so much, that would be a great help! I haven't been able to get any help of my teacher because they haven't had a student that has done horse riding as their sport before!! So an example or something like that would be brilliant. Mine also has to include 'causes of my weakness' such as short term memory, anxiety, lack of stamina etc etc so they sound fairly similar!

 

[GeeUp&Go]

I did A level PE.

I think i did a different syllabus though.
points Id use:
In a JO - steady w/ sharp turns, vs keep the flow but slightly wider turns. Depending on th JO course. indoor vs outdoor. Is it a baby horse - just want nice round, vs you want to win on a more experienced horse.

With my big lad I have him in a snaffle with a tight contact - it makes him neater in front. However, he gets stronger as the round goes on so I lose a bit of control. Therefore do I use a gag to keep him lighter, but he'll be messier, or cling on in a snaffle. My fitness limits the use of the snaffle, even though its best for him (Im not strong enough to keep hold)

Do you warm up your horse with lots of jumps, or not alot. I only do 5 or 6 with my lad before I go in (so he doesnt get bored and lazy). A fresher horse may need more jumps to calm down and focus.

Your weaknesses - can you see a stride? If yes, you can go faster in the Jo, if no you have to go a lot steadier so the horse can sort himself out.

Hope that helps.
I'll try and answer any other Q's you may have too.
BTW, I got an A.

 

[tozdaman]

I did A level PE.

I think i did a different syllabus though.
points Id use:
In a JO - steady w/ sharp turns, vs keep the flow but slightly wider turns. Depending on th JO course. indoor vs outdoor. Is it a baby horse - just want nice round, vs you want to win on a more experienced horse.

With my big lad I have him in a snaffle with a tight contact - it makes him neater in front. However, he gets stronger as the round goes on so I lose a bit of control. Therefore do I use a gag to keep him lighter, but he'll be messier, or cling on in a snaffle. My fitness limits the use of the snaffle, even though its best for him (Im not strong enough to keep hold)

Do you warm up your horse with lots of jumps, or not alot. I only do 5 or 6 with my lad before I go in (so he doesnt get bored and lazy). A fresher horse may need more jumps to calm down and focus.

Your weaknesses - can you see a stride? If yes, you can go faster in the Jo, if no you have to go a lot steadier so the horse can sort himself out.

Hope that helps.
I'll try and answer any other Q's you may have too.
BTW, I got an A.

Do you remember what syllabus you were on? Ours is AQA but I think they all overlap quite a bit.

This sounds very useful as part of one strategy. The main aspect of my coursework is the need to exaggerate any weaknesses, so I could use the bit you've suggested about warming up as my preparation phase... perhaps If I claim I warm up for too long and since i have a very young, strong horse it makes him too excitable before entering the j/o ring. Execution phase could be the part on deciding whether to take tight turns or wide turns but then i'm not sure about result phase? Maybe the fact that because I warm up for too long he is too speedy by the end of the round which risks a knock down?
Wow, an A is so good! Its what i am really hoping to get!

 

[GeeUp&Go]

The results phase is hard for us, and pushing yourself to the limit wont guarentee youi win!

I think a big thing to mention would be that we are using an animal, they are unpredictable, therefore we arent guarenteed succes, no matter how perfect our performance.

Results phase - could that include:
geting a few double clears to get to the next rounds
knowing that to win overall points you only need to get a certain placing, and you dont want to push your horse too hard for no reason (if winning the series is more important than that classes prize money/ top 10 qualify so you dont need to take unnecessary risks in the JO)

Prep phase could also be getting a clear in the first round though, as well.

weaknesses could also be your horses age (you cant rush a youngster), and injuries that the horse may have that stops you from jumping it higher. Also, weaknesses could include the arena - some hate iindoors, others outdoors. Do you have access to studs, do you have access to a good jumping surface at home. Is your horse maintained at peak fitness?

I havent a clue what the exam board was - it was like 5 years ago now.
It was a bit of a fluke, I think

 

[tozdaman]

The results phase is hard for us, and pushing yourself to the limit wont guarentee youi win!

I think a big thing to mention would be that we are using an animal, they are unpredictable, therefore we arent guarenteed succes, no matter how perfect our performance.

Results phase - could that include:
geting a few double clears to get to the next rounds
knowing that to win overall points you only need to get a certain placing, and you dont want to push your horse too hard for no reason (if winning the series is more important than that classes prize money/ top 10 qualify so you dont need to take unnecessary risks in the JO)

Prep phase could also be getting a clear in the first round though, as well.

weaknesses could also be your horses age (you cant rush a youngster), and injuries that the horse may have that stops you from jumping it higher. Also, weaknesses could include the arena - some hate iindoors, others outdoors. Do you have access to studs, do you have access to a good jumping surface at home. Is your horse maintained at peak fitness?

I havent a clue what the exam board was - it was like 5 years ago now.
It was a bit of a fluke, I think

Thank you very much, this is a big help. I will get back to you If I get stuck again!

 

[tozdaman]

ps if anyone has a new idea for a strategy/tactic that is different to the ones discussed it would be a great help as i still have to think of a couple more!