Arena Eventing - I don’t get it

[Zebedee]

Even if the time is disclosed any competition that relies on closest to the optimum is a lottery. The BRC Combined Challenge (wrongly condemned by so many as being the same as AE) works differently in that the course is timed separately for the SJ & XC sections. If there is a tie on total penalties (inc any XC section time pens) then the fastest SJ time is the first decider, and in the unlikely event of a tie on that only then does the closest to the optimum XC time come in to it. Works well, and is more skill than luck based.

 

[RachelFerd]

RF you are taking about YOU and what you need and what’s best for your horses. Brilliant. But people are in different places with different needs. When my daughter started out at Eland she was on a schoolmaster pony who’d gone round there a dozen times with his previous owner. But SHE needed to ride 20 in a row, cope with the atmosphere, remember a whole course etc. She took 3-4 efforts to eventually make it round. She had no problem in training - she just needed to put it all together and AE was perfect for that. There’s a place and use for AE even if it is not something you value or need given where you are in training and competing.

That's absolutely fair enough - but that sounds distinctly like rider training - not horse training.

 

[HappyHackerK8]

That's absolutely fair enough - but that sounds distinctly like rider training - not horse training.

And at what point did we say that rider training wasn’t valid?

 

[HappyHackerK8]

And at what point did we say that rider training wasn’t valid?

Oh wait? No one did!

 

[HappyHackerK8]

Oh wait? No one did!

?

 

[Patterdale]

Well having had time to reflect I still think that AE as a competition is a total waste of time!

 

[ycbm]

Well having had time to reflect I still think that AE as a competition is a total waste of time!

Depends how good the cafe is ? .

 

[Ample Prosecco]

That's absolutely fair enough - but that sounds distinctly like rider training - not horse training.

Well yes! You need to train the partnership. So riders need to do what increases their competence and confidence too x