At what age did you start competing in your chosen discipline?

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I was chatting to someone about competing, and when I thought about it, I have only been 'competing' since 2005... I did two years of unaffiliated with Hannah, and when I took on Grace I did my first BD competition in June 2007.

Some people have such a long history when you look on the British Dressage website, it makes me wish I had started much younger... but I only got Hannah when I was almost 19 years old
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I just wondered how long everyone had been competing in their chosen discipline, whether that be affiliated or unaffiliated
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LOL give yourself a break - 19 is young!

I started eventing 2 seasons ago when I was 26, and a year before that I learnt to ride a horse in an outline (though I'd been riding all my life)...so to be at Novice with my youngster already isn't bad going I guess, and he'll start our third season at Novice too.

Yes, it'd be nice to have had interested parents who had the time and money to give up their interests to ferry me round the country and let me do ponies etc, and I'd probably be a better rider for it, but no point in trying to change the past and letting it colour the future, is there?
 
But at 19 I had already been through a big gap... I rode at riding schools til I was around 15
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But it was only when I bought hannah that I started having private lessons where I was taught how to get a horse in an outline and working correctly. I feel as though I would have loved pony club things...

I am 25 in March... I just wonder where I would be had I started competing from a younger age as opposed to 22.
 
I've still got my first rosette from when I won a bending race at the age of 7. That was 39 years ago....
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I should be seriously good at something by now, maybe I should go back to gymnkhanas!!!
Started eventing in the PC at the age of 11. Started BE at 17 at events in the Midlands which no longer run, though did have a big gap with no competing in the middle. I've definitely gotten worse at that!!
 
So did I - 7 years in fact of not riding from 16 until 23...

I had a pony on loan as a kid from 13-16 and if it is any consolation I hated PC as they were vile to people whose parents weren't interested. I had to hack to rallies and even though a few people went past where I stabled him no-one ever offered me a lift. The final straw came when they said 'when is your mother going to do the teas?' I explained the deal was I could have a pony if my parents never had to do anything. The response was 'everyone's mother has to do the teas, you'll have to do it instead'. I hacked to rallies FGS!!

So it isn't all it's cracked up to be...
 
I started doing mini one day events with the pony club at age 8- I was really lucky I had a cheap coloured gypsy pony that jumped everything.
I then started doing pony club open horse trials at 14, and then did pre novice eventing at 15, and first Novices at 16 and had a wicked couple of seasons eventing.
But everyone has now overtaken me as have not done much riding for the last 5 years due to circumstances!
Hopefully I will catch everyone up again!
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Been competing pretty much all the time since I was 13, but only SJ'd until 2002 when I swapped to dressage.

Had a couple of years off competing but just about to start going out and about again
 
I dont feel old Im just old compared to everyone around me. Except my trainer shes older than me!!

never had the right horse to compete before or the money but now my son is at college my daughter and I love competing and get fed up when we are not!!

I have bought a youngster to event probably not till later this year or next so I hope to compete him till my 12 yo daughter is ready to take over on him!!!!
Or thats the plan
 
I started competing mainly show-jumping and eventing when I was 9 years old, mostly pony club stuff and local shows.
I had a break from competing when I started A levels/Uni/starting work etc from 1987 through until about 1998 when I got Amber - my previous horse to Jenny. I did a bit of everything with her - all unaffiliated or riding club level. She died in 2001 which is when I got Jenny.
I did BSJA with Jen for about a year until a series of injuries and problems stopped us in our tracks. We competed unaffiliated SJ and dressage on and off until 2007 when we were ready to affiliate BSJA again and we also afiliated BD last month and are looking forward to 2008 doing both.
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I also started competing at 22, but I had been wanting to all through my teenage years. Hopefully when my 4-legged friend decides he will go forwards and not backwards, we can progress from prelim!
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I got Bloss when i was 19, i started competing BD with her when i was 21.

Previously tho id competed and done showing mainly with my old instructor as i used to show their ponies. I also did a lot of x country as i was fearless in those days
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When i did my first 'show' i think i was around 8yrs old.
 
Oh god let me think.... I was about 11 I think when I started competing & I did all the pony club rallies, teams and camps - mainly showing and showjumping. I gave up showjumping when I went to Uni and sold my Anglo but still rode and competed in showing classes on Pasha.

Still got Pasha and we did our first ever dressage test in 2005 and we now do both showing and dressage. I'm now 29 boo hoo x
 
I learned to ride (or not to fall off) at 10 on a massive TB, then went to a riding school sports section (abroad); had a few years break after that as my parents couldn't afford the lessons. In 1994 I started to help out after school at a riding school and got training in return. Then went straight into affiliated show-jumping when I was 14 or 15, I think! Got my first horse in 1996 and second in 1998.
I am 28 now (for a few more days anyway
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Hmm, started doing bits of dressage and Sjing from age of about 13, but on other peoples horses which was fab, but meant I did what I was told!!

Brought my pony at 17 as a project, realised 6mnths later i wanted to event, but kept my pony for another 18mnths before decideing I definititely wanted to go out to compete and not just hunt!! Brought Goddy in 2005, Did my first ODE straight in at PN in 2006 on a borrowed horse, and then did first ODEon my on horse in October 2006.
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I was 20
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I did my first BE event when I was 26 and that was it, I was hooked. I think the first time I thought I might quite like eventing was when I was 14 - so good things do come to those who wait.
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I did BSJA from 7-9, BD from 7-12, fiist affilated driving at the minimum age (14). Before then I just showed. I'm yet to BE!
 
i did my first BE event in July 2003 when i was 22.. until i got Andy (sept 2002) i was a 'happy hacker' really, did the odd local show, didn't do any dressage really as it was not my old mare's thing.! i would say i learnt to ride properly when i was at college from 1999/2001, i didn't know anything about working a horse properly until then.!! first BD was also 2003 i think, although i only did a few of those as it was too much with BE as well and wasn't getting to go to any BD.. i'm 27 now...
 
Did unaffiliated SJ at around 8 years old on my first pony.

Got my second pony age 13 and affiliated BSJA aged 14/15 after we sorted out his canter (he was then 6 when we affiliated)

Sold him and got my horse at 16 and affiliated him aged 6 too and now I do nothing as sold horse to come to university
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I have been competing from the age of 4 but it does not mean anything as it was all local stuff. I PC evented but was so rubbish at dressage that I never got anywhere. I also never competed affiliated until 2005 when I dragged my PC eventer out of the field and decided to give it another crack. Rapidly lost my patience with him for being so rubbish at dressage and bought another one. So I may have been riding for years but I have hardly any experience competing which I am now catching up on.
 
I've competed unaffiliated since I was 10 but did my first BE when I was 27. Now 38 and won't be competing this year because of financial pressures but hope to make a come back next year.
 
4years old I began riding the local "shire"!! Did pony club,camp BSJA...showjumping until 15years......had a gap, work boys etc.....back to riding at 28 non competative, just hacking, schooling other peoples horses......bought my own again at 30, never competed either as they were youngsters then both had problems....39 bought Freestyler, at 40.....they say life begins at 40!! First competed Dressage. 2 years on still learning and have many many more years hopefully!!
 
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