B test

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monica987

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I know it is equivallent to stage 1 (bhs) but how similar is the sylabus(sp)? I am taking the B test in April time and really want to pass.

I haven't found the sylabus in detail, and haven't got the PC handbook or anything so not sure but what riding is involved? All I know is you have tp jump a course at the hieght of PC open, so that's 3'6 which I can do.

Also, with regards to first aid, how much do you have to be able tpo regognise/treat or whatever?

If I was to buy a BHS stage 1 book, would it include all I need to know for B test? Quite excited as I really want to prove myself (sounds so stupid, I know
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) to Mum as I don't think she realises how serious I am with this horsey stuff
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Thanks in advance
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actually i dont think you have to jump pc open height, usually it is a 1m course?

im sure it would, as our b test instructor found her old copy and has been teaching us from it!
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my stable managment is on the 30th - not enough people here have their horse in at the moment to do the riding
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It is not at pony club open height! I was on my four year old and the fences were no bigger than 3ft for any of us!

You need to be able to ride in and understand the effect of a double bridle. You need to be able to ride other peoples' horses and assess them and work them properly on the flat according to a brief. You need to show you have an independent seat and hands with work without stirrups.

B test is actually a bit higher than BHS stage one so while you might get the basics, I would recommend not using that exclusively for any revision.

First Aid you need to talk to your instructor about, I was asked about when to call the vet, pouliticing, and various components of a first aid kit!

PM if you need to know more!
 
Are these worth doing? I stopped taking pony club tests after the C tests because I found them, frankly, a waste of time... a lot of hard work and training and the stuff they were telling us to do was so old school i'd not even heard of it... like feeding bran mashes, only after hunting these days! And folding rugs up and stuff, what a palaver! But mum reckons I should do my B test... only I have AS mocks coming up, so is it worth it?
 
B test is a noticeable qualification, in the sense that they actually fail people who can't do it!

I found doing my B test really helpful actually. And although some of the aspects of the tests are old, they are still useful and good bits of rubbish to have sitting in the back of your mind.
-cowers from the lurking traditionalists on the H+HO forum-
 
B test is eqyuivalent to BHS 1 and 2 so if you pass that you can go straight to stage 3. Its useful as lot cheaper than BHS! Syllabus is on pony club website i think. Is quite thorough can depend on examiner a bit, you can get folder workbooks also.
 
I can't remember its proper name but I would definitely invest in the B Test Folder. I wouldn't have past by H&PC without. (I didn't get round to sitting my riding) I think PC tests are really worth doing.
 
B test is definitely worth it if you do intend to BHS exams - I took my B test, and therefore skipped my BHS stage 1 AND 2... you can then go in directly at stage 3, and go back and do PTT after that if you also want to qualify as an instructor.

Fences were no bigger than about 90cm when i took it about 5 years ago.
 
Definatly worth doing as you can skip stages one and two and go straight to three if you had you B test. I would work from the stage two book rather than the stage one, My sister did it recently and she was working from stage 2 book and many others.

You have to be able to ride other horses and be able to assess them. I always started in walk, checked bend, forward movement (i.e is he off the leg) then sideways movement before going into trot and doing the same. If you do the same things with all the horses you ride you should be able to assess them all in the same format so you dont forget things!

I had a couple of hours extra private tuition with a BHSI before my B test (12 years ago now) and she was a B test examiner so gave me loads of helpful pointers.
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Ditto the above: this folder tells you EVERYTHING you need to know for the test.
7 PC members from our branch, inc. my son, sat B test 2 years ago. 2 failed because of "saftey" issues, one of these had her spurs on when not riding-automatic fail. TBH the riding part was easier than the SM. They only jumped about 90-95cm.
I have heard eventers say that they'd rather have a B tester as a WP than BHS qualified person. Def. a worthwhile test to take.
 
I did mine years ago (also failed my H test twice) - definitely worth it.

It forces you to learn loads of useful things that come in really handy later - confidence in a double bridle, lunging 'properly', ride and lead, bandaging joints, internal anatomy of the leg etc. etc.

Make sure you ride as many different horses as possible before the test (and ideally have some lessons on different horses). The examiner will probably switch you on to something as different from your own horse as possible on the day.

Edited to add - I used a double for everything for a while before my test. Handling 2 reins takes a bit of practice (and juggling gates etc. on hacks gets you using them). Probably the single most useful things I took from my B test.
 
The tish adam's folder is amasing!!! The care side of it takes a lot more work than the riding, they were particullay fussy about bandage and knee boots in mine!!!! If you're doing the riding with other people in your p.c. then ride there horses before the exam ,there's still a chance that you might have to ride them in the exam.

Worth bearing in mind that if you do the riding then you won't be able to compete in the novice challenge for any discipline
 
You need to do loads of revision for stable management and as said before have lots of lessons with someone who knows the syllabus - the testers are very strict. My son failed his last year and was told his lower leg was 'rubbish'. Interestingly Nick Turner told him on Saturday that his lower leg was brilliant
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I did my theory but withdrew from my riding for personal reasons - decided I'd had enough of PC and had other things like entry fees I needed to spend the money.

One pointer I will say is make sure you know about knee boots for travelling vs knee boots for exercise - they caught all but me out with that at our B test this year. Theory wasn't too bad, as long as you put the work in. I passed my B - Test last year [theory] a year early, and the one thing I will say is don't try and be too 'proper'. There are things suggested in the PC manual that just aren't practical - like wearing gloves everytime you lead a horse or wearing a hat when you handle them. We were told just to do what we'd normally do. We all removed our hats, and the examiner for that section said she was really pleased - but I guess it varies.
 
You may all shoot me down if you wish but for me personally it was a complete waste of time in the end.
I initially took my stable management first and was then planning to take the riding in the summer. At the exam, we all failed but one and gave us valid reasons with things we should work on. Fair enough, I did not mind and I went away and improved on my weaker areas.
It came to the summer and Id broken my arm a few weeks earlier so was unable to take the riding test as i'd only ridden once or twice since my accident though I still took my stable management. I felt alot more confident this time and had thought, yeh i've done ok here. Guess what, i'd failed along with another girl who was only doing the stable management.
Now please correct me if im wrong but the B test is actually split into two seperate tests therefore they should be independant of each other i.e. if you did bad on one it would not affect the result of the other.
Everyone else who did the riding aswell as the stable management that day, passed, alot of whom are good friends of mine. And they were examined by the same people who examined the stable management.
Then came the feedback from the examiners. They could not give me direct reasons as to why we had failed and came up with strange excuses. Also does it seem a bit strange to you that everyone who was doing the riding passed?? To me, they expected you to be a text book rather than having general experiance. If you put an answer forward to a question which could be correct say from experience but it wasnt what they wanted to hear, then it was wrong. But nothing is ever that linear in the horse world!!
Also when asked about taking it again, i would have had to travel to a different area to do say but the examiners say they would not travel anywhere else to examine, it was 'too much effort and time'. Like my exam wasnt too much effort and time! Basically they were two old women stuck in their ways and didnt want to hear anyone else opinion and yes I was known for standing up for my self and having a bit of a mouth, which very occasionally got me into trouble
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After that no more pony club, I couldnt stand it any longer.
I know this is my own personal experience, it could just be my area and all the others could be normal and unbiased but unless you want a career in horses then I really dont think you need it, and even then, depending on what route you go down it is definitely not essential.
*Prepares to be shot down in flames and ducks for cover*
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I did my B test (about 15 years ago now) and the training for my PC tests stood me in good stead for my BHS exams, also saved me a great deal of money on exam fees.
Nowadays i am training students, and you can really tell the difference with those who have been through the Pony Club system - they know how to do things properly!!
 
I've never heard of anything like that Flic! However, in my opininon it simply sounds like you didn't learn the finer details of the syllabus! (Meant in the nicest, loveliest way possible!!)
 
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I've never heard of anything like that Flic! However, in my opininon it simply sounds like you didn't learn the finer details of the syllabus! (Meant in the nicest, loveliest way possible!!)

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Actually I have, my son sounds a bit like you - he's very confident and will always speak up for himself. At one point in his test the examiner (an older lady) told him to shut up and let someone else speak
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and the one who told him he'd failed because of his 'rubbish' lower leg was really nasty and kept saying "you won't stay on if your horse ever stops (which he has and son has never fallen off) - I should know I've evented", we later found out she had competed in a couple of intros before she gave up to have kids
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And amazingly the exact same thing happened to my friends daughter this year, she too is very confident but was told to "be quiet" while in the middle of answering a question!
 
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