BE Riders! Reminisce for me!

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Wan2bEventer

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Can you remember your first season of BE? How exciting, nerve wracking, thrilling, disappointing was it? What drove you to want to ride BE, and how far have you come since your first event?
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Am bored at work and dreaming about how exciting this season is going to be!
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xx
 
My first event was Stilemans BE Novice, i was 19 so 5 yrs ago. I couldn't understand why everyone thought i was mad going straight in at Novice, i had hardly been to a BE event before so had no idea what to expect!!

Horse was a star, and we jumped double clear. Only thing that caught me by surprise was the timing XC, i had never had time faults before and was horrified that i had been given about 9 time faults, i thought it was a mistake!!

How about you?
 
my first ever event - Brigstock Novice, 1988. 20 mins before my test i turned to my friend (also competing) and said "it's a good job it's the same test as we did last week, isn't it?"
"umm, it's a different test" she said.
cue - enormous panic, learn diff test, spend whole test trying to remember where to go and totally ignoring horse's way of going. justifiably rubbish mark of 44.
did easy double clear inside the time, finished about 11th or 12th. thought "this is easy peasy, just got to sort the dressage and we'll win everything". yeah, right. next time out, did decent dressage, nice sj, got lost in the woods xc after taking the wrong fork... got a hatful of time penalties we didn't deserve! made every mistake in the book that year, i reckon.
went somewhere or other later in the season, led the dressage, clear sj, set off on my xc machine and managed to fall off it twice...
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took me another whole season to win one!
edit: i did it because i was bored of BSJA tbh. it was very daunting, the fences looked massive to me, and i had no idea at all about dressage - i didn't know what "on the bit" meant, i thought only top riders could make their horses do it.
i've ridden to 3* since, and now Novice look really small, the ones i used to fret over, like tiny steps into water, make me laugh now.
 
Well it was 2004 and had 4 day tickets. Did a PN all fine, then a novice and came 11th!!!
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Was thrilled as only one all day to get inside the time!!! Only had one down SJ too and it was the biggest track i'd ever seen!!!! We then did another novice (and not to name names) he "stumbled" in the water and cut both his knees
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. Month of and then we thought better do one more, so back to PN for an easy one...... little sh*t piss*ed of with me on the xc, can remember the last combination being 2 triple brushes on a curve line of 4 strides, we did it straight in 3!!!!
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Was wild!!!!
Also loved it as sis did her first 4 day tickets to and she only did PN and got eliminated in one!!!! (sibling rivilary was very competitive back then
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How bout yours??
 
God, I can't remember my first affiliated
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It was probably somewhere like Duchy or Bicton but I did do a lot of unaff eventing for years. I think my most memorable was Stockland Lovell 2 day, I did the Novice and loved every minute
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I was lying in 3rd after the Dressage but threw it all away in the showjumping because my horse decided he was going to have a nap and started rearing half way through
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But we went xc and ended up coming 6th
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That was just the best time ever and a memory I'll never forget.

I don't remember being too nervous either, it is something I don't allow myself to be as it affects the performance, so I keep my mind very busy
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Oh I remember my first affiliated- it was a Pre Novice , at Penton, in about 1998? I'd already done a year of Pony Club open horse trials which was over BE Novice tracks so I wasnt worried about it at all.
We had a 30 dressage, two down SJ in our usual uncontrolled style, and jumped the first few fences on the XC before going over two intermediate fences backwards! It was a really confusing little complex in the woods. I had been so blase about it all that I really did not walk the course properly or think about where I was going!
 
BHS Novice in 1986, just after my 16th birthday, at Hopton Court. Didn't do badly really, but had been told to watch the time XC as it was so much faster than Pony Club. So we went flat out, missed the last jump, went right around the field, re-presented, and still finished under the time.
Different bit and still no time faults next time out, upgraded to Intermediate within a year but never got that level "nailed" as had to part with the horse, to my eternal regret. One of the best times of my life.
 
My first event was West Wilts PN in 2002, did ok dressage and clear sj, xc was straight forward but I missed completely at the 4th fence, a flowerbed, and went splat! Horse walked off lame so that was that! He seemed ok until about half an hour later, he decided he couldn't put his foot on the ground, vet thought he had chipped his knee!!! Turned out his was just bruised when he was scanned the next day, drama queen!!

Managed to complete my next one, just with a stupid stop at a simple log (horse had a warped sense of humour) but ended the season with some double clears!

I had a fab time, it was the realisation of years of dreaming ever since I went to watch at Ragley Hall when I was younger!
 
My first was Bradwall PN, it was the 1st ODE I had done in years, and the horses 1st one ever!!! We did that then Skipton PN, then Storeton Hall N (which was huge!) and carried on at Novice, had a whale of a time.
I am looking to start my season in May/June this year do to other horsey engagements!
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My first BE was a JRN on a 15hh pocket rocket! Dressage was OK, he jumped the SJ like a stag and the regional co-ordinator LOVED him. The SJ caused loads of rpoblem,s but it was in the main arena at Bicton and he rose to the occasion. XC was a dream too, he was going like a train flying everything - and it was a meaty track - but as we came into the finish another horse just started, and the tracks were parralell - he cocked his jaw and ran past the fence. I was GUTTED!

Without that he would have been 3rd, but we still finished 10th.

Bless him!

JB xx
 
Mine was a JRN at Lincoln and we came sixth. I remember it all being very exciting but also really intimidating and serious with selecters being there. I remember being asked to sell raffle tickets by Col Lithgow and for some reason that scared me more than the fences!!
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My little horse was brilliant though, and I remember it all even though it was in the late 80s!
 
Aw great stories guys! I am yet to do a BE, have my first Intro (which will be my horses BE debut too!) in April so working towards that. So excited, and can't think about anything else even though its weeks away yet! My first event will be the culmination of years of dreaming, coupled with the past year's hard work! x
 
very best of luck with it, it's a great sport, but SO frustrating trying to get all 3 ducks in a row on any given day. the list of Eventer's Excuses is sooo true. the number of times i've heard (or said) "we would have won, but..."
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you'll find that people are really friendly and helpful, which is one of the best things about it imho. even the pros will answer questions (as long as you ask them at the right time, obv) and help you out, it's amazing. can't wait to get back to it myself.
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I'll tell you what, keep the pressure off by not going out to win, that's what I do.
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I love the sport and am just so happy to be doing it at all and because I ride for myself, there is no pressure to produce the ribbons!
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You go out and enjoy. Best of luck to you
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I finished on dressage score in first ever PN (on a big IDx 6yo who had only done a couple of 2'9 ODEs) but def made a few mistakes the rest of the season where the courses were a bit stronger. We didn't have intro then, I'm sure if I had been able to start at the lower level we would have been fine.
My OH started at novice on a mad ex racehorse (about 1992) and was elim the first three comps before he got himself together (jumped out of d arena, dumped in SJ and fell off XC).

Try to enjoy it - thats the best advice I can think of!!

Fiona
 
My first BE event was only last year, we did the PN at west wilts and came 6th, I was so shocked as i thought frankies dressage wasnt good enough i got 34.3 at that event, worked really hard at the dressage did west wilts at the end of the season and got 24.5. advice dont be too phased, just because its BE. Relax and enjoy the experience, good luck!
 
this is a good thread.!
my first BE was at Little Mattingley back in 2003, my first ever ODE, Andy did Stonar the month before with my friend who is much more experienced than me, i was so nervous.!!
got a 34.something dressage.. this was back in the days when Andy and i had no control/style/togtherness in the SJ so 16 pens it was for us.. oops...
onto the XC and wow.. what a star, we went clear, of course there were a few hairy moments but he is such a star cross country.!! ended up with 20-odd time pens as i had absolutely no idea on how fast to go and probably did the whole thing in medium canter.!!! bless, i was so happy riding through the finish line, what a feeling.!!!
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My first was at 16 on my crazy grey horse and I went straight in at novice, not knowing any better!
We had a relatively sucessful time because he was a super jumper. We did get told off by the steward for going way too fast xc and the dressage was totally appalling but I wasnt at all nervous and it didnt seem like a difficult thing at all.

I look back now and consider it all highly unwise but we survived!!
 
My first event was only last year at west wilts. it was just intro and i thought travelling up in the lorry that because "british eventing is what all the pro do! :O" it would be huge. i was very happy walking it.
we were quite sucessful but because my horsey has done novice and has points (he came 2nd once the only time he ever went clear:@) i was hc. i would have come 5th :d
and last season i only did 4 events due to silly horse falling over in a pc ode in the water and cut his knees, but we were quite sucessful. 2 5ths and a 2nd all hc though.
 
My first event was Great Witchingham Novice 2005 on both my horses, i only started BE becuase all the PC courses had got too easy thats why i went straight in at novice. Dressage was appalling and sj was ok. Xc they flew although i was abit nervous, my exracer being inside the time and the other getting 7 time faults but going round like it was 2ft.
 
My first one was Nurstead Court in 2003. It was the first BE event for me and my horse who I had bought on from a youngster so really a case of the blind leading the blind! I was 33 and had never had a good horse before so was pretty nervous as it was a big step up from doing 2ft 9 riding club stuff. Went and did the pre-novice. Had one run out at a double but horse had cut her mouth (it used to split easily despite soft padding on her bit) and she was feeling it. Other than that (and our disasterous dressage score!) I had a fab time.Really nervous before the showjumping as it was the biggest course I had done and must have visited the loo about 20 times...
Was looking forward to this season, however my leg injury will probably rule me out for most of the year...sigh.
 
I have obsessed about eventing since I was a small child, and I vowed that one day it would be me. When I bought my current horse two years ago, he got dragged out of the field after 6 weeks off and fittened up over the winter, then after 1 unaff 2'9" HT at the BE venue, we went an did the intro at Pontispool. Neither of us had a clue and I was so nervous I was green. He was huge and the brakes and steering were dodgy! Plus he was only five so it was all a bit hit and miss. Did Stockland Lovell as my second one and came 9th, did one more intro then upgraded to PN. Last season we moved up to Novice and I am now working hard on our abysmal dressage as he is a machine XC and the SJ is slowly coming together (in that we can now occasionally manage to go clear BSJA and i have brakes and steering!).

I do it for the sheer joy of XC, coming through the finish always wipes out all the dressage and SJing annoyances! PLus I am very good at kidding myself that one day we will be good at it....
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my first was Skipton intro in 2006 and we did an average dressage but i was scared stiff and then went double clear so was realy happy but due to my nervousness i went mega slowly and we got some time faults-i must have gone ultra slowly as it is quite hard to get time penalties at intro! but oh well...it was strange as the weekend before i was th only one at an unaff ODE to go inside the time...all the others had gone too slowly!
 
My first was a BHS novice at Buckminster Park (my instructor at the time thought it was an easy first course!) in about 1992. My lovely old lad did a double clear and came 10th. Fortunately this was before they gave points for DCs and based it on number of starters so I could then go back to PN. Our 2nd was Withcote PN the same year, which we won
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....and then he developed navicular and that was that
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Didn't event again til 2004 (and never recreated the same success
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My 1st BE event was at Shipton moyne intro in 2004 we did an Ok dressage, 1 down sj and then clear xc with a few time pens as my Barnes buckle broke at the 4th fence, a drop so was carefully balancing my stirrup on about 5mm of metal the rest of the way round ekk and since then we've gone up to int together not to great success as ive always gone a bit slow xc and the only time ive been inside at novice it scared the living daylights out of me as i had NO control but we did come 2nd and beat Mary king
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And since then our best event has been sapey last year where we came 6th with a good dressage one silly one down XC then in control one of the fastest of the day XC even with 4.4 time!!
 
i've just remembered... back protectors weren't compulsory when i started, i blithely went round without one, then got collared by a family friend, frogmarched to the tradestands and forced to buy a back protector!
i forgot to say that when i did my first one, the only other ODE i'd ever done was a tiny riding club one, so Brigstock Novice was quite meaty by comparison. i thought we'd never get over the rails with ditch in front down by the old footbridge, it looked so huge, and the A footbridge looked like a mountain to me!
 
My first season was in 1979 I believe, but records don't go back that far, think I was 17. First even I remember was Wellesbourne, which was deemed small. Don't remember being scared, but had been PCing & fences were pretty big doing that.
Back then it wasn't BE, it was BHS eventing. There was no Intre/PN, just straight in at Novice.
There were very few people competing compared to now, but all the top riders would be at the events, My claim to fame was being placed 3rd at Brigstock, Princess Anne was 2nd.....
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Oooo siennamum I remember wellesbourne and i think I competed their once but then it didn't run again!!

I remember being placed in the 90s in an intermediate at MK and everyone who beat me then is now an eventing legend (i've just checked!!) and it makes me so proud, particulary when my notoriously difficult headshaker/mainly-always-lame-horse did it. He had problem feet and lost both shoes (and leather pads) going through the water and I will never forget two little girls coming up to me when I'd finished asking if they could pat him. They'd gone into the water and fished out his shoes (and pads) and found me later.
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Oh that takes me back... my first was Marsden Manor novice on my pony club horse... no intro or PN then. Think I was second to bottom after dressage
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, but a fast double clear in those days could pull you up into the top ten... I think I was 5th... and if there was a combination fence, you spent ages walking it...!!! Ended up doing 2* on that horse, and got to 3* on another. I still remember being sooooo excited that I had a 'proper' event horse. I think galloping through the XC finish after a clean round is one of the best natural highs you'll ever get.... Enjoy
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I also competed at Great Missenden, Shelswell Park and Kilsby - none of which run any more. Kilsby was particularly frustrating as I had worked out how to get my horse on the bit, (use a pair of draw reins my brother sent me from Germany!!), and scored a really good dressage. We were guaranteed a double clear barring accidents so I had to walk sections of the XC course to deliberately incur time penalties to avoid horse winning class & going Intermediate.(In those days you couldn't PC event a horse above Novice!)
 
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