BHS Stage 2 exam / PTT/Stage 3 and working full-time!

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clarajj83

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Hi all, I'm new to the forum and have a few questions that I am hoping some of you could answer for me. Any help or advice would me much appreciated :)

Here goes (excuse the list!)

1) I'm taking my Stage 2 in July (2013) and was wondering if anyone had taken theirs recently? If you have could you tell me how the day went, what were the good/bad points etc please?

2) I'll be taking my 2 at Rayne Riding Centre in Braintree, Essex. Has anyone ever ridden or taken an exam there before? I was originally booked in to take the exam at Runningwell E.C. but it was cancelled which was very annoying as I have been training at Runningwell and took my Stage 1 there so I knew the place well...grrrrrrr.

3) My aim is to become an instructor. Currently I work full-time for a bank in London during the week, I volunteer at a local riding school every week on a Sunday all day, I loan a pony whom I ride 3x a week, and I have my BHS training (ride and lecture) 1 night a week. If I pass my Stage 2 (fingers crossed), I want to go on and do my PTT and stage 3, but I am having difficulty trying to figure out how much time, effort and work I will have to dedicate in order to complete the PTT & 3, and whether it is possible to do all this whilst continuing to work full time.
Some people have told me that I really should be working in the equine industry in order to get my PTT/3 in order to get enough experience, but others have told me that this is not necessarily so.
Basically I am looking for some advice, thoughts or stories from people who have done their PTT/3, and how they did if they had to still work full time in a non-horsey industry...

Phew, I think that is all for now, I'm sure I'll have a whole new set of qu's soon!

Thanks very much x
 
Hi, i'm no expert but here is my tuppence worth....

clarajj83 said:
1) I'm taking my Stage 2 in July (2013) and was wondering if anyone had taken theirs recently? If you have could you tell me how the day went, what were the good/bad points etc please?
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I did my stage 2 quite a while ago now but don't remember having any major problems. I would say make sure you are good at lunging as a lot of people seem to struggle with that. Be confident and make sure you know the syllabus well.

clarajj83 said:
2) I'll be taking my 2 at Rayne Riding Centre in Braintree, Essex. Has anyone ever ridden or taken an exam there before? I was originally booked in to take the exam at Runningwell E.C. but it was cancelled which was very annoying as I have been training at Runningwell and took my Stage 1 there so I knew the place well...grrrrrrr.
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Sorry i haven't ridden at either. At stage 2 i don't think you have to talk about or assess the horse as such and hopefully they should be fairly straightforward so it shouldn't matter as much if you don't know them. It is probably worth having a lesson or two at the exam centre anyway so you know where everything is and feel a bit comfortable. I find the more I know the better, e.g. is the showjumping likely to be on a surface or on grass, are there lots of cobs or is there a mixture of horses.


clarajj83 said:
3) If I pass my Stage 2 (fingers crossed), I want to go on and do my PTT and stage 3, but I am having difficulty trying to figure out how much time, effort and work I will have to dedicate in order to complete the PTT & 3, and whether it is possible to do all this whilst continuing to work full time.
Some people have told me that I really should be working in the equine industry in order to get my PTT/3 in order to get enough experience, but others have told me that this is not necessarily so.
Click to expand...

I think a lot depends on how much previous experience you have. I did my stage 3 care a few years ago whilst working full time and never having owned my own (although i do share). I am lucky as I am a teacher so in the summer holidays i helped at a competition yard for a bit. I felt personally trying to do all of stage 3 in one day would be too much for me. It took me a fair while to get ready for the care but just identify your weaknesses. For example i paid to have lessons on loading, using a double bridle and lunging as those were areas i didn't have much experience in.

I am now working towards my stage 3 riding which i think will take me quite a while. I hope to take it in August and have had half a mind on it since the start of the year but want to ramp up preparation during the summer. It is going to cost me a fortune! Lots of extra lessons, including some cross country, a few low-key competitions i wouldn't normally enter, a couple of sessions on a mechanical horse, some bodywork for me as i know i am wonky. I might do an exam mock day at the centre too and i would quite like to go on holiday where i did last year which involves lots of cross country as this is difficult to experience as a non-horse owner. On my share horse i try and do one day a week with short stirrups/pole work/a bit of jumping and one day flat. Even with all of this i acknowledge i may still fail!

So yes, i think it is doable but it may well take a while and cost a lot! On the other hand others may be more confident/competent than me :-/
 
Oh, and if it helps I could give you the name of the instructor I have started having lessons with. She is a BHS II and has just started giving lessons at her small yard. The horses are more "competition types" than you will find at most riding schools so probably more appropriate for training for stage 3. She really encourages and pushes you, the other week I was going over ~90cm jumps on a little 14.2 I had never ridden before. Given that jumping isn't my strong point and the start of the lesson was pretty disastrous it was a real achievement to get me doing that! She is based near Colchester so may be close enough for you.
 
Good for you having ambition and following through on it. It is possible to do your exams while working full time away from horses - I did - but you will need a good bank of experience (excuse the pun!) working with and riding a range of different horses. I had always ridden and competed, and owned a livery yard and also produced young horses (as well as my job away from horses) while I did them. I was probably unusual in that I did my stage 2, stage 3 and PTT all within 2 months of each other as I was already working at at least stage 3 level.

The best advice is to be assessed by a BHS examiner and take it from there. Good luck!
 
My daughter did her stage one at Rayne.its quite a big yard,and I ditto having a lesson there beforehand to familiarise yourself with the layout etc. We found them helpful and the lesson gave my daughter some useful tips too.
Stage two is harder than people think. The lunging especially. My daughter failed twice, once for taking too much time and second time as she couldn't get the horse to go forward, even when tapped with the lunge whip!!! There is a definate BHS way for lunging!
The horses used are not particually forward going,I believe from my daughters experience of two lots of riding and lunging stage two. She found that hard when used to our own responsive animals. She has taken the stage two at two different venues, neither was Rayne.
She was told her lower leg was not stable when jumping too, and has now failed that once.
She found tHe practical and theory easy, but she had made sure she knew her stuff well, as some people failed on them. Be prepared to use real life examples such as "we harrow our fields as much as possible and not just in spring, as we believe it pulls the weeds up and may encourage grass growth" The examiners seem to be looking for a little more than text book knowledge, as long as it is accurately presented I believe.
I did my stage two manY yRs ago, at Wellington, and I think it is much harder now. Or, maybe my memory has faded!
Good luck.
 
daydreamer said:
Oh, and if it helps I could give you the name of the instructor I have started having lessons with. She is a BHS II and has just started giving lessons at her small yard. The horses are more "competition types" than you will find at most riding schools so probably more appropriate for training for stage 3. She really encourages and pushes you, the other week I was going over ~90cm jumps on a little 14.2 I had never ridden before. Given that jumping isn't my strong point and the start of the lesson was pretty disastrous it was a real achievement to get me doing that! She is based near Colchester so may be close enough for you.
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Thanks Daydreamer! Yes I have to agree all the training, exams and gear is costing me a small fortune which is why I have to keep working (and keep entering the lottery!)
Thanks for the offer of the instructor name, I have an instructor at the mo (although not a BHSII) and Colchester is a little too far out my way unfortunately but I appreciate your offer!
If / when I go on to do my 3 I will definitely need some x-country practice, haven't been round a course since I was about 16!
 
measles said:
Good for you having ambition and following through on it. It is possible to do your exams while working full time away from horses - I did - but you will need a good bank of experience (excuse the pun!) working with and riding a range of different horses. I had always ridden and competed, and owned a livery yard and also produced young horses (as well as my job away from horses) while I did them. I was probably unusual in that I did my stage 2, stage 3 and PTT all within 2 months of each other as I was already working at at least stage 3 level.

The best advice is to be assessed by a BHS examiner and take it from there. Good luck!
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It's good to hear from someone who has successfully done it, thank you for the encouragement!
 
Spottyappy said:
My daughter did her stage one at Rayne.its quite a big yard,and I ditto having a lesson there beforehand to familiarise yourself with the layout etc. We found them helpful and the lesson gave my daughter some useful tips too.
Stage two is harder than people think. The lunging especially. My daughter failed twice, once for taking too much time and second time as she couldn't get the horse to go forward, even when tapped with the lunge whip!!! There is a definate BHS way for lunging!
The horses used are not particually forward going,I believe from my daughters experience of two lots of riding and lunging stage two. She found that hard when used to our own responsive animals. She has taken the stage two at two different venues, neither was Rayne.
She was told her lower leg was not stable when jumping too, and has now failed that once.
She found tHe practical and theory easy, but she had made sure she knew her stuff well, as some people failed on them. Be prepared to use real life examples such as "we harrow our fields as much as possible and not just in spring, as we believe it pulls the weeds up and may encourage grass growth" The examiners seem to be looking for a little more than text book knowledge, as long as it is accurately presented I believe.
I did my stage two manY yRs ago, at Wellington, and I think it is much harder now. Or, maybe my memory has faded!
Good luck.
Click to expand...

Hi, thanks this is great - I am definitely going to have a couple of lessons at Rayne before my exam. I will also be doing a mock at Runningwell (Rayne don't offer them) so hopefully this will help as well.
We are practising lungeing in our lessons at the moment and I have been doing it a lot at home as well. Our instructor times us when we are preparing the pony (putting on the cavesson etc) and then when we are lungeing to make sure we don't take too long. I have to remind myself to breathe though otherwise I do get in a flap and do something silly like drop the whip :eek:
Good luck to your daughter if she re-sits those units she was unlucky in!
 
As mentioned above, Lunging is the usual weak spot for stage 2 candidates so ensure you are up to standard.
Try not to worry about taking your exam at an unfamiliar centre. Often it can be an advantage as you have no preconceived ideas about the horses/equipment/people. I took all of my exams up to BHSII and Stable Managers level at unfamiler centres. The only exception was the stage 4 riding (and the Senior Coach exam I took 3 weeks ago) and the main reason for this is the smaller number of centres which are available to train for and take the exams at at this level.

As for the Stage 3 and PTT, I think if you wish to do them whilst continuing to work full time you will need to prioritise which one you are doing first and work on them one at a time. It is possible to do these whilst working full time but it would be worth taking opportunities to perhaps spend at least a week fully immersed in the industry and seeing what it is like on a full time basis. I did my exams through to BHSAI level whilst doing A levels at sixth form college (completely none horsey environment!) but I did spend weekends and holidays working at yards. The weekday environment - especially the weekday riders - are very different!

With the PTT in mind, can you stand in with the instructor at the riding school on a weekend? See what works well, how they control the ride. You may identify things you like and things you might do differently.

The BHS standard setting days are very useful - get in touch with your local DO and see what is on in your area. They may not appear to be cheap but when you compare the hourly cost to your usual training and consider that they are usually run by assessors they become super value. It may also be worth trying to spend a day or two training intensively at an exam centre.
 
ruth83 said:
As mentioned above, Lunging is the usual weak spot for stage 2 candidates so ensure you are up to standard.
Try not to worry about taking your exam at an unfamiliar centre. Often it can be an advantage as you have no preconceived ideas about the horses/equipment/people. I took all of my exams up to BHSII and Stable Managers level at unfamiler centres. The only exception was the stage 4 riding (and the Senior Coach exam I took 3 weeks ago) and the main reason for this is the smaller number of centres which are available to train for and take the exams at at this level.

As for the Stage 3 and PTT, I think if you wish to do them whilst continuing to work full time you will need to prioritise which one you are doing first and work on them one at a time. It is possible to do these whilst working full time but it would be worth taking opportunities to perhaps spend at least a week fully immersed in the industry and seeing what it is like on a full time basis. I did my exams through to BHSAI level whilst doing A levels at sixth form college (completely none horsey environment!) but I did spend weekends and holidays working at yards. The weekday environment - especially the weekday riders - are very different!

With the PTT in mind, can you stand in with the instructor at the riding school on a weekend? See what works well, how they control the ride. You may identify things you like and things you might do differently.

The BHS standard setting days are very useful - get in touch with your local DO and see what is on in your area. They may not appear to be cheap but when you compare the hourly cost to your usual training and consider that they are usually run by assessors they become super value. It may also be worth trying to spend a day or two training intensively at an exam centre.
Click to expand...


Hi, thanks for all the advice, very encouraging! I hadn't even heard of the bhs standard setting days so I shall definitely research more into them. Off to practice my lunging now :)
 
I have just finished my stage 1 and started stage 2 training at runningwell, i am the same as you, working full time and wondering how i will manage the ptt and stage 3! Helpful to read others experiences!
I sat my stage 1 at a different centre and it was absolutely fine, most people there had trained there so were giving me some help on where to go etc.
 
I ride at Rayne and I'm looking at starting my stages, which I'm going to try and take there, so I can give you a few tips.

They have a wide range of horses, not many cobs at all, the few they have tend to go to the larger or beginner riders. They seem to have a lot of part bred Arabs at the moment but generally have quite a mix, a lot of which are Heinz 57 :). They are mostly quite forward going, they do have the odd ploddy one of course but I doubt they'd be used for stage 2.

They also break in their homebred youngsters and use them for the more experienced riders, I don't know if they use them for the exams but it might be worth bearing in mind.

I'd definitely recommend having a few lessons there and getting to know some of the horses, they all have their own quirks. If you want to do work on jumping Jon is your best bet, for flatwork
 
Posted too fast!

For flatwork Carolyn is great. Let them know you're training for your stage 2 as well as they'll give you some tips.

I hope this helps, if you want any more info let me know, I've been riding there for a good few years so I know the centre well.
 
Hedge_pig said:
Posted too fast!

For flatwork Carolyn is great. Let them know you're training for your stage 2 as well as they'll give you some tips.

I hope this helps, if you want any more info let me know, I've been riding there for a good few years so I know the centre well.
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Thank you Hedge_pig for the info, your post was really helpful.

One question - does Rayne have an indoor school? I didn't see a mention of it on their website and am a bit worried what will happen if it pours down on exam day! I guess just grin and bear it?! :D

I aplan to have a couple of lessons there before my exam to get a feel of the place and the horses - probably will have one on the flat and the other jumping.
 
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