Choosing Events

LEC

Opinions are like bum holes, everyone has one.
Joined
22 July 2005
Messages
10,860
www.youtube.com
If you have a lot of choice in upcoming ODEs - what makes you choose one event over another?

What can events do to attract your £££s?
 

Squiggles on Paper

Well-Known Member
Joined
16 March 2012
Messages
512
Visit site
not for ODE's but same theory.


  • How far it is from the yard (so time travelling and cost of fuel)
    Entry fee
    Best surfaces/jumps
    Up to height/Spooky jumps (depending if I want a confidence building round or something more challenging)
    Time it starts/when my class is on

hope that helps :)
 

LEC

Opinions are like bum holes, everyone has one.
Joined
22 July 2005
Messages
10,860
www.youtube.com
Does start fee? Distance? Ground? Friendliness? Courses? Anything else have an impact on choosing where you go?
 

Jane_Lou

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 April 2008
Messages
4,154
Location
Beds/Bucks border
Visit site
How its gone in the past can have an impact! You can have a lovely friendly event with the best ground but it has never been lucky for you, we have one event just like that locally! There is nothing wrong at all and it ticks all the boxes, its just not a happy hunting ground! I realise you can't put a value on that but it does influence our plans as we do try to avoid it.
 

ConnieX

Well-Known Member
Joined
1 April 2013
Messages
81
Visit site
For unaff it would mainly be down to quality of course and cost. I only do unaff round BE courses as can be more confident of well built course, even if this is more expensive than some PC courses/local unaff events. would balance distance to travel against entry fee when it comes to cost.. Would pay a little more for local event as lower travel cost.

However.. With current ground I would happily pay the extra cost of day tickets to go BE. It doesn't guarantee good ground but having been to unaff and BE at same venues would say you've got a better chance of good ground BE

At the end of the day you get what you pay for and would prefer fewer runs round better courses where I know they are safe, well maintained and a fair test at the level
 

gunnergundog

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 August 2010
Messages
3,293
Visit site
Haven;t evented for 15 years plus but ground used to be the prime driver; would go up to Cumbria and Scotland at this time of year in order to achieve better going. Would go to events I'd never been to before, so friendliness or not was not a prime driver. However, at that time, there was a large group of us who made the trek north so we created our own 'friendliness'!:D
 

Javabb94

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 November 2010
Messages
2,611
Location
Up north
Visit site
Bearing in mind there are practically no unaff ODE's near me at all if I want to event BE is only option so I pay whatever the fee is regardless unfortunately even if it is expensive!

For me it would be how close to home, facilities at venue, entry fee, surfaces etc and whether its friendly :)
 

Horsemad12

Well-Known Member
Joined
19 May 2008
Messages
1,288
Visit site
For BE I would go for:

XC course
Ground
Feel and venue
Distance

I have travelled further this year 80miles + to get a better XC course / ground. Unfortunatley a few of the local ones are all by the same designer and I am not a fan of his courses.

For SJ:

Surface / warm up size
Friendly

I have just discovered a venue that is 10 miles further on than others but sooooooo nice and relaxed that I would travel further to go there again.
 

Mrs Pink

Well-Known Member
Joined
28 May 2010
Messages
463
Location
Lancs
Visit site
I've just had this decision with Malpas & Eden Valley as they were both on the same weekend and I have to admit to being swayed mainly by cost and went to Malpas, I've done both before so knew what to expect in terms of going/courses etc.

I was travelling on my own as sister was going on the Sun so no one to share fuel and Malpas had a cheaper start fee in £10 :) as opposed to £15 at Eden and the entries worked out about £10-£15 cheaper as at Malpas they were set to the lower scale. Nothing much in distance really apart from Eden is all Motorway so tends to be more expensive on fuel normally around the £80/£85 and the fuel for Malpas cost me £73 so I saved about £20/£25

The going at Malpas was good, not as hard as I expected and probably better terrain than Eden so I was pleased I made the right decision as it was a lovely event.
 

BeckyD

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 September 2004
Messages
4,213
Location
Milton Keynes
Visit site
For me top of the list is ground, closely followed by the type of course (i.e. after our hiccoughs at white fences I am going to stick to courses with more rustic fences until I can get schoooling over more white ones).

I'm actually not that worried how friendly it is or otherwise :eek: I tend to keep in my own little bubble and don't interact much with others so wouldn't really know whether they were friendly or unfriendly.

Cost is considered but isn't a major issue & I would happily travel for the right course/ground :D 2 hours is my general limit but I'm lucky to be next to the M1 and can get a fair way in 2 hours.
 

eventing_2012

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 May 2012
Messages
235
Visit site
I tend to look at distance to start with and compare what is on at the same time. I will travel further for a more atmospheric event, my horse thrives at events with lots going on. There is an event very local to me which I find is too comfortable for us we know the venue too well and it never brings us the best results. I also try and go to new venues we have'nt been to before, it sounds odd but I seem to ride a hell of a lot better when not on common ground.

Entry fees dont really have an impact on where I choose as entry fees for BE don't vary a great deal at intermediate level. Although I have been swayed by start fees, I was going to stay with a friend in glouchestershire and do an event there in June but was not willing to pay a £25 start fee.

:)
 

dafthoss

Well-Known Member
Joined
15 October 2010
Messages
4,808
Visit site
The course and the ground are our biggest factors, being unaff there is a wide variety of standards in courses. Price is a factor but if the ground is good and the course will be fair then I'm happy to pay a bit more. Recently didn't do an event at one venue being run by them as not only was the entry more expensive than the pc one being run over the same course a few weeks later there was a start fee on top. Distance wise we are very lucky to have lots of venues within an hours drive so don't often need to go further afield.
 
D

Deleted member 104317

Guest
In this weather, the ground is an important factor for me. Um, generally if they have the classes I want, if the fences are up to height, lower entry fees and how close they are.
I tend to watch videos on YouTube of the places I want to pick between and decide from that if I like them or not :)
 
Top