Competition Goals for 2015 & a Blair Horse Trials Question :)

el_Snowflakes

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Hello all,

Having worked on mainly schooling/ lessons with my horse this year I am now looking to make a wee plan of competition goals for next year :)

Never competed at Blair Horse Trials so think this year it might be something to work towards. As well as a couple of showing classes I'm considering in the novice WH (but not decided yet!).....

What are everyones goals for the coming year? (& if anyone has any experience of competing in the novice WH at Blair, and what to expect they would be gratefully received :) )

thanks ;)
 

H_A_C

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I've just done a Goal setting course at work so my main goal is by mid February 2015 I will be scoring mid to high 60% to enable me to qualify for the rc nationals at Novice.

More long term is by July 2015 to have gotten my 3 sheets to qualify for the Area festivals.
 

el_Snowflakes

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I've just done a Goal setting course at work so my main goal is by mid February 2015 I will be scoring mid to high 60% to enable me to qualify for the rc nationals at Novice.

More long term is by July 2015 to have gotten my 3 sheets to qualify for the Area festivals.

Great! Good luck :)

I'm looking forward to planning out my year :)
 

blood_magik

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Blair is good fun - never done WH but I jumped there for the first time this year and it was a really good experience jumping at such a big and busy show.

I have a few goals for next year:
- Improve my position and flatwork.
- qualify for 85cm NAQ seconds rounds with Beau (Lenny already qualified).
- get a double clear at discovery with Lenny.
- stop thinking anything over 1m is 'big'.
- jump a discovery with Beau and eventually a 1.05m open.
- jump a 1.05m open with Lenny.
- jump both horses at Blair.
 
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Blair is always good fun but you do need a horse that can cope with atmosphere -next year especially as it is the Europeans there. I have shown at Blair for years, didn't this year but the year before GrayMo blew his brains a wee bit, still did amazingly well but he hasn't been the same horse since.

Next year I have plently of ponies to get out showing! Plus I want to get GrayMo out as much as possible - even if it means doing dressage ... just to try to settle him again. His first 2 seasons he was great but I won't be taking him back to Blair anytime soon!
 

ann-jen

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My goals for Dee in 2015 are to qualify for the summer regionals at prelim and the area festival at novice. We are on track to qualify for the club show jumping finals and aim to be doing 'proper' BS by the latter half of the year.
My goals for Jenny (now heading towards 21 years young) are to keep her sound and enjoying life, a little hunting at the start of the year and the odd hunter trial through the rest of the year. We still do the odd BS show and she still loves it!
 

Charmin

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My goals for next year:

-Get back on board! Had an op in September on my knee and still have 3 months before I'm allowed back on...
-Show the youngster - he'll be a yearling then. Just a few small shows to get him used to show atmosphere.
-Get to a few BE's and hopefully a 90 by the end of the season on my homebred
-Score under 30 at a BE
 

BroadfordQueen

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I just want to enjoy the 2 lovely horses I am so lucky to own. I get so caught up in achieving goals and being competitive that I tend to lose the enjoyment of it, which is what it should all be about. I just want to have FUN next year, and any successes I may achieve on the way will just be a bonus. :)
 

khalswitz

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Hello all,

Having worked on mainly schooling/ lessons with my horse this year I am now looking to make a wee plan of competition goals for next year :)

Never competed at Blair Horse Trials so think this year it might be something to work towards. As well as a couple of showing classes I'm considering in the novice WH (but not decided yet!).....

What are everyones goals for the coming year? (& if anyone has any experience of competing in the novice WH at Blair, and what to expect they would be gratefully received :) )

thanks ;)

The novice - is that the 80cm class?? This year it was very straightforward-looking (we watched it, my friend was jumping the BHS class), but they use a lot of trees to muddy approaches (and fake sheep!), brush (and I've seen them use full height allowed for brush in previous years and cause carnage), and you often end up jumping into confined areas in the middle of combinations, so worth practicing. Also, if your horse hasn't competed at a buzzy event like Blair before, worth practicing at agricultural shows where there is loads going on, as some horses get very shell shocked.

But totally worth aiming for! And Blair is such a fun show :) We're considering going, will maybe try and qualify for the RC WH class and the ex-racer class, and if we do we may do some BS as well and make the most of it... so may well see you there :) But my priority is getting him going eventing at 80 and hopefully a few 90's, plus getting his qualification at Novice for regionals, and maybe even Elem for Petplans, plus hoping to try and qualify for RC Nationals at Novice dressage and have a good go on the 80 eventing team anyway ;) ... however, as long as we have fun and our work improves, I'm not hugely worried about which of these goals we do achieve! (And won't be all of them!!)
 
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showpony

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Mine are below, big for me but rather small compared to most who will post.

First is to compete and go clear at spring sj league for at least 3 of the weeks in the 70 cms class..

After that would love to qualify for the Equifestival wh show at a qualifier in Feb

And lastly get way more confident hacking my Mare out.

Oh and complete a stressage test where the comments aren't always " you need to ride more from behind into the bridle ""
 

TPO

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All my goals and plans have failed on epic proportions since 2007 so I'm giving up on them!

In an ideal world my TB will come back into work and we can hopefully get out to some RC type things and have a potter about. I'd like to get my 2yr old out to some inhand classes but most of all just enjoy faffing about with him.

Good Luck to everyone and I hope 2015 is a good year for all 2 and 4 legged peeps!
 

LFD

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I jumped at Blair for the first time last year (did the 4 days) and loved it but it was terrifying in the big ring. My lad was super chilled and took it all in his stride fortunately but I would make sure you get out and about and jump on grass plenty before going.

Aims for this year:

1. Move up to BE90/100 with the little lad and try to ride a DR under 35 by the end of the season as it's not our strong point!

2. Keep working slowly towards being my injured boy back to fitness at home and try to get him out to some local DR.

But really to get through 2015 keeping both boys happy, well and sound :)
 

Blythe Spirit

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Perhaps committing it to paper will make me do it but fate and luck willing aims for 2015 are...
1. compete at Novice level Dressage inc qualifying for autumn Cricklands at that level
2. School established elementary with first elementary in autumn of 2015
3. do a tiny hunter trial in the autumn - like 50cm as xc terrifies me
4. do some small combined training classes
5. try to jump 70/80 cm rather than 50/65
6. do a sponsored ride
 

vallin

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Based on recent events:
- Don't forget the dressage tests
- Don't forget the show jumping course!

Proper aims are:
- Compete at BE90
- Get her hacking out on her own
- Do and pass my LGV!

Oh, and loose the 2 stone I've put on since I started teaching :eek:
 

comet!

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I think my plan, at the moment, is to spend until May time just competing DTM. I might go out and do a few u/a eels for ring practise.

After that I'd like to get my three (or maybe six) ele sheets for an Area Festival. This year hasn't been great and I've had an even more loss of confidence, but I'd love to be good enough by the summer to come home with an AF frilly.

After that the aim will be to qualify for the ele music regionals 😊.
 
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Hemirjtm

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I don't normally make goals as over the past few years nothing has gone to plan! But here goes :

I'd like to qualify my 4yr old for the 4yr old amateur champs in Saumur (France) in 2015...That's if the judges like him!! If he doesn't qualify I'll be concentrating on training, training and more training!!
 
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