Entering competitions before a horse is technically “ready”

The grassroots is aimed at baby combinations and those with limited experience, but until you can keep the canter circles I think it this time it might be a bit soon.

There is lots on this summer that you could do with her, I personally would leave it a while yet till she is that bit stronger.
 
I think there's a difference between entering competitions before they're technically ready and entering before they are ready to be competitive.

I entered a few ODEs last year with my 5 yo. but wasn't expecting to be placed at all. Showjumping she had the tendency to get tight and tense and have poles down left right and centre, dressage she fell dramatically behind the leg in the ring and would get very fussy, and XC she had many baby moments. But at home she could do these things, she was prepared for them and was competing at a lower height than at home.

You need to give young horses a fighting chance to succeed IMO, asking her to do a test that requires a movement she can't do seems a little unfair to me. By all means get her out and about, intro walk-trot tests, but work on the canter and everything else will fall together.
 
I haven't had time to read all the replies... I would do everything individually first. Eventing is very demanding on the horse. I would start with a simple dressage test, then some clear rounds? I'd do some XC clinics/sponsored/farm rides. Our hunts do hound exercises in August, which are a brilliant form of education for a young horse. We also have a local forest with logs down and gallops, which I like to take youngsters to. I wouldn't attempt a ODE until the horse is mentally and physically ready. For example, my mare is training over BE100 fences, SJing at 90cm and getting mid 60% at prelim and she's doing her first ODE at 75cm at the weekend... It's taken a year to get to this point, she's 7...
 
I am doing sj on Monday at 30, 40 and 50cm maybe all 3 classes maybe not. Starting v low indeed! Dressage on 13th may and Hunter trial on 18th may. She is a very calm horse so not too worried about her mentally but will see how she copes physically. Last nights group sj session saw huge improvments in balance and impulsion.
I mix up her exercise so never does same things twice in a row and time mooching after harder day. She has been with me for only 8 weeks but coming on v nicely.
 
Sounds like you should probably give this one a miss. If you were going to Keysoe I assume MKEC isn't too far from you. Perhaps you could work towards the mini One day event at Milton Keynes EC on July 5 (there is also one this Monday I think). Classes at 50cm and 70cm or you can just go along and do clear round SJ or clear round XC.

Cross country is not on the main course though. I done the 70cm last year and found it very friendly and encouraging.
 
I haven't read all the replies so sorry if I'm just repeating what's already been said!

I've always entered comps even when my horse had only been with us for 4 weeks but everyone is different.

My horse isn't what some would call 'ready' to be doing mediums unaff yet but he can cope with the movements and I've entered into one in a few weeks - his score won't be what i class as 'good' (probably 60-65%) but as I don't have a real sized or shaped arena I find it almost good practice to go out unaff and try.

Eventing, that's a different kettle of fish (one i do not touch either!) but I would say get your horse and yourseld 110% confident before you go and try one. Lots of schooling especially in the XC. SJ I'm sure there are lots of small unaff clear rounds to go (where ever you're based google it!)

There's no harm in trying and having a go DR & SJ, as has been said though maybe don't expect to be competitive until you are training at or above that level.
 
I wouldn't do all three classes on a green horse. Two max depending on how the horse seems over the practice fences. They need to enjoy it not be exhausted and not want to do again
 
agree with the above comment. if the horse did a good first round i'd leave it at that. keep it short, enjoyable and keep the horse confident. if the first round is bad, id go again, but i definitely wouldn't go 3 times. as the other poster said you have to keep it simple and enjoyable for them, not just drill them round a course 3 times to get miles on them. and as the size goes up shes more likely to knock or go worse by the third round.
 
Well she got kicked in the field while I was away at the weekend and kind person looking after her asked the vets opinion - since she at the yard anyway. Horsey was sedated, wounds, deep but small. flushed and miles of bandages applied! I came home early from my weekend away and met vet, saw wounds. One on the cannon bone and one on knee. So she has been on box rest since then. Obviously no jumping on BH Monday and none this weekend coming. Camp next Wednesday starting with a walk trot test at the venue. Then we can see how it all goes. Thanks for your comments.
 
ropa said:
I wouldn't do all three classes on a green horse. Two max depending on how the horse seems over the practice fences. They need to enjoy it not be exhausted and not want to do again
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Did you notice the size of the fences (30cm, 40cm & 50cm)? Hardly a taxing day out for any horse.
 
its not the size really. its the turns, the balance, the concentration etc needed. its a young horse. i'd keep the experience short and easy for it. why bring it round three times if it does it right the first time? i can't see the benefit. i'd rather a young horse goes in, might be nervous or unsure and has a nice short easy experience and leaves happy and confident. i'd prefer that then repeating the same course 3 times and having the horse mentally and physically tired and bored.
 
The three classes were going to be different courses: cross poles only, uprights only, proper course with all the bells and whistles - so no not just boring us to death! Thats why I wanted to do that show first.
 
PaddyMonty said:
Because each time it will get a little more confident. For a horse to be tired after 3 rounds at those heights it would have to be very unfit indeed. JMHO.
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yeah but in the original post the OP said the horse is unable to canter circles and doesn't jump properly/is gangly jumping?

if it was my horse i'd be more patient and put the time in at home, till the horse could canter circles in balance and also had some kind of jumping technique. I don't see the point in making a horse who can't jump a course properly go round a few times with increasing difficulty each time. sounds like a sure fire way to knock a horses confidence.

I know no harm will come to the horse and its a day out, but productively the day would be better spend schooling round a course with an instructor at different clinics etc, so you are getting the horse used to new venues, new courses, new challenges with someone on the ground to give advice. That way if an issue comes up with fillers etc you have the time to school and educate the horse properly, that's not possible at shows. thats just personally what i'd do, but i always prefer bringing horses on slowly.
 
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paddi22 said:
but productively the day would be better spend schooling round a course with an instructor at different clinics etc, so you are getting the horse used to new venues, new courses, new challenges with someone on the ground to give advice. That way if an issue comes up with fillers etc you have the time to school and educate the horse properly, that's not possible at shows. thats just personally what i'd do, but i always prefer bringing horses on slowly.
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Thats an entirely different statement and one that I agree completely with (except you dont get fillers at 50cm).
Agree on bring horses on slowly and having flatwork established (thats how I became a stressage rider) but on the other hand I tend not to jump any horse over less than 70cm. If you want a horse to learn to jump give it something to jump over, not across.
 
Sometimes it's only when you go out and put yourself under pressure that you know what you need to work on......
 
PaddyMonty said:
but on the other hand I tend not to jump any horse over less than 70cm.
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oh that's interesting, a trainer said that to me last month at a clinic that that's his theory as well, he also says he never jumps cross poles also. i've a very green horse that hugely cat leaps jumps at the moment, would i be better off following that advice and keeping it at 70's minimum? I'd babied him to get him relaxed over smaller fences, but if theres a solid theoretical basis to keeping it 70s min i'd try that - im always open to new approaches!
 
Yes defo. My youngster cat leaps smaller fences but much better the bigger they are - he's actually best at 90cm+ as really bascules rather than being a cocky so and so!
 
Umm very interesting the way this is going. I had not thought that a fence would be too small - obvioulsy I am pretty green too! I was concentrating on getting her used to all sort of fences, filler, water tray etc (you can get tiny fillers btw!) with the idea that she is not worried by anything and so never thinks about stopping. We have jumped a single 70cm fence and it took her rather by surprise the first time but a lot better the second time. I will discuss with my instructor. My comment about maintaining a canter circle was more that its not a perfect canter, with a consistent contact. Maybe I should have used the work "competitive" not "ready" in my title. I do have regulsr lessons - both flatwork and will have jumping ones once we get in a routine
 
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