Event training - how close is too close

[Roxylola]

So, after all my deliberation, my owner is super keen for us to run at Somerford despite my concerns about time - she's not bothered if we get time just loves that he's out and doing.
Now he is in fairness pretty fit and has started to find his fourth gear so that's good.
However I feel dreadfully under prepared. We have had a couple of ok sj sessions, had a xc clinic on Sunday which was messy but OK and tbh if I just let him canter round nicely he'll happily lob round an 80 but it would be good to do it well - or at least better than the last.
Training is tricky as I don't tow and work full time, so we are stuck with weekends or my getting holidays. Weekends means my owners kids come too in most cases, now it's fine they're great kids and super well behaved, but they dont live for horses like I used to, so they have an hour or more car journey, an hour kicking round a bit bored, an hour plus back. The good news is horses are now out so we don't then have a load of jobs to do, but my owner is rightly concerned that they'll get fed up if this is their every weekend.

I really fancied going round eland before somerford, its a testing course for him, if he can jump a few of their 90s and give the 80 a fair shot I'd be really confident. It's a 2 hour drive so the plan was for me to book a day off. The soonest I can get time off is the week before somerford (Monday 17th). I think that's too close, if it goes badly there's no time to get anything else in, if the ground is hard I risk leaving him sore etc.

So kelsall have their 90 course open for a couple of weeks, its nearer to us so would be ok for a weekend, hes done the 80 there and had a nice time. I wouldn't jump every fence, I'd look for the straightforward ones - he thought he was incredibly brave and talented jumping the 80 hedge, I probably wouldn't do the 90 unless he felt amazing on the day. I feel although its a 90 this would be a safer "confidence builder" than eland.

Congrats if you made it this far, gin and cake available to anyone who can offer any input

 

[RachelFerd]

A week before isn't an issue. A couple of days before isn't an issue. And if doing training a few days before competing (at 80/90/100 level) was something the horse couldn't cope with, I'd probably think that horse isn't fit enough/sound enough to event anyway.

 

[Squeak]

Agreed, I wouldn't be too worried by doing it the monday before however I would want to know that if the schooling was a disaster that I could go somewhere another evening - Unless it was related to a specific fence that you wont get at the event or you know that the horse is experienced enough to be able to pull it out the bag on the day and put a bad session behind it.

I would be a bit concerned about the ground on legs if it's the same as we have here but I'm very paranoid about it.

 

[LEC]

Before Larkhill I went XC schooling on the Friday and went to Larkhill on the Sunday. That is not my preference in case something needs solving but I had no choice and the horse had enough education, I also played it safe schooling.

The young horse is going for a final xc school tomorrow and is competing on Sunday. With green horses I like them to go quite close but don't tend to ask questions which they cannot answer. Its more a refresh and be confident session.

If I am dealing with an issue (water for instance) then they will go a lot. Every other day before a competition has been done. But the sessions are around the problem so not exhausting for the horse and they are building solid foundations sessions and confidence because I cannot go to a competition with any doubts in my mind that the horse would not be able to answer a question at that level.

 

[Roxylola]

Thanks guys, I reckon we will school over the 90 at kelsall then if we can, maybe try and get for a clear round or arena eventing around 15th, then a good round at eland 18th concentrating on the 80 fences should set us up nicely I hope

 

[Michen]

I think if you have a major issue then room for one more session probably isn’t enough anyway?

Don’t know what the ground is like near you but having heard eland was extremely hard, I’d wait a week and check the long range forecast anyway. My horses will be trekking up north in 10 days but they will be spending their holiday walking if it’s anything like it is here, it’s absolutely rock solid.

 

[Roxylola]

I think if you have a major issue then room for one more session probably isn’t enough anyway?

Don’t know what the ground is like near you but having heard eland was extremely hard, I’d wait a week and check the long range forecast anyway. My horses will be trekking up north in 10 days but they will be spending their holiday walking if it’s anything like it is here, it’s absolutely rock solid.

No major issues, just that we've not been going doing things due to lockdown, I'd like a bit more under our belt first.
We've had little to no rain for a couple of weeks. I'm confident the ground at kelsall will be fine, they prep it really well. So that would be around 8th of May, then eland 18th of May so there is chance of rain before then. Also having the day off midweek allows that I could book an arena hire or something instead if we have no rain before then.
Incidentally for you somerford farm ride is almost all on a surface so you should be fine on there if you go

Edit to add, last time I went to eland the take off and landings are surfaced so I'd possibly still school round if I needed to and just walk between fences

 

[Michen]

No major issues, just that we've not been going doing things due to lockdown, I'd like a bit more under our belt first.
We've had little to no rain for a couple of weeks. I'm confident the ground at kelsall will be fine, they prep it really well. So that would be around 8th of May, then eland 18th of May so there is chance of rain before then. Also having the day off midweek allows that I could book an arena hire or something instead if we have no rain before then.
Incidentally for you somerford farm ride is almost all on a surface so you should be fine on there if you go

Ah no sorry I meant if you go once before event and have a major issue, then another session wouldn’t be enough anyway. So might as well go for it?

I’m not making much sense!

Yes so I hear thankfully

Honestly I think with this amount of dryness no amount of ground prep other than a lot of watering can make it anything other than “firm”, so depends what your limits are. I’ve noticed lots of people shelving their horses until it rains.