Eventers - help please! What level BE does this type of fence tend to appear?

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As a birthday treat I went schooling at Tweseldown on Friday and the course was flagged up for a PC event that ran yesterday. Most of the fences looked sort of Intro height so I basically worked my way round the course but some of them did seem a bit tough for Intro! Looked on the website after and the orange course we were jumping was the PC 3ft-3ft3 course so somewhere between BE90 and 100 I would assume.

One of the fences was a house to a triple brush skinny fence and I just wondered if really I am likely to see that sort of combination of fences or even just triple brushes at BE90/100? We did struggle a bit with it but got over it in the end and it was good practice to make me ride straight!

this is our attempt at the brush:


here is the vid of house to brush:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYOyK7Vq_2U

They also had the open ditch to an angled log which was a bit of a question! Horse isn't normally ditchy but the water was gushing through the ditch and he was not having any of it! I know the ditch is often in the BE90 there but would you normally then have to jump the angled log after? At the moment I'm feeling glad I've only entered the 80cm in April. We flew round Munstead BE90 course last Sep and I was gonna enter the 90cm at Mattingley but now just doubting if we're ready to do 90's or if Munstead gave us false confidence!

Pleasing bit of the day was jumping 2 chairs very nicely (I have a bit of a thing about chairs - really dont like them!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL4kDF0_dRI

We also jumped the double of pheasant feeders ok although I'm not sure I took the best line - I kind of tried to jump both of them straight and ride a curved line between but looking at the ground not sure if I should have come at the first one on an angle and ridden a straight line between them?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc1wIcxCxg8

there are lots more vids on my youtube if anyone wants to watch and give me some constructive criticism. i am aware my jumping position still needs some work - i have adopted rather a safety position from hunting so much but I dont think I am folding enough or giving enough with my hands scrutinising the videos.

this is probably the most amusing vid of the day - me going splat! Totally my fault really - i dont like haycarts much, didn't really ride at it and gave him every opportunity to stop. I do wish he'd just stay stopped though rather than doing a massive spook and spin and drop me on the floor for the 2nd time of the day! (the first time was at an imaginary nothing on the floor and both times he bogged off all the way back to the lorry park and it's a flipping long walk!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3W7WbWbSSo





Managed to fall off again hunting yesterday when horse wasn't looking where he was going and fell up a muddy bank doing a complete nosedive and rocket propelling me out of the saddle onto the ground head first - luckily because his nose was on the floor and his body was still in the water i didn't have far to fall! 3 falls in one weekend is just a bit much for my poor old body!
 
3 falls in one weekend?! I really hope you're okay!!

I'm no expert on eventing and what comes up at what level, but I know Tweseldown pretty well, as it's my local event and I've helped several friends when they've done BE there. I know Munstead too! In fact I was at the hunter trials over the BE90 course last September! I probably saw you there.

Anyway, I'm planning BE90 this year, too, so had a nosey at the first BE90 at Tweseldown, and the PC hunter trials course. Now Tweseldown is always an up to height Intro and I wasn't risking it this early on in the season. Socking big jumps often very early on - you either get over them and go round, or you don't.

But the hunter trials course you mention was definitely bigger. It was a mixture of BE90 and BE100 jumps, other than the ditch (I'll come on to that in a moment!). The brush was BE100 (I think!), and I'm pretty sure so was the double of pheasant feeders you jumped. Certainly neither were on the BE90 course I walked. So well done you!!

The open ditch was on the BE90 course, BUT it was the smaller ditch to the right that was on the course, with about three strides to a different angled jump to the right. This jump was definitely set further away from the ditch than the one on the PC course, and the BE90 definitely did NOT have that yawning chasm of a ditch on the left, which (correct me if I'm wrong!) I'm fairly sure has scared a few horses on Novice courses!

So from my perspective, I'd say you are more than ready for BE90, provided they don't have any haycarts! :)

After walking round the BE90 and the PC course, I'd say the BE course was definitely nicer. One thing I do like about BE - at least there is a degree of consistency about height and type of jump.

I'm still debating whether to enter the BE80 or BE90 equivalent at Tweseldown.

I'll leave any constructive criticism to people far better qualified than me. I'm in the camp of needing constructive criticism - I'm certainly not qualified to be giving it! :rolleyes:
 
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You look great, such a cool little horse. Can't believe you fell off 3 times, you must be really sore. i fell off once & refused to jump again!!
In my experience PC is far stiffer than Intro, much more technical. The way you are jumping those fences you'll have no issue at intro.
 
In my experience tweseldown is always a mean intro! My friend did T1 there last week and said she thought it was well up to height - I have also entered the 80 there in April and also may do the 90 at mattingley as usually slightly less challenging I believe!
 
I would say that the triple brush is a PN fence out here in the East..Ive never seen one at Intro. Ive seen wedge fences but not "up to height".
 
I think you will be fine to go Intro. The skinny triple brush I've seen at PN but not Intro - that said I have seen plenty of skinnies and some double of skinnies on curving lines. I've also seen open ditches at Intro with 2/3 strides to a fence. They are all jumpable and fair. I have seen hay wagons at Intro so perhaps have another practice at this. Jump it just like any other fence. In the vid he only backed off because you took your leg off - when you didn't put it on and say 'go on' he thought sod this it's clearly scary!

Hope your not too sore :(
 
Another Tweseldown local here with much experience of the PN and Intro!

Right, the skinny is a PN fence - I've seen it several times a couple of strides after the log to drop at the end of the course (the one up the hill after the water).

The chair is usually intro (although they have various chairs so that may be a PN one but looks more intro sized).

The double of pheasant feeders is usually on the PN, but quite small for PN so you might meet it on the intro - strangely the intro have a similar double of boxes with hedges on the top which are probably bigger but usually on an easier angle.

The nasty ditch has been on the intro (was in March) but is usually only followed by an angled fence on the PN - often a house or sometimes a coffin on the PN.

The haycart you fell off at has I think been built for the new Pre-intro course - I went on Sunday and led someone round the pairs and my experienced PN horse (although very spooky) received a reminder at that - it was bright!

The intro at Tweseldown is one of the biggest you'll find - especially at the beginning although not hugely technical (most intros aren't). I think that judging from your photos (excl the hayrack!!!) you'd be absolutely fine at Intro.

PS the PC on Sunday meanly made the 2'6 - 2'9 class jump out of both waters. I've never seen that on the intro (and rarely on the PN). Lots of people got eliminated and I thought it was a bit mean given that the rest of the course was little.

Have fun!!
 
I am not local to these courses near you (I am in Scotland!) but I think the fence to skinny comes in about BE100 from the courses I have walked but this is something you can replicate in the school - straight bar to a style grids etc, which helps massively with straightness. I have seen "tatty" box fences with two strides to a corner at BE90 so you could create a corner fence with S-jumps too, something I have done in lessons and makes you really think about lines, where to jump the fence etc.

As for the double of pheasant feeders I would have taken a straight line - walking the line backwards from the second element to the first then turning round to walk it the way you would jump it. I learned this technique from doing course walks at Jump cross training with an instructor and it really helps you work out angled combinations and I would really recommend.

As for the hay cart - you took your legs off and didn’t seem to commit to the fence and you horse sensed that. I have see loads of this type of fence about, as well as chairs. It would be really worth getting over your dislike of these fences by having a XC lesson with a trainer before going intro, definitively worth investing in as they are fences you will see over and over again.
 
Hiya - great to see you're enjoying your new horse and getting well into the jumping again! He's lovely by the way.

To answer your questions, I've seen a skinny triple brush a few times at BE100 but not at BE90. Twice it was on its own, once was in a tricky combo - log, step down, 3 strides to brush (Oasby).

Plenty of open ditches at BE90, often with something before or after them. Not generally on an angle though that I can remember - that seems to be more of a BE100 thing. The ones I've seen at 90 have been nice and straightforward and a log after actually makes it easier to ride I think - something for the rider to look up and focus on after the ditch.
Angled pheasant feeders again is more likely at BE100. You do get them at BE90, but tend to be on much less of an angle. I agree with the poster above though, that they seem to ride better on a straight line rather than turning in between. You made a good job of them though :)

Ouchy ouch re your falls :( but I think you know why he stopped at the haycart - rider not totally committed and he isn't established enough yet to just take over and jump it anyway. I much prefer it when I know it's my fault, at least there's something I can do about it then!

From your vids and what you've been jumping it looks as though you're easily ready for Intro but if you're not sure, there's absolutely no harm in doing an 80 first - then you'll feel uber-confident and have a good run round, hopefully it'll feel easy and make you feel totally ready to do a 90. Echo the others though, Tweseldown is definitely on the tougher side of the Intros. Eridge is too by the way, so that isn't a good one to start at either. Mattingley, whilst still a 'proper' course, I think is much more inviting and as it is nice and gallopy and not twisty it rides really nicely. They've got an unaff ODE coming up soon.

Good luck, you're going to have fun with him this year!
 
Poorlypony said:
PS the PC on Sunday meanly made the 2'6 - 2'9 class jump out of both waters. I've never seen that on the intro (and rarely on the PN). Lots of people got eliminated and I thought it was a bit mean given that the rest of the course was little.
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I agree thought that was quite an ask compared to the rest of the course! Having schooled there a few weeks ago I thought there used to be a little drop in which has been turned into a slope? I had a feeling the bigger step would be in that class so opted for the smaller one, very glad I did!

I think I recognise Monty, he is looking great :D
 
thanks for all the help guys. Monty is great - he did a whole season at pre-novice 6yrs ago but not done much cross country since. He has hunted a lot this winter and jumped all sorts of stuff but he can be pretty spooky on his own. Better when he gets going into a rhythm so cross country schooling with all its stops and starts doesn't really suit him. I totally didn't ride him at that haycart so the stop was entirely my fault. Now i know it's probably gonna be in the 80cm I'm gonna have to get back there in next couple of wks and get over it!
 
The triple brush was in the BE100 as were the phesant feeders, the chair was in the be90 :) not sure about the cart never seen it out at t'down before!! May have to go for a play now i've seen they've got some stuff like that out ;)
 
Star, I,m begining to think your not dedicated enough:D:D. Every year you try this last minute attempt to win the Tumblers cup, you need to be more consistant throughout the season.:D:D.Glad your ok. Its a shame there isnt a slightly earlier photo or two of your approach to the hay wagon. I would guess you were looking down at the gap under the fence, its a bit like looking into a ditch. Not a good idea( but oh so easy to do. ).
 
Looks like you jumped a mixture of BE90 and BE100 fences! I did the PC Hunter Trial with my youngster, and the Orange course was actually labelled as 3ft3, not Intro height, which is why it had some BE100 in there too - because a BE100 course is mainly 1m. I've done PC Opens which have had Intermediate BE fences/CIC* fences in them, so quite often they like to throw in some stiff fences to test you more!

Definitely agree with what people said about the water in the 2ft6-9, I did the pairs with my 4yo baby, and it was her first XC comp, however she was fine. but so many struggled! PC is not to be sniffed at, they can really beef it up where BE don't!!
 
That skinny brush was def in the unaffiliated 90cm class last year, in fact I think it was a double of them. Whether that means it is also in the affiliated BE90 I don't know!
 
Mildred said:
That skinny brush was def in the unaffiliated 90cm class last year, in fact I think it was a double of them. Whether that means it is also in the affiliated BE90 I don't know!
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thanks - thats a scary thought - 2 of them! it is the unaff 90cm class i'm planning on doing there later in the year, but am just doing the 80cm in April as I've never evented before and he hasn't for 6yrs!
 
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