Eventing levels - being ready

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MagicMelon

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Im sure it's obvious which thread this is following on from. However, Im not mentioning any names and this isn't directed straight at the accident.

Do you think there should be more restrictions on what level you can event at? Should it be harder to qualify for the next level so you've proven you are established and ready? For BE, Im unsure about exactly what gets you to the next level - I compete at Novice and know you need a certain number of XC clears before being allowed to move up. Does this not apply all the way up?

How do you move up levels in other countries?
 
Sj is the main criteria that BE has - if you get round the SJ then you can go xc. The SJ tends to bigger than anything you find on xc anyway.

None of the people being killed are mere novices/less experienced amateurs many of them are on very experienced horses as well which makes me think its speed and getting it wrong. On a baby horse you do not go so fast or try to be as competitive.
 
no i dont think restrictions need to be tighter...most riders who are competing at a higher level have a good trainer and more experience to make the right choice about where they and the horse are and if they are ready and capable!
 
I think the restrictions should be tighter. I think there should be some rule that if a rider is eliminated in more than a certain number of events in a season they should have to drop down a level until they get 5 consecutive xc clears again or something like that.
 
As i said in the previous post about making the sport safer i absolutely agree that horses and riders should really have to prove themselves more before being allowed to move up through the grades.

its all very easy to keep pushing and pushing horses (and riders) onwards and upwards and eventually im sure some end up paying the price. ambition is one of the main reasons for this (and without it we wouldnt have a competitive spirit) but we do need rules to allow it not get too out of hand. Money is also another, the higher level a horse is (especially younger ones) the more you can sell it for top money - im certain this is one of the major reasons why a lot of youngsters are pushed so hard. so what if a rule change means a young horse will have to do a few more pn events before they can move up, it will in most cases do more good than harm.

there was a comment in horse and hound the other week by matthew wright saying he wanted 4 year old to be able to go novice - i dont think i've ever read anything so ridiculous in all my life.
 
i agree with spiral, there should be a system in place to stop those who aren't riding well from persisting at a level at which they aren't safe. for moving up, i think the qualifications are about right, for a good rider. luckily most people are sane enough not to want to step up until things are going well anyway.
 
well, im a junior and in our area we have to do 2 intro clear xc and less than 16 sj faults...then 3 pn's with clear xc.

if the restrictions were tighter it wold take a whole season just to get up to novice so i think the restrictions on juniors should not be tightened
 
i don't think the it should be tighter. i event myself at novice level and wish to eventually progress to advanced on my current horse. most people don't want to compete at a higher level than their capabilities for fear of looking out of their depth, plus they don't do well at levels beond their capabilities. I have never come across anyone who looks completely incompetant and benieth the standard of the class so much that it's a danger. I think that people have to come to terms with the fact that eventing is a dangerous diciplin and that the accidents that occur aren't often due to rider incompetence. we riders are aware of the risks we are running in this sport and unfortunatly falls are inevitable and there is no way to prevent them.
 
I think the restrictions are about right, for those wanting to do more without regulations there are a lot of places you can do tougher courses at higher levels by going un-aff. One of our horses has on it's BE record only done Intros, yet it's done many Intermediate fences and complete Novice courses in un-aff ODE's and HT.
I tend to stand and watch a lot of the competitors going round at events, and most seem pretty capable to be honest, the ones who come croppers are either going way too fast or on horses who don't enjoy their jumping and so make mistakes.
At least at Intro level a mistake can be easily got out of, over the bigger courses like Intermediate a mistake often results in a fall.
What has surprised me this season has been the poor show jumping of a lot of people, it wasn't unusual to see people having five or more fences down.
 
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What has surprised me this season has been the poor show jumping of a lot of people, it wasn't unusual to see people having five or more fences down.

[/ QUOTE ]

Least with ODE's SJing is first, so if a horse really isnt enjoying its jumping, more than 5 fences means CR.
 
No, they can have 6 down then one more you are CR. Dont think it means the horse is not happy just coz he has fences down. My sister took my advanced horse round an intro (HC) and he had 6 down just because he couldnt be bothered!! I was mortified!
 
I know alot of tappy horses as well - they tend to be the brave ones! I also know an awful lot who are just not up to the game. I would not put my kids out on a horse that was not a careful enough jumper. There are just too many horses going out eventing who are not tallented enough to do the job safely. I've seen horses at 1 & 2 star level thump their way round (usually a professional jockey riding an owners horse) and I've though I'm glad I'm not on that
Toots
 
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