First BE run, advice please, am i asking too much?

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digger2

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What should I do. I know its 3 and half months off but….

Am I asking too much to think we will be ready for a BE80(T) at Stafford mid March:-
with out having competed a XC,
but with schooling and training,

or should I be considering waiting until we’ve happily competed some unaffiliated, bearing in mind most of the unaffiliated I entered this summer was cancelled anyway, and it would put me probably into end of April/mid may before I’d have chance to get a couple under the belt.

Next possible would be Kelsall intro/90 with a possible training camp at Kelsall beforehand just would be nice to use the BE80(T)’s for their intended use.

What would you do.

This is a very willing youngster who hasn’t really shown any problems, but I don’t want to over face him.

Thanks for any good advice
 
Providing you can school confdently over the full range of XC fences I would have no problem going straight to a BE80. My youngster did an Intro this year after only 2 xc schooling sessions ad was Fine.

Good luck and go for it.
 
Provided you can get out and do some xc schooling beforehand so he has seen ditches water etc, I would think you would be fine to aim at the March event. It will probably be better built and presented than an unaff. would be, therefore more inviting for your young horse. The only downside is that he may well make green mistakes and have silly runouts/refusals early on which is only to be expected while he's learning, but is more annoying if you've paid a fortune for a BE entry as opposed to a cheaper unaff. run. You pays your money and takes your choice! Personally I would go straight out BE but others on here will no douibt see it differently
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Good luck, anyway!
 
If your worried about overfacing your youngster, you might be better off BE than unaffiliated IME.

Intro & the training classes, (sorry BE 80& 90) have strict guidelines on the size & type of jumps & combinations, they are supposed to be inviting and not designed to catch you out.

However one of our local RC's loves to test us and at a recent ode, competing intermedite - 2'9", We were expected to jump a brush, which was at least 3'3", Ride down a very steep bank/hill to a large ditch at the bottom, then back up. Far more like a PN ditch imo. and finally an up & over drop into the water followed by an ENOROMOUS bank out of fairly deep water, I am talking 3' anyway. One horse got it's front legs up and tipped over backwards into the water
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I would prefer to run more BE intro's than our local rc intermediate, if it wasn't so flippin expensive.

We got E'd that day - at the water, and yet managed to complete intro's at Aswanley & Burgie the following month, both those rode lovely and straightforward, with just enough challenges.
 
The BE T at Stafford was lovely last year, and nice and straight forward. Think you will be fine, the XC certainly wasnt big, and at 80cm you can effectively school over any possible probs anyway
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Sorry to OP but can I hijack the post a little. I will also compete my first ODE next year. It is intro level which is the lowest we have over here. I really don't care where I finish so don't care about my dressage score. I am truly doing it for the pleasure and the experience.

Would you advise me to compete in a couple of dressage tests first anyway to prepare the horse - she will be 6 - or can I concentrate on X-country schooling? I assume you can't actually get eliminated in dressage or can you....?
 
Do practice the dressage and do some tests. Yes you can get eliminated in the dressage if you go wrong too often or the horse naps and does'nt continue the test for a period of time also for wearing the wrong tack.

Just as a minimum get yourself used to riding a test in an arena and don't forget any work you put into your dressage will help with jumping anyway!
 
Stafford is nice for babies though there were a few issues at the sunken road in the summer. Kelsall tends to be quite big but generally responds well to positive riding.
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My youngsters do their first competitive XC at a BE event, having been XC schooling a couple of times generally. They have always done at least one dressage competition and been SJ a handful of times before going BE though.
 
Echo all the comments about unaffiliated, here they are either starter 2' classes or silly stupid intermediate/opens with unusual questions.

He's competing dressage (3rd prelim 10 last time) and sj and he's seen ditches and water happily jumping logs and narrow stuff/stiles at home

Right early new years resolution **shouts to self** Stafford here we come.

**whispers* anyone else going?
 
May be at Stafford, all depends tbh! Oasby is the same weekend and closer, so may end up there instead...if I can find the money to reregister!!!
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