First novice, but the ground!! And a ditch Q

[Skhosu]

Ok, so walked the course and they have put sand down, but it is quite hard, still debating whether to run or not, will sand do enough?
Apparently its been aerovated too...
So there's 2 fences i'm a bit unsure about. One is a wide ditch in front of a brush, a bit like jumping up a bank, just ride on at this?
And a 'bridge' into water, you canter along a bridge and off the end into water, anything I should be thinking about? It's a good 5ft drop I think!
Apart from that, all grand but not sure I will run because the ground is soooo bad!

 

[MagicMelon]

I would ride on at the ditch / brush. I try to ride it as if its a sloping brush, like a steeplechase fence. And DONT look down into the ditch! Usually most horses seem to jump these ok.

As for the bridge into water, well I would just come at in a strong trot or bouncy canter (nothing very fast). At least if its a bridge, he's only really got one place to go! Just think sit up and look up.

Ground-wise cant help you there. Its really up to you. Im eventing this wkend too but on Sunday which is meant to have some rain which would be welcome!

 

[Skhosu]

ohh, lucky. we have rain on sunday too! Thanks for the advice, that's kind of what I thought, scary moving up though!

 

[henryhorn]

Arghhhh we were thinking of moving Chocolate up to Novice later this season, your description of a five foot drop off a bridge has me wondering, that sounds more like Badminton!!
Running on this ground depends I think on the sort of legs your horse has. Any sign previously of bother after hard ground and I wouldnt. If however you've hard hunted and galloped on bad ground there may be no problem. Horses are designed to operate on all types of terrain after all, and places like the USA must have rock hard ground all summer yet the wild horses cope ok, and I bet they gallop at times.
We wouldn't for instance run Jonty who after that tendon will always be nursed..
We would however have run Bert our late stallion who had legs like rocks and never got any problems on hard ground.
I haven't seen a bridge in an event in years, when my friend started eventing years ago we were shocked to arrive at a Northern event to see a curved bridge big enough for people to walk over as part of the course. She was even more shocked when approaching it at speed on her round she found four people standing on it waiting for her to go underneath it! The fence judge was blowing her whistle like fury but they had no idea it was a jump! Luckily they ran for their lives and she flew over it, the same horse later came 2nd at Windsor Two Day so he was a bold boy anyway..!
Where are you going? I'd love to see the course pics.