Following on from rider 'levels', rate your riding

rhino

rhino

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With lots of disagreements about what constitutes a 'beginner' or a 'novice' on the last thread, I found this interesting

http://special.equisearch.com/downloads/articles/PHMar08WoffordQualified.pdf

A 'rider rating' chart designed by the US olympic medal winning eventer, trainer and retired president of the AHSA/vice president USET.

I'm not sure all of it can be directly transferred over here, but I find it quite thought provoking :)

So, how would you rate yourself? Me? A 6 I think, edging towards a 7, but my lack of formal riding instruction is holding me back from progressing.. Both through the 'chart' and in my riding I feel.
 
God, about about 5-6 by that chart. But it's heavily skewed towards competition and results rather than other things. I am good at backing and breaking and have never claimed to be a stylish competitive rider. I like babies and you'll never realistically expect to win Olympic medals on a 4yo so I don't feel too hard done by with my low score!
 
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jesstickle said:
God, about about 5-6 by that chart. But it's heavily skewed towards competition and results rather than other things. I am good at backing and breaking and have never claimed to be a stylish competitive rider. I like babies and you'll never realistically expect to win Olympic medals on a 4yo so I don't feel too hard done by with my low score!
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Yes, it's very competitive eventing skewed :D Not surprising considering the author!
 
I'm a definite 7 but no more. I have a superb instructor when I had Hadleigh to thank for that. She completely changed the way I had ridden for twenty odd years. Then I got Whisk who is a German trained Hano dressage horse. He and a different trainer honed some of the skills I now have. Need a lot more but I now understand the diefference between looking OK and actually being good.
 
I'd say 4-5 (can't drive a trailer) but if asked by anyone I would say I was a novice. I would hope that my animal husbandry is better than my riding skills.
 
rhino said:
Yes, it's very competitive eventing skewed :D Not surprising considering the author!
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Which is fair enough. And actually, I suppose I am glad I even make it half way up the scale considering that 8,9 and 10 would be reserved almost exclusively for the pros :)

I'd be a 7 only I couldn't possibly expect to be placed at * and ** events. I can do the rest at home, but my competition record lets me down!
 
jesstickle said:
God, about about 5-6 by that chart. But it's heavily skewed towards competition and results rather than other things. I am good at backing and breaking and have never claimed to be a stylish competitive rider. I like babies and you'll never realistically expect to win Olympic medals on a 4yo so I don't feel too hard done by with my low score!
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yea, I'm about a 4, but nearer 7 on dressage. But then I ride a young midget horse - I don't expect he'll ever maintain a good rhythm over a 3'6" coures :cool:

It doesn't really make sense to me, tbh -

Jumps safely without stirrups overlow fences
• Cantering 8-10 fences at an even rhythm is still a challenge
• Does not yet recognize distances
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Really? Is that how they do things in the states? I was taught to recognise distances, jump w/o stirrups, bareback, "recognise 3 strides out" etc long before I was expected to jump courses :confused:

Some of it just seems out of whack with reality to me...
 
JFTD said:
yea, I'm about a 4, but nearer 6 on dressage. But then I ride a young midget horse - I don't expect he'll ever maintain a good rhythm over a 3'6" coures :cool:

It doesn't really make sense to me, tbh -



Really? Is that how they do things in the states? I was taught to recognise distances, jump w/o stirrups, bareback, "recognise 3 strides out" etc long before I was expected to jump courses :confused:

Some of it just seems out of whack with reality to me...
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Things are done very differently! Like I said, it's far from perfect, but with people wanting a 'quantifiable' way of rating riders it's the best I could find! :D :D And I cannot, and never have been able to 'see a stride' ;) :o :rolleyes:
 
jesstickle said:
I liked 'can adminster IM and IV drugs'. Not in this country you blooming can't! :eek:

I can do IM but obviously I'm not allowed, never mind capable, of doing IV!
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I'm capable but it's definitely not legal, and I'm not great with veins so I may pass out :D

I like how that is the same level as knowing dentisty requirements and feeding regimes :eek: MADNESS!
 
I think it's basically a good way of putting a number to your riding. It's just a shame it doesn't have a 'effectiveness on a horse' column or something. Where it says what your riding is actually doing to the horse under you. Any fool can jump 4' on a schoolmaster. Not any old idiot can bring on their own 2yo to do the same job. Given that the article is about safety in eventing it isn't really relevant but if we could just add that column I think it would be quite good really :)
 
rhino said:
Things are done very differently! Like I said, it's far from perfect, but with people wanting a 'quantifiable' way of rating riders it's the best I could find! :D :D And I cannot, and never have been able to 'see a stride' ;) :o :rolleyes:
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I can see a stride. Doesn't mean I can hit it for the life of me :D:D:D

I think (stable management aside) it's probably good for rating competitive riders / people aiming to event, which is, of course, it's purpose :p

Just not really applicable to rest of us...

I didn't see a level for "capable of taking a knobber-pony's back teeth out repeatedly until it remembers its manners" either :cool:


yea, Jess, that would work :)
 
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Interesting chart Rhino, on that id put myself between a 6/7.
Did make some of the higher points but not consistently, and grand prix .....mabe not :p. I also think that we go up and down gears n our riding skills, and if not used these skills can become rusty.
Tbh i think nothing is better for any rider than riding a variety of different horses in different situations from just backed, to Sylvias horse giving Spanish walk as an evasion :D, and theres nothing on the chart that shows that.
I also believe someone with kind hands, feel, and patience is a gift in the horse world, yet No real aknowledgement of it in the chart
 
I'm about a six on dressage, but jumping scares the life out of me so I'm only a two on SJ ad XC on a good day! I didn't like the horsemanship bit so won't comment on that.

I think anything with horses is more about comparing yourself at different stages of learning, than comparing yourself to others.
 
I'd say a 7 but can do about half those on 8, but its a bit confusing really. I've ridden someone else's psg schoolmaster & I have to say achieving 60% on him takes less skill than say schooling a horse yourself up to achieving 60% in a novice. Likewise being capable of jumping a large course well on a talented horse is easier than training an average horse to jump a 3' course well. According to chart I'd not be far off badminton, whereas I've never competed above 1*. Good basics doesn't seem much of a priority.
 
By that I'm a 6 for Dressage and cross country and horsemanship (though I've never driven a loaded trailer as I'm only 18) and 7 for SJ as that's what I enjoy doing most and rarely go XCing though thats very enjoyable too :)

And I can't do injections... have a phobia of needles, so wouldn't even contemplate doing it haha
 
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Erm maybe a 6 I s'pose?
There are things I can do on the higher numbers, and things I can't do so well on the lower numbers :confused::confused:
So a bit of all/nothing and inbetween....:D:D:D
 
The confusing thing is the height of the fence. Surely being able to sit a Medium trot, see a stride 3 out and leg yielding should'nt come into conjunction with what height of fence you jump or knowing the requirement of worming. weird.
 
orionstar said:
The confusing thing is the height of the fence. Surely being able to sit a Medium trot, see a stride 3 out and leg yielding should'nt come into conjunction with what height of fence you jump or knowing the requirement of worming. weird.
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Agreed, but I think there are just too many factors to quantify. I just thought it was interesting that someone had tried ;) :D
 
JFTD said:
I didn't see a level for "capable of taking a knobber-pony's back teeth out repeatedly until it remembers its manners" either :cool:
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I think we all know that we could get a 10 for that :D:D It obviously takes far to much skill to be included on that chart ;).

I found the heights a little off putting, I ride a pony therefore a 3ft course is actually a lot bigger than it would be on a 16-something so I kind of ignored the heights. Any way as many people have said its not the height of the jumps that matter its how well you ride between them.
 
anyone enlighten us on how they train riders in the state:p

I worked with a guy who could jump big fences on a school master but totally ruined the 5 year old and tried to go xc in a bridle he had put together himself with the bit in upside down and to low down, talk about missing the basics (he was also an a**) :confused:

I can do IV on a person does that count I am sure the anatomy is the same :cool:
 
I've looked again at the chart & do find it weirder than before. I've come to the conclusion they're not overly fussed about good basics before learning to jump. Find the idea of jumping courses & riding leg yield before grasping the idea of the relationship between inside leg & outside rein rather back to front. Granted it can be done, but not with any degree of competency or understanding. In fairness tho, probably the closest i've seen as a rating system
 
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