Hardest and easiest(BE)?

[eventersrus]

I know we are all in different areas but just curious if we have similr views on BE courses What would you say was the hardest intro,pn,n,int,adv,one,two and three star??And likewise easiest....??

 

[seabiscuit]

I think that everyone says that Highclere is the hardest intermediate in the country, more like a small advanced.

Sansaw use to run a cci*, I think that was definately the biggest and most technical one star that there is.

Vejer de la Frontera CCI* was too easy IMO ! very straightforward, more like an easy novice.

Of course, all these tracks seem to change a lot on a yearly basis

 

[Acolyte]

Surely Intro will always be easiest and Adv/3 * the hardest?

Ohhh, I see, you mean particular courses - oops, sorry

 

[eventersrus]

Oh that made me laugh!!!

 

[Acolyte]

Nothing like making a total idiot of yourself and not knowing how to delete a post is there

 

[eventersrus]

I think Barbury novice was pretty decent, portman and broadway ideal 1st timers, this years int at Oasby was lovely, always thought the int at sansaw was big(not tech) Adv at Brockenhurst nice 1st time, intro at west wilts 3 decent

 

[Sarah_Jane]

I think some of the event abroad can be slightly easier than the British equivilants.

Urchinwood is straightforward at N & PN
I woukld agree re Highclere Intermediate and Salperton is a test at PN, N and I

 

[carthorse]

Thought Draycott a bit easy for prenovice but quite tough for intro ,as results show..
Gatcombe was a lovely first novice and that surprised us.

 

[H-J]

Think Munstead is an easy Intro and PN. And thought Poplar Park and Grt Witchingham had decent sized Intro's.

Hambledon and Nurstead are big PN - Nurstead shared 70% of the Novice.

And think Nurstead, Borde Hill and Purston are a few of the harder Novice XC courses ive done.

Think SOE has nice PN, Nov and Int courses but the Showjumping at SOE (2) is big! Especially the Int it looked huge!

 

[Thistle]

The Novice at Brigstock is huge and solid. Some of the SJ's were at 1'20 marked on the wings.

 

[kerilli]

i've always thought Highclere was one of the nicest Ints there is! umm, Weston Park novice is always big but jumps well, sorts out the wimps though, i'd never take a first timer there! Bicton's a nice first time Advanced. Weston's nice Advanced as a 3rd or 4th, i'd say.
umm, Henbury Int's another Janet Plant course, rides much better than it walks, big and quite technical but rewards correct and bold riding.
can't really remember any i was totally horrified by, tbh.

 

[SteveGG]

It's quite difficult to say as to some extent it does depend on both the horse and rider as to what they are stronger or weaker at. For instance Houghton ran a Novice last year which had quite a stiff XC but there was no water & if you had a horse that didn't like water then you might have thought that it was easy. I also remember asking Pippa for a good 1st time intermediate & her response was also "depends on your horse".
Anyway a of the Novice courses a few suggestions

Easier Courses
South of England - galloping course nothing too technical with only a couple of skinnies.
Nurstead - generally quite small & alternatives at tricky fences

Harder Courses
Mattingley - quite a few skinnies on turns, steep downhill coffin some alternatives but a strong course if you go all the straight routes.
Longleat - I put this mainly due to the ground which is very undulating and makes it difficult to establish a rhythm.

 

[jackpalfreyman]

This season i would say that out of the 5 PN runs i had (aston, wiltshire college, great tew, upton house and little mattingly) that the easiest in my opinion was wiltshire college and the hardest was little mattingly. That is with my horse though, the course at wiltshire college was really well built, with the combinations built on forward distances. the water however wasn't very insipiring! Little mattingly i found difficult because of teh lenght of the course (something mad like 6 minutes!) it twisted in and out of the woods a bit so it was difficult to set up a rythem with an inexperienced horse, but it did have a great variety of fences which stood us in good sted for the step to novice.

From my 3 novice runs (keysoe, goring heath and broadway) i would say that keysoe was the easiest on first inspection, but didnt ride quite so well- the drop/skinny combination caught alot out, though not as many as the coffin! goring had a real mix of different things including a weird skinny box thing, step/skinny bounce thing and a double of corners which tested the inexperienced but had alternatives. And finally broadway, the combinations were built on backwards strides, and the fences inbetween were solid and up to height, so was a great course if you have control! The best novice track i have ridden was gatcombe early last season, and my favorite PN was highclere, though i wouldnt have said it was particularly difficult!

I did the * at weston park a couple of years ago and although it was teh only one i have done, it was reportedly very tough that year!

Equally the only intermediate i have done was hambledon, which suited my old horse down to the ground- but i can see it wouldnt be great for the more forward thinking horse with all its twists and turns.

 

[LEC]

Easiest intro - Pontispool its about 2'6
Easiest PN - Urchinwood
Easiest Novice - West Wilts (close run with Urchinwood but Urchinwood worried me far more than West Wilts!)
Intermediate - Aldon always looks nice and inviting.

Hardest PN - For me Bricky it is twisty and lots of turning which is hard for my horse.
Hardest Novice - From what I have seen Barbury not ridden it though.

 

[MissDeMeena]

Anyone able to suggest a nice first Adv.
April ish time next year!!

 

[Diane_Pepper]

I'd say Broadway & Stafford are pretty easy Intros, whereas Mount Ballan (only just tried & tested!!) & Stockland Lovell are pretty testing.

Somerford park is a big PN - don't do a me & make it your 1st attempt at one! (luckily we were clear XC though

)

 

[hotellie]

richmond intro is soooo easy no questions at all!

 

[Baggybreeches]

I was thinking Richmond was an easy intro, dont know about PN only did 2, Novice easiest was probably Tetton Hall (was absolutely mahoosive though!) but straightforward. Hardest Novice would be may be Chatsworth (size and technicality). Oo just remember more PN runs (another horse!) easiest is definitely Bold Heath!

 

[henryhorn]

I can only really go on what CCJ has said after riding round them, but Pontispool and Winkleigh are considered easy apart from a couple of Novice fences, and Bricky and Stockland Lovell more difficult.
Some like Bricky are rider frighteners but ride very well, others like SL are pretty technical even at PN.
We're doing Aldon for the first time on Friday, so i'll let you know..

 

[eventing_chick]

Witton is usally a good 1st time ADV
I belive Belton is easier,but still not a 1st time track.
Aston is a lovely track but is later on.
All ADV scare me anyway

I try to think of it as having green numbers

Don't think i like blue

 

[SillyMare]

Hardest:
Purston Manor PN
Keysoe PN (I don't really know why - just caused loads of trouble)
Milton Keynes PN (it does vary a bit - sometimes easier than others)

Up to height but straightforward:
Great Tew
Hambledon

Easiest:
Winkburn (Intro and PN)
Buckminster (lovely 1st time PN)
Oasby

 

[kerilli]

MDM, Bicton, or Aston-le-Walls, or maybe Rolleston, i'd say. prob in that order of difficulty. or Weston if your horse is bold -and good at skinnies! - it's always a lovely track.