Help a dumbo like myself with her first BE!!

rosiesowner

rosiesowner

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Well, this morning I entered my first ever affiliated event. It's been a big goal of mine for a while so I am really rather excited! I've only entered the BE90 as I want to compete at a height I know we're really comfortable with for our first time BE. Chilli has of course done plenty of eventing with Riding Club with her owner but I haven't. I'm pretty good at the rulebook so hoping I'll be fine, plus having volunteered at a few BE fixtures I have some sort of idea of how things run.

Still, though, I'd quite like some advice for first timers! Anything you can think of! Quick changing tack, clothing, making sure I stay on schedule... Especially organisation-wise as obviously as a first timer I'll have to get my helmets tagged etc.

According to bdwp we were the first entry for the class so hopefully we won't be balloted!! Maybe the entries person will have a dream in which my online volunteering record will speak to them and show them that I am an eventing geek... :D:D

Kind regards
Harriet and Chilli!!!! :):o
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Firstly I would say make the effort to go to the site the day before. Walk the XC course and then find out where Dr and SJ are. get the lay of the land so to speak. This way you wont be stressing on the day of the comp.
Have your stuff (you and horse) in boxes marked Dr, SJ, XC. Saves time hunting for stuff. It's amazing how long it can take to find a roll of tape to do the xc boots with.
Arrive with LOTS of time to spare. Plan the day to allow you walk the XC course again and walk the SJ course so you need to know the times of the SJ course walks.
Eat plenty, drink plenty and have a blast :)
 
PaddyMonty said:
Firstly I would say make the effort to go to the site the day before. Walk the XC course and then find out where Dr and SJ are. get the lay of the land so to speak. This way you wont be stressing on the day of the comp.
Have your stuff (you and horse) in boxes marked Dr, SJ, XC. Saves time hunting for stuff. It's amazing how long it can take to find a roll of tape to do the xc boots with.
Arrive with LOTS of time to spare. Plan the day to allow you walk the XC course again and walk the SJ course so you need to know the times of the SJ course walks.
Eat plenty, drink plenty and have a blast :)
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Thank you very much! Luckily I know the venue really well as I go to college there (can't believe I forgot to mention that!!) and that was definitely a factor when I chose it as my first event as hopefully knowing where things are will reduce stress a little to make it a better experience! I will also be volunteering at the first day of the fixture so will be on site to walk the course :)

The boxes are a brilliant idea! I can't believe I didn't think of that as I do like to be organised. We will try our best to have a blast-I know that Chilli loves cross country (almost too much...)

Thanks again :)
 
Well done you! I entered my first BE event in October last year. I just did a BE80 but it was amazing! I would definitely recommend going the day before. I was lucky in the fast I had a bit of a gap in between each phase so didn't have to stress too much. For me it was such an achievement as my horse has had lameness issues so I never thought we would get there! Good luck!
 
One tip is to make sure you check whether the jumping is being run to order of published times, or whether you have to put your number down on a board in the collecting ring when you get there, as different events operate different systems. Good luck!
 
Stenners said:
Well done you! I entered my first BE event in October last year. I just did a BE80 but it was amazing! I would definitely recommend going the day before. I was lucky in the fast I had a bit of a gap in between each phase so didn't have to stress too much. For me it was such an achievement as my horse has had lameness issues so I never thought we would get there! Good luck!
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Really glad you managed to achieve your goals! It's a fantastic feeling :)
 
TGM said:
One tip is to make sure you check whether the jumping is being run to order of published times, or whether you have to put your number down on a board in the collecting ring when you get there, as different events operate different systems. Good luck!
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This is a really good tip!! Thank you!! Even though I know that there are different ways of running it wouldn't have occurred to me to check... (As I said, dumbo over here!)
 
White board with your times on so you can work backwards. Also drop the secretary a quick email if you are a prolific volunteer - they don't check on line and it's always a good idea to put it on your BDWP entry form in the notes section as you get priority in case of balloting as assume you are on a ticket.

Enjoy!
 
Nicnac said:
White board with your times on so you can work backwards. Also drop the secretary a quick email if you are a prolific volunteer - they don't check on line and it's always a good idea to put it on your BDWP entry form in the notes section as you get priority in case of balloting as assume you are on a ticket.

Enjoy!
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Oh wow, I was only joking really and didn't even know that they do actually look at volunteering records! Cheers for the advice :)
 
rosiesowner said:
Oh wow, I was only joking really and didn't even know that they do actually look at volunteering records! Cheers for the advice :)
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Many events will give priority to volunteers so it is worth mentioning especially if you have helped at the same venue, I think everyone should do at least 1 day each season to put something back into the sport, good to see you have put in your help before you started competing, you learn loads and usually have a fun day.
 
Have someone with you who is a calming influence but is happy to take on responsibility for timings. If you use studs, make sure the stud holes are cleaned out the day before and properly packed and remember to take them out before you travel home! Make sure you know the test inside out, it's so easy to go wrong in the heat of the moment. Don't forget to drop your whip before you go in (I'm assuming you can't carry whips at BE80) The most important thing though is to enjoy it, even if you have a disappointing day there's always something that went well. I lost count of the number of competitions my daughter would have won if only.......
 
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