Help! Talk me through eventing a 4 year old...

[tobiano1984]

I love watching eventing, never done it myself (too wimpy, prefer dressage and showing) but have ended up with a very promising youngster (gift from a racing friend) and a keen young rider who currently events at 1* level. So I'm excited to be an 'owner' and enjoy the scene without the nerves involved with actually getting on myself..!

I've been reading all about it on the BE website, but it's a bit baffling and so so many rules. Obviously my rider and her mum (also my instructor) are very au fait with eventing, but haven't started a 4yo, all theirs have been late starters at 6 or so. Perhaps some kindly HHOer could talk me through it?

The horse is currently 3, advanced for his age as was broken to race ages ago (and yes has had 6 months off and is in work appropriate to his age etc etc), he turns 4 on Jan 31st 2014. This is all assuming he is ready, which he is on track to be. The general plan was to do some BE80s and then a 4yo/BE90 later in the season if he's up to it. But looking at the website there seem to be rules like 4yo's can't do BE80 until after 1st May, can only do a certain number per year etc etc.

Please help explain it to me! Anyone else who has started a 4yo in BE? Tell me what your first year plan looked like!

Thanks

 

[Madali]

The four year classes involve a short dressage test and a round of show jumping at 90cm. It is pretty tough and you need a confident well balanced youngster. I would imagine you would want to be jumping round BN clear to be good enough to get to final. Also experience of jumping on grass. I think you can also run a four year old over 4 BE 80s in the season.
I had hoped to do this with my four year old but decided she wasn't ready so haven't even done much jumping yet.
A good start for them is a few day hunting, but as well as being brave and scopey without a decent dressage score it's all a bit futile these days.
Good luck

 

[Bestdogdash]

Hi
How great ! Sounds like you have a really nice horse. Personally I don't event my 'potential eventers at 4 - there are many better ways of educating a young horse, bit of hunting, bit of showing, bit of this and that bit of schooling, bit of time off to grow etc. Andrew Nicholson for example trains his youngsters at home and little shows etc. and rarely bothers with pre novice classes - when they are ready they are straight in at novice (allegedly). The Pros use the 4 and 5 yr old classes mainly to add value to sales prospects.

Other may (will!) disagree, but I think they are a bit of a waste of time.

 

[Matafleur]

Madali refers to BYEH classes above whilst I think you are talking about BE 4 year olds?

I have done BYEH with several horses and had hoped to do BE 4 yr olds with my current horse but a quick spin round an 80cm ODE showed that he would need more prep than I am prepared to do with a 4 yr old to get round. A shame as he is the 1st one I have had that is good enough on the flat at this stage to be competitive!

I'm not sure there is a limit on the BE80's that 4 yr olds can do but you can only have 4 normal day tickets and you would need one for the final if you qualify I think.

I think they are nice to do if your horse is ready and is the sort to need very little prep but it can be tempting to do more than a young horse should at that stage. I don't think it makes much difference later on either - my last horse was broken in the spring of her 4 year old year, didn't do an 80cm until May of her 5 yr old year and still went Novice that October. They are ready when they are ready

 

[popsdosh]

Personally the 4yo BE classes are the pros shop window and you wont see any of them run horses they think they will keep in them.
I would not run any of my youngsters in them as they do not educate them ,more likely screw them up.
Personally in your situation it would also worry me handing over a potentially good horse to a rider you have already stated has no experience with this age of horse competing. At that age it is ten times easier to mess them up than for them to benefit from the experience. Wait another year and save an expensive mistake.

 

[Maesfen]

^^^^^^ This, totally; it would be a great shame to rush a promising horse through inexperience of how a young horse develops.

I'm sorry, I feel incredibly sorry for youngsters that are being rushed in this way and believe me, no matter how easy the horse is finding the work at present, there is a huge risk (especially from someone who has no experience of youngsters) to push to far, too fast and risk breaking any or all of the following, his body, his limbs and possibly worse of all, his brain.
When BYEH were relatively new I always aspired to my youngsters being able to do the 4 yr olds (if I found the right rider of course!) but after watching it at Burghley for a couple of years, I was so glad mine were still in the field unbroken as it seems so much is asked of them for their age, they have to be so polished to even stand a chance of qualifying; it seems so unfair on their body, limbs and minds; you are in effect, asking a boy to do a man's work.

My then five year old did her first BE 90 last year with a double clear; this year she's done four more; all bar one, double clear. This week she did her first 100 and thoroughly enjoyed herself over the bigger fences, just rolled a pole to deny her another DC. I know this might sound a bit slow to some but it's suited my mare and her school teacher rider but I thank her for taking the time to train and produce her so carefully as we want her to last a long time, we're not after quick fixes. It would have been very easy to have asked too much of her as she finds it so easy (well not particularly the dressage!) but let alone our own thoughts, with three world class trainers saying exactly the same thing, it makes sense to listen.

 

[oldvic]

Hi
How great ! Sounds like you have a really nice horse. Personally I don't event my 'potential eventers at 4 - there are many better ways of educating a young horse, bit of hunting, bit of showing, bit of this and that bit of schooling, bit of time off to grow etc. Andrew Nicholson for example trains his youngsters at home and little shows etc. and rarely bothers with pre novice classes - when they are ready they are straight in at novice (allegedly). The Pros use the 4 and 5 yr old classes mainly to add value to sales prospects.

Other may (will!) disagree, but I think they are a bit of a waste of time.

I agree that eventing a 4yr old is unnecessary wear and tear and you are better to do some dressage and show jumping with some XC schooling if the ground is right. On the whole, those that compete in 4 yr old classes don't go on to the higher levels. It is true that Andrew Nicholson's young horses just school at home with some XC schooling in the winter then come out in the spring as 5yr olds in novice but it would not be wise to assume you can copy him. He is an exceptional horseman and not many would have the skill to start an uncompeted young horse at novice level. There is no allegedly about it.

 

[Rosiefan]

My now 5 yr old did an unaffiliated and the BE 4 yr old class at Gt Witchingham last year. Other than that he was schooling and doing some some BS and generally learning his job. His rider is very experienced with youngsters and knew he could have done more and been successful but we're in no hurry.
He only did the 4 yr old class because that particular class suited us that day. I agree that they are usually dressage competitions with a bit of jumping thrown in and we weren't prepared to push him too hard on the flat.