How did you decide which discipline you compete at?

Oh, and we kept our ponies at an adnvanced eventers yard, because our ponies kept the main man happy in his field- he could beat them up but they wouldn't hurt him back...! We had a fab time there, used to go out hacking and she'd make us do things like the entire ride with no stirrups (rising trot, mind) or jump random bits of fence! She evented, we ent a long and 'groomed', and e loved it!
 
Really interesting topic!

Learnt to ride in Italy where, especially back then (early 90s), everything was geared towards only one discipline - showjumping. So I showjumped at low levels for a couple of years, moderately enjoying it. Then, around 1995, my then trainer (who's been by far the most important person in my equestrian life) let me have his top horse on loan. ('Top' for our riding-school-in-the-middle-of-nowhere standards... nothing too fancy!). We only ever competed up to Medium, which was fairly big stuff at county level (remember we are talking about a country in which the very highest level at regional championships, even now in 2009, is Adv Med as there aren't enough Advanced combinations
crazy.gif
).
Competition-wise, I had never had much success in showjumping (mainly because I was a bundle of nerves at shows) but in dressage it was different; I knew, for example, that he would invariably get me 8s for his walk, and this in turn made me less nervous and more relaxed. This horse qualified us to represent our county at the National championships, let me ride a Kur to music for the first time, and brought me the kind of 'success' that can be easily dismissed now, but which, to a sixteen-year-old girl from a totally non-horsey family, meant the world.
Because of that horse I totally fell in love with the discipline. I still remember perfectly well the feeling I had the first time I tried an extended trot, the first time I did a flying change and the very first steps of piaffe (which were probably only three or four half steps, but to me they felt like the world had ended and begun again). We would go hacking once a week, and wouldn't resist the temptation and start doing tempi changes in the middle of a field
smile.gif
It was just amazing, he was my soulmate and no horse will ever be like him, not even Rauti.
I never, ever felt emotions like that when jumping a jump, or galloping on a hack -- that's what made me realise that dressage really must be my discipline.
Haven't looked back since
smile.gif
 
I got the eventing bug in PC and then BE with my coloured, then i bought a house and that was the end of the eventing lark!
I sold the coloured as he didnt have the scope to do pure SJ and bought a my young bay to BSJA.....
 
My mum does dressage..so that was a big no no.....never really got into the showjumping and always loved watching the big events...but its thanks to WFP that i event
smile.gif
spent a day with him in 2004 at Burnham Market grooming...and i wanted to do it from then on!!

although i did go through a [very] brief BYRD's phase where i didn't do very well...and then a working hunter pony phase...where i fell flat on my head every time...

so technically, it was eventing, or get beaten by my mum?!

wink.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
...but its thanks to WFP that i event
smile.gif
spent a day with him in 2004 at Burnham Market grooming...and i wanted to do it from then on!!

[/ QUOTE ]

Wow, lucky you
smile.gif
.
 
FrodoBeutlin what a lovely story.

This is such an interesting thread

I dont like to think about specialising in one discipline as I enjoy so many. I grew up in Central Africa where the weather dictated the sport, so we evented around Easter (end of the rainy season) and during the summer holidays we travelled all round the country, mainly show jumping but a little dressage and showing at the big agricultural shows.

I currently work ona showing yard, so we do a lot of in hand showing in the summer and I like to get my babies out in the show ring occasionally too. I love dressage, and that has become my favourite although I havent been able to compete recently as my lot are either too young or in foal, but I am just backing a homebred 3yo who will get out and about a bit next season and my now yearling colt will also have a dressage career.

But i havent ruled out doing a little more eventing and show jumping, will just see how it fits in with my job and what youngsters I have in at the time.
 
You know, there is this saying in the horsey community that the only people who take up endurance riding are middle aged women who are too scared to jump.

Well, I don't think of myself as being middle aged, although having passed the big 40 marker, I suppose in reality I am, but I think I must be typical of the person who has been the reason for the statement above becoming so widespread :-)

I am simply not interested in jumping competitively. All of my horses are trained to be able to jump over small obstacles which they may come across out hacking (such as a large log blocking the path etc.) but that's as far as I am interested in taking their jump schooling. I'm not scared of small jumps. I admit to being scared of jumping anything over about 2'6, although I have done so in the past.

I had no plans to take up endurance riding properly, but when one of my boys took to it like a duck to water, I decided it was the right way to go with him. Another of my boys (the brown/black one in my signature) appears to have a natural affinity for dressage, so that's the direction I'm taking him in.

So, the truth is, I am led by my horses as to what discipline I compete them in.
 
I love eventing, don't know why and i get very nervous on the day but nothing beats the feeling of coming over the finish after a fab round
smile.gif
smile.gif


I very much enjoy my dressage these days and find it very rewarding. I can see myself really getting into just pure dressage in the future but i'm not ready to give up the eventing buzz yet. Don't think i could ever just show jump though.....all that work for 2 mins in the ring, you have 1 pole down and then come no where after hanging about for 6 hours. Can you tell i'm really looking forward to BSJA?!
tongue.gif
tongue.gif
smile.gif
 
Well, I bred Penfold for dressage and he is much too tense to do really well, he can do passage and tempi changes but that is not what we want,lol. So he events and teamchases as that is what he likes to do
Bought Rafi as a yearling to showjump as that is what he is bred for and he is a dressage star.
So we do what the horse likes to do,lol.
 
I BE and BSJA. Eventing is the disipline I love the most, definately. The thrill from the XC is nothing like I get from pure show jumping! Saying that though, I have wondered if I'll have to focus more on BSJA soon because we've just bought our first house and money will be tight next year
frown.gif
frown.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top