How many of you compete without a School/Menage?

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ElliePippa

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What level, etc
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Just wondering, as im in this situation, and im wondering how much of a difference it will make to our performance
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Thankyou x
 
i compete my gelding and i don't have a school where he is, but i do have the option of hiring one just up the road. we are just starting to do some low level dressage
 
I do! Evented 2 horses from a hilly field last season- one at intro and one at novice. Just have some cones and 2 home made fences, and use my car headlights when its dark! Bit more tricky in winter, but practice a lot of lateral work and transitions on hacks as there are lots of quiet lanes around me. I hire school once a week just down road (put both in box to take down there). Easy (ish!)
 
I competed up to foxhunter bsja/novice eventing/2 day events without a school. We then got one but have since moved and dont have one at the moment. Young horses at a much lower level but still trained in a field!
 
we only have field.

compete approx 3' SJ, bit smaller XC! and novice dressage, about to do a bit of aff when I get round to it.

you just have to make the most of any good weather. We have a lesson every couple of weeks in an arena.

I do tend to have to dressage tests in winter without being able to practice them though
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My daughter competes her pony without us having a school of our own, although we have got a friend's school we can use which is about 10 minutes' hack away. This year the pair have qualified for the Pony Club Dengie Winter Dressage League National Final, the British Riding Clubs Championships in Show Jumping, Style Jumping and Dressage, the Marriage Riding Club Pony of the Year Final, the Ponies UK Winter Championships, and also been placed well in their first affiliated dressage, as well as winning and being placed in SJ, XC, ODE, dressage, tetrathlon and local showing (WHP, SHP, PC Pony).

So I don't think it has had too much of a detrimental effect on their performance!
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(Sorry, after reading that back it sounded very smug and boastful, but I was just trying to encourage the OP.
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We don't have an arena and have taken horses from 4 years olds to grade A showjumping and advanced eventing including HOYS, RIHS, Hickstead etc. That's not too say I wouldn't want an arena though!
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I don't have an arena, neva have! Have managed HOYS, RIHS whilst i was showing always having youngsters. Now been eventing 3 seasons competing upto CCI1* Competed CCI1* x 2 this year all with just a field, some jumps and made my 20x60 arena with sticky letters on flower pots worked a treat. Fittness work done on roads, stubble fields(the ones we're allowed) n doing laps round the field. Do have a couple of arena's near by but have to travel there so use occasionally more in winter when it's too wet. Think it comes in handy not having a surface sometimes as they are used to uneven surfaces ect, don't become fussy!!
 
How do people manage with ground conditions? I'm so paranoid about jumping Daisy when the ground is muddy or rock hard. This summer we only had a few weeks where I was happy to jump on grass.
 
For those that have no school...how do you get on in the winter when your down to riding at weekends only?

I'm wanting to do a showing qualifier in Feb and this is the first time I've had a school with no lights and I'm finding I just can't keep her fit/schooled enough just riding twice a week (I work full time and can't get to yard til very very dark!).
 
ElliePippa, I never had a school at all when I was growing up.
From the age of 5 - 19 the only time I saw a school was at Pony Club rallies. I did quite a lot - showing, dressage, eventing and yes, sometimes it was a bother but on the whole I had no real problems. I always prefer to do as much as possible of my schooling out hacking anyway. You'll be fine!
 
The trick with fitness is to have them really, really fit before winter starts, so when your riding time gets limited you can just keep them ticking over. Our situation is slightly different though in that my daughter is at school, not working, so probably has more time available and also has the benefit of the Christmas holidays.

We are just getting to the time of year when she won't be able to ride after school at all, but the pony is very fit already, and there is only three weeks now until the school holidays when the pony can go back into full work which will give her fitness another boost.

Other options are boxing up and going somewhere with an arena and lights for a lesson midweek and taking the occasional half day holiday from work to fit in another ridden session midweek.
 
ME! We use the bottom corner of our field, a small slope and it can be too slippery to jump sometimes but otherwise there's no problem. I add that we have lessons at least weekly in a proper arena.
 
I do. I have paddocks to ride in and that's it. I don't hack either! I've competed at BE CIC* and BSJA 1.20m this year. It is quite tough as I find I have to tailor my flatwork to the ground conditions on the day (I dont jump at home very often, dont need to!). My horse gets his annual break from beginning Oct - Jan which suits us both.

I find that my horse keeps himself pretty fit from living out 24/7, it helps a lot! The biggest benefit I find is that my boy isn't bothered about ground conditions when out - he really excels doing XC in pouring rain etc. for example whereas other menage-ridden horses tend to be way more woosy
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