novice (BE)- how do you know when to step up?

diggerbez

diggerbez

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people keep asking me about my plans for the season...have in my head that i would like to do a novice by the end of the season but not sure how realistic an aim this is... i've ridden at PN before but not higher...how do you know when its time to step up? also, what can i be working on to get me ready? :)
 
I'm in same situation - only ever rode up to PN with old horse. Started at intro last year with new horse and it was all too easy, so moved up to PN and again it felt easy (when it went right - the wheels came off at Aske 2 XC unfortunately after an amazing dressage score and one down SJ). Was thinking about doing novice at Richmond 2 but can't do that horse trials as at Scone with tradestand the same weekend, so having a re-think and will see how season goes. Not too bothered about doing a novice this year especially after our problem at Aske - think we need a confidence giving season and look to maybe do novice at Richmond 1 in 2012. It's not as if I'm looking to sell him and want to feel over prepared if anything before we make the step up - think the difference between PN and novice is a big one, so want to be confident when we do it. Also due to the rubbish winter we are having at the moment haven't had the preparation in SJ and dressage I was hoping for. Looking forward to Ruth Edge EHOA day - I need some help!
 
Me too I am in the same boat as Diggerbez and Soupdragon so will await people's replies with interest as keen to go to Novice but unsure.
Strength is defo the XC and Dressage not too far behind on a good day and we are great at 4 & 8 fault itis in the SJ due to donkey rider being uber keen!!!
Alas however, looking at pone today think we would be better off pulling the local milk cart rather than a sleek eventing jumping machine!!:D
 
another in the same boat well hope to be some point this year, so will also be keeping track of this thread.

The SJ and dressage don't bother me its the XC. I was planning to do at least 4/5 BE100s and be confident clears at them all XC before considering moving up. Will also try have some good schooling sessions over some novice fences as well. Its the technical fences more than the big ones that concern me but think we are both capable if approach it correctly and choose the right event to step up at.
 
I've definitely tried Nov with some unsuitable horses in the past - not too soon, just unsuited to Nov at all. At the moment I've got one who can do handstands at PN (30ish dressage, clear or 4 SJing and always clear inside the time XC). He's been placed most outings PN (a novelty for me!) yet for some reason I don't think he's quite ready for Nov. I'd have done Nov XC on him after about his 4th PN and he almost always wins BD but I want his SJing to be good enough that I go into our first Nov expecting a clear, rather than hoping to get round. Weather problems have meant that our winter BSJAing has been curtailed so my original plans of Nov by Belton have become more fluid and will now be 'Nov when we're happily jumping Newcomers'. Maybe I've got more fussy with age!

Maybe I think differently having ridden 3 or 4 full seasons at Nov? Not much I know, but enough to know what's out there to trip you up!
 
I was hoping for a slightly more in depth look at strengths and weaknesses!! For instance on xc your accuracy might be a strength but the time it takes you to set up might be a weakness? Its just useful to look more into what you have as Novice will highlight all your weaknesses.

Realistically you need to be jumping newcomers and try to go and jump a newcomers on grass as well as I find being in a lovely arena is very different to being on grass.

XC is bigger and you need to be more accurate. For instance at PN you could have skinny to corner in 6 strides but at novice the angle will be more acute or will only be 4 strides. Practice over those stupid triple brush things as they are getting more popular. Practice having the control xc turning. I never bothered about the time as I think the more confident you get then naturally you pick up the pace.
I did a PNP a couple of years ago and found it really useful as a step up.
 
I moved up to novice when I felt BE100 was no longer a challenge. My horse and I were getting regularly placed at BE100, and I was walking the xc wishing I was jumping the novice track as the BE100 just seemed boring as I knew I would sail round inside the time.

I was also having lessons with a BE coach, so she gave me the confidence that I could do it.

With a young horse I wouldn't rush it, I would rather too many runs at BE100 before moving up than too few. Also I don't move up a level on my last run of the season, as if you have a problem, you can't have a confidence building run the week after! When I first moved up to novice I alternated between novice and BE100 until my horae felt really confident at novice.
 
Cannot comment personally as dont event, can only use my daughter's experience really. She did her first full season in 2009, after doing a few PC ODEs and some unaff stuff and a couple of BE intros, which saw her getting placed at most of them, oh and qualifying for the PC National Novice Champs as well during 2008. She did a whole season with a couple of intros and then stepped up to BE100, during the summer of 2009. By the end of that season, she had had a win and lots of placings and was feeling that BE100 was getting a bit, well easy. Her weakness was and still is the showjumping. We knew that she would go out and do a dressage test in the mid to low twenties, and go clear xc with no time penalties, it was the showjumping that let her down. When she started to get clears and one pole down, she knew it was the time to move up. Unfortunately, at that point she was only 14 and therefore had to do a JRN before she could move up, it was coming towards the end of the season and all the JRNs had been and gone. She then had to wait until the start of the 2010 season to do just that.

I have to say, she did not find it an easy step up to Novice and oddly enough it was the xc that was her problem. At one point she stepped back to BE100 plus to regain her confidence. However, she finished the season with BE points and she is now going to have a crack at the JRNs this year with a view to getting on the our region's JRN team at Weston Park. She is going to start the season with a confidence giving BE100 Open at Moreton, which she knows and enjoys riding around and then on to Aldon for the first of her JRNs. She has got her qualifying runs for a CIC*, so fingers crosssed she will do one mid season.

Good luck to those moving up to Novice, I know some find it easier than others. Its where things do get REALLY serious.
 
being a dinosaur,never had the luxury of stepping up to novice as back then novice was the entry level affiliated. Just make sure you are confident at home jumping the height/spreads required for your level,plenty of xc training especially technical fences,but above all remember you are there for a good time and to enjoy,we seem to have got bogged down in the technicallities of it all :)
 
yeeharider said:
but above all remember you are there for a good time and to enjoy,we seem to have got bogged down in the technicallities of it all :)
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Best piece of advice given out!!!! Why are we worrying??You're right we all tend to get too hung up on the ins and outs!! I'm going to have fun and see what the season brings and what will be will be:D:D:D
 
Unfortunately I have been CR through complete lack of preparation yet was being placed at PN and it felt effortless. Eventing is too expensive and a stupid mistake or lack of preparation could knock your confidence for months. Previously until I did it I would agree with winging it but no longer!
 
LEC said:
Unfortunately I have been CR through complete lack of preparation yet was being placed at PN and it felt effortless. Eventing is too expensive and a stupid mistake or lack of preparation could knock your confidence for months. Previously until I did it I would agree with winging it but no longer!
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yes definitely have no wish to 'wing it' :eek:
i am in no rush with this horse as i really think that he could be quite special- he tries so hard for me and i think it would be quite easy to scare him by pushing him too quickly- he's naturally very scopey so in theory the height/width is no problem for him- so again it would be easy to push him too quickly...

i would say that XC is probably my strength- i feel quite confident with it and am pretty good at the technical side of things. however, having said that this is at intro/pn height so i can't say how i would feel going round a novice track...yes have schooled over novice jumps but that is different isn't it

DR...i wouldn't say i'm amazing at this...but its the thing i find easiest to improve with. plus, from a safety POV...you are unlikely to kill yourself by moving up to a harder test too soon! :rolleyes:

SJ is definitely my weak point...if i don't jump regularly i can get quite stressed about it/start seeing horrid strides. i have a fabulous trainer...but i think i need a lot more competition experience in this area...was meant to be the plan for the winter but its not really happened because of the weather- newcomers is a good idea to aim for... would rather lose money by messing up a newcomers than enter a BE nov, find out i'm not ready and lose £80!
 
The best thing I ever did was go to a 3 day BSJA show with Spotted Cat. Jumping two classes a day on grass starting with BN and finishing with Newcomers. We both learnt loads and by the end we were jumping consistent rounds and we both had loads of confidence. It was well worth the effort as novice felt easy after that. I never event in August as the ground is usually rubbish and the events round here are mediocre so was an ideal time to do some Sjing.
 
I have not yet been given the go ahead to compete this year but am available for coaching (30+years experience eventing including advanced)and am taking my BE coaching programme :)
 
i echo everything millitiger and yeeharider have said.
i'd only add that step up from PN to N is seamless IF you are confident and are on a horse who has enough scope and bravery and is finding PN easypeasy. There is a lot said about the step up being the biggest, which I think is utter rubbish. if you are having a very easy time with PNs, sailing round without a single worrying moment, and are walking N sj and xc courses and feeling confident and happy about the size and technicality of the fences (this is important, the best horse in the world, unless already incredibly experienced, won't carry a doubtful nervous rider round imho), and happily jumping those sized fences at home, then go for it.
 
I imagine it is like stepping up any level. You will almost instinctively know if you are ready. If you have to question whether you are ready or are not sure then you are not.

I am very inexperienced at eventing and have a young horse so I will not be in any rush to go up till we are both ready. I have no doubt with an experienced eventer on board he could easily tackle a Novice now - I couldn't yet!

Ironically it is the SJ I worry most about. I used to SJ to decent levels with other horses but it is 10 years ago now so I know I am nowhere near where I should be with it yet. Like GB I was planning a concentrated winter of BS and the weather has meant this has not happened unfortunately.
I do know from bringing several horses on SJ from scratch that I have started thinking a British Novice was big and got to the point where a Newcomers looked easy and Foxhunter jump offs quite doable (I won't say easy at that height!). That all just comes from putting the mileage in and most of all sufficient ring time at each level.
 
charlimouse said:
With a young horse I wouldn't rush it, I would rather too many runs at BE100 before moving up than too few. Also I don't move up a level on my last run of the season, as if you have a problem, you can't have a confidence building run the week after! When I first moved up to novice I alternated between novice and BE100 until my horae felt really confident at novice.
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I agree with this. Need to be able to step down a level if you have a bad run.

I think you need to feel confident at PN, especially the xc. It is a big step up, so altenating between PN and N is good.
 
I moved up to novice last year, when I started finding BE100 boring, and was walking Novice courses thinking 'I could do this!' However I did my first as a PC event at Hambleden over the Novice course there. I got 32 dr. Clear SJ and a stop XC, which was relatively minor, so it all seemed rather possible and I wasn't scared XC at all. Then did a BE, same old story.

Thought XC needed confidence and fitness so spent a month working on those and did a BE100 again, got a 20s dr score and double clear and placing, so was sure I was doing the right thing going Novice.

So basically, when you start getting placed every time out PN, and start finding it boring, poke about and walk the Nov courses when you're at an event, see how it looks. Then pick somewhere low key to go to, like an Unaff/PC event, and have a test drive, and assess after that. There is always no harm in hopping between PN and Novice if your first novice doesn't go great!
 
I tried to step up to Novice a few years ago. I was finding PN very easy and getting good placings. I also had done a few pc opens. Sadly my horse was suffering from Arthritus at the time (I ob's didn't know!) and we didn't get very far :(. I also did Aldon PN3D which is very good prep (I think) and really taught me how to get horse fit. From my experience it is a very big step up!
 
charlimouse said:
I moved up to novice when I felt BE100 was no longer a challenge. My horse and I were getting regularly placed at BE100, and I was walking the xc wishing I was jumping the novice track as the BE100 just seemed boring as I knew I would sail round inside the time.
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This is exactly what I think. I haven't done Novice before but have been getting placed PN really regularly and it just doesn't seem a challenge any more and am always champing at the bit wanting to try the novice XC courses. So we're doing 1 PN at the beginning of this season (prob northallerton) then going up to Nov all being well on our next one, probably richmond as I was really keen to do the Nov there last season. However, I really need to get some SJ practice in first as feel like I need to get a bit of "height" under our belts beforehand!!!
 
i think lots of sensible advice here- definitely think trying to get a to a 3/4 day BSJA show is a good plan, i did one at easter last year and it really helped... guess its a case of wait and see then isn't it :)
 
I went up to N last season. My two cents' worth are that you need, for about four or five events prior to moving up, to walk a PN track and not be remotely worried by anything there. You then need to ride it and again, not be concerned about anything (the odd dodgy stride is fine, but there should be no awful, hair-raising jumps). Once I consistently felt this way about PN tracks, I thought I was ready for N.

I'd had a good few consistent DCs at PN and it had got to the point where I'd expect to go DC. In terms of preparation, I jumped some large fences in lessons too, for my benefit, not the horse's! My trainer would have me doing 1.20-1.25, so that when I went to walk a Novice SJ track, it looked do-able. Someone from HHO (you know who you are!) gave me a good tip which is one that has already been mentioned on this thread: go back down to PN after your first N, just to check that everything is still ok and keep the confidence levels up.

It is tough getting the balance between making progress, but maintaining your confidence! Good luck!
 
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