ODE venues for first timers!

L

LauraApple

Member
Joined
10 January 2016
Messages
14
Visit site
I'm looking to do a few ODEs on my mate before the season finishes. She's recently been Xc schooling and showed to be bold and to gain a lot of confidence around the course, but we also found she is TERRIFIED of trotting/cantering down hills!
It was a pretty steep hill (eland lodge) but I assume her fear stems from a past experience as we rode very steadily to it.
I'd like to enter a be80 as a confidence run, but I'm looking for venues that are flat or only have uphill parts on the course...(fussy I know!...but we plan to do lots of hill work in the meantime!:P)
I plan to go to Bold Heath as I hear that's very flat, but does anyone recommend any other venues within the Midlands?
 
LauraApple said:
I'm looking to do a few ODEs on my mate before the season finishes. She's recently been Xc schooling and showed to be bold and to gain a lot of confidence around the course, but we also found she is TERRIFIED of trotting/cantering down hills!
It was a pretty steep hill (eland lodge) but I assume her fear stems from a past experience as we rode very steadily to it.
I'd like to enter a be80 as a confidence run, but I'm looking for venues that are flat or only have uphill parts on the course...(fussy I know!...but we plan to do lots of hill work in the meantime!:P)
I plan to go to Bold Heath as I hear that's very flat, but does anyone recommend any other venues within the Midlands?
Click to expand...


Solihull and Aston are both absolutely flat. LandS has one down hill bit but it's quite short.
 
I think you'd be better off addressing the issue rather than just trying to avoid it, wouldn't you? Strange for a horse to get scared of going downhill, are you sure she hasn't got a problem in her Hocks?
 
I agree it's very strange, I'm not aware of her previous experiences but she has no problems in open space and isn't particularly nappy either so I deduced the hill itself to be the problem
That thought did run through my mind; when we cantered the first part of the hill her back end was swinging like mad! She didn't have studs in but the ground wasn't slippy and we were at a very steady pace going onto it
 
Big shout out for LandS (www.landseventing.co.uk it's where I did my first ODE. I got eliminated at the sunken road 3rd from last fence, but was allowed to go round it and finish the course.

They are so friendly and the ground is amazing. Depends on which layout they use, there is a slight downwards slop. My lad walked it! Got more time penalties than our XC but we had an absolute ball!

I fence judge for the quite often now too as it's such a great venue to be a part of.

They've even got a Long format 2 day event next month! Dressage and SJ Saturday, Road/Tracks & XC sunday!
 
Although agree that people at LandS are lovely if you don't like hills wouldn't recommend it as it hasn't a VERY steep downhill bit
 
DO you have a hill near you, that you can go and practice down? Might be that your horse is just unsure how to hold body, legs, and a rider going down.

Also don't make it "a thing", you will only install worry in your horses mind about hills! For a whole XC there is 1 or 2 down hills, that are unlikely to have jumps on them. Just think forwards and positive.
 
Is she young? unbalanced? The Eland slope is pretty steep and she may have been unsure. I fence judged there last weekend, and quite a few slowed to walk/trot down it. Several also stopped to nap on it having completed the first three fences. Try practicing a few more slopes whilst out hacking, and if no improvement, get a vet to check her back/hocks?

But in answer to your question, Norton Disney is flat as a pancake, and Keysoe, Solihull, Aston le Walls are also all good options.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top