Our experience of BE post lockdown

Chiffy

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Hi all, don’t often venture in here as I am no longer a competitor but I thought that you might find our outing to one of the first events after lockdown answered some questions.
My daughter was riding her horse that I am joint owner of. We went to Warwick Hall in Cumbria.
Dying to get back competing but overwhelmed by all the new rules, it seemed daunting.
As a family we have been involved in Eventing for years, our horses are registered and we are members. At first no one entering on a ticket was accepted but eventually they added a section of 80T and invited a few that had been balloted.
Restricted people travelling per horse caused us a few problems but we eventually went with me as owner/groom and my elder granddaughter. The other granddaughter stayed with her father, both would normally be there.
As an owner I could have travelled separately but with the rules saying I would be parked in a different place there was no way of knowing if I would be allowed access to the lorry park. Another ruling was only riders allowed on the XC. In actual fact, owners could go to the lorry and walk and watch XC.
The lorry parking was fab, loved the social distancing with plenty of room around your vehicle. The warm ups were fab too, much bigger than usual and for the sj, people were provided to alter the practice jumps.
The dressage was hard to watch, you weren’t allowed in the warm up or anywhere near the arenas. Daughter had to come out of the warm up for us to remove boots and take her schooling whip.
Show jumping had a commentator but the XC did not.
All times had to be strictly adhered to which was great, (no multiple rider chipping in, in front of you!) You did have to just watch out for your horse as no announcement of starting and you only knew they had jumped what you managed to see.
No secretary’s tent, no scores onsite, no prize giving. Leave an envelope for dressage sheets. No rosettes.
It was all fine, if rather quiet, ran to time with a pleasant atmosphere.
The volunteers were wonderful especially two ladies checking in every vehicle for the whole of both days. We had to take masks, gloves and sanitizer but didn’t see anyone in a mask all day!
This is rather long but hope it might answer some questions.
 

HufflyPuffly

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Super useful thank you, I'll hopefully be out on Saturday and was wondering how things would be.

Think I need to wear a watch so I can keep an eye on the time as will be on my own I think (my trainer is also competing but not sure I'll have a buddy/ groom with me to keep me to time lol. Need to remember an envelope for the dressage sheet too!
 

HappyHollyDays

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Thank you Chiffy, as you know I don’t intentionally leave the ground or compete but I am a volunteer fence judge and will be on duty in two weeks time so an insight into what went on is really helpful.

Glad J did well and let’s hope things get back to normal soon.
 

honetpot

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Its interesting how they have interpreted the rules. You can go to the pub and be a metre distance of a stranger but you can not stand near the dressage arena in your social bubble and watch.
 

The Fuzzy Furry

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Thanks for the review of the event Chiffy, sounds rather better managed than how Tweseldown started off last week.
Big shame about you not getting better access at warm up tho, it appears that the Equestrian world is being much more strict than the motor racing world or even shops and bars!
 

ihatework

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I volunteered a couple of weekends back and it all ran pretty smoothly.

Generally everyone was cheery, compliant and just glad to be out. A couple of over-entitled big names, one came into line quickly ? the other just confirmed their over-entitled status ??

Hopefully there will be elements of this that will be carried over when normality resumes.

The extra/bigger sj warm up and limited number in the collecting ring is a definite bonus. It can make it more difficult for the multiples so the timings and switch over access needs to be planned, but the one horse riders will like it!

Bound to be a few differences in rule interpretation and application between events but overall very good.

Ideal for getting green/sharp ones out with the lack of distractions!!
 

Tiddlypom

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Thanks for the report.

Interesting that they are not doing the XC commentary, that was mentioned by another poster on a previous thread. Fence judges will still be radioing a competitor’s progress in to control, though, won’t they? Or maybe the radio is emergency use only?
 

Chiffy

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Tiddlypom, because quite a few people are needed in the control box for XC it is deemed a commentator is not essential. Yes, radios are used to convey results at each fence and competitor progress to control. There were no sheet collections until the end when they were for backup.
 

Chiffy

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Ihatework, obviously events were using their own interpretation of the rules. I don’t understand why there were no rosettes, they could easily have gone in envelopes with dressage sheets. Eventing is so expensive and a rosette can mean so much to an amateur. We had a friend who managed a fifth place in the BE 80T at her very first affiliated event. She was over the moon anyway but a commemorative rosette would mark the day......no worries, my granddaughter is making her one! ?
 

milliepops

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Ambers Echo

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That's interesting. Thank-you. I wonder what the rules will be for parents of under 18s competing. Katie will definitely want me near the warmups if possible! She is at Frickley this weekend.
 

The Fuzzy Furry

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That's interesting. Thank-you. I wonder what the rules will be for parents of under 18s competing. Katie will definitely want me near the warmups if possible! She is at Frickley this weekend.
The BS locally have had no parents etc in warm up, but have had at least 1 if not 2 BS coaches in the warm up for 4 junior max, to assist and put jumps up etc.
 

hobo

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Very interesting report. How sad about no rosettes It is so hard to get high enough to get one it is sad having made it to the top 10 you than do not get one.
 

Lexi_

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That’s really interesting, thanks Chiffy! Hope your daughter had a good run.

I’ve got two days volunteering at Cholmondeley in a couple of weeks and I can’t wait to be back in the swing of things, despite the changed circumstances.
 

Afon_34

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Chiffy, did they not even post rosettes out?
I didn’t register BE this but did the unaffiliated @ Elmwood with Horse events and got rosettes posted to us about a week later?
I also volunteered the day after and still got fed, another thing I’ve heard that is different from BE...
 

Chiffy

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George, no rosettes at all even though you had to leave an envelope for your dressage sheet to be sent. Such a shame as it’s a nice momento if you manage a place. Professionals may not mind but even their owners often treasure such things.
I was under the impression that volunteers had to bring their own food but I did see small bags being given out to the XC fence judges, not that there looked enough to sustain them all day!
Well done for volunteering, we couldn’t do without you.
 
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Tiddlypom

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Chiffy, when you said no rosettes I initially presumed that meant just not on the day, not no rosettes at all. That is not good. How disappointing.
I’ve got two days volunteering at Cholmondeley in a couple of weeks and I can’t wait to be back in the swing of things, despite the changed circumstances.
Have fun. Can you post an update about your weekend after Cholmondeley? Would be interesting to hear from the volunteer’s perspective :).
 

Lexi_

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Will do! I’m intrigued to know how the pacing works and what it feels like without commentary. Might be a quiet day - I’ll take my knitting ?

The lack of food doesn’t bother me tbh. We have multiple food allergies between us so always take a picnic anyway.
 

Batgirl

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I volunteered at Frickley for 2 days scoring the dressage. We were asked to bring our own food/drink. We were expected to score in our own cars (luckily the team doing the dressage at F are good friends and we sorted facilities between us (camping table, golf umbrella!)

We were inputting the scores as we did them thanks to a generator, laptop and wifi. There was a showjumping commentator but not XC. Most people stuck to rules.

The thing that I think should to be remembered when there are differences between events is that there are differences between their volunteers and facilities. You could have a bubble/family as control and commentator. You could have a much bigger space to fit in more people. I would also think rosettes may suffer from 72 quarantine issues (such as clothes in charity shops) and I would think would be part of the effort to reduce cross contamination (all sports had to submit their methods that then need implementing across the board). That being said I can't quite see the reasoning as the paper of the sheet is just the same. We had 1 judge that had a writer as she was able to bring her husband, all the other judges had to score, write and comment on their own, with no refreshments provided.

IMO we should be grateful that events are going ahead at all.

It's silly that the highlight of my day was Imogen Murrays mum coming to thank us as volunteers for being there so the event could run. She was the only one.
 

Ambers Echo

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We were at Frickley and it seemed pretty normal. You had to be more on the ball than usual because there were fewer marshals about to direct you places so first timers might have struggled to get to the right dressage arena at the right time but otherwise it was fine.

Batgirl I thanked volunteers I saw. Sorry that not many people were appreciative. I guess people are anxious and/or focused but it's no excuse really. Thank you for offering your time so these events can go ahead x
 

splashgirl45

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my friend went to an event today and i was gutted i couldnt go as she was only allowed one person with the horse and the owner went and acted as groom. i was groom at dressage on saturday but am missing the eventing....i still cannot understand why we can all go to the beach from all over the place and go to the pub but cant go to an outdoor event where it is pretty easy to keep the correct distance.....i am finding the lockdown more difficult now that friends are competing .....:(
 

Lexi_

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I found the competitors walking the XC course at Cholmondeley this weekend were much chattier than normal - lots of thank yous and nice conversations. I think everyone’s just really glad to be back!

Sorry you didn’t have the same experience Batgirl :(
 
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