Pony Club Eventing Champs - XC course

ihatework said:
However, for PC/RC Championships at all levels, but especially Open level, the art to building a good XC course is surely to have the direct routes tough enough to sort out the wheat from the chaff and to reward good XC riding, whilst having a longer route that allows less experienced competitiors to get around safely whilst amassing time faults.
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a problem with PC is that longer routes get 15pen plus expected time faults thats why you get more people with 35 jumping faults from having a go when if the fence was in a BE comp they would have avoided via doing the long route
 
i found the water jumped well.. but i agree with the corner placement. and surely, if Caroline Moore made a fuss about it, then that raises some questions.. Im not sure. I think on a good day most horses would jump it, but mine was jumping terribly, which has turned out to be a swollen knee :/ so we are now out for 2 weeks :(
 
I agree the PC system of 15 penalties for a L fence needs addressing, BE manage blag flag long routed very well so as most PC now runs over BE courses at area and champ level then perhaps the BE method should be followed.

I know the kids will always try to avoid the L fences as they cost dearly and soon add up after a few. However as it's easier to qualify in some areas there must be a system of allow softer fences that should be penalised by time.
 
Just out of interest who was the course designer for the Champs? Draycott have worked their way through at least 4 course designers for BE since it started running.
 
lostmymarbles said:
Just out of interest who was the course designer for the Champs? Draycott have worked their way through at least 4 course designers for BE since it started running.
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Good question, actually! If nobody answers you I'll look it up in my programme and post an answer tomorrow :) Think the TD, or whatever the PC equivalent is, was William Blane.
 
William Blane was apparently as unimpressed as CM at certain aspects of the XC, so can't imagine he had anything to do with the course designing.
 
It was William and Christie W I was with at the corners - we all agreed it was a pretty tough question ;) I *think* I'm right in saying Beau Woods is the SJ course designer, BBR - can you check again??
 
sorry totally wrong page! XC course designers for Open eventing - tim hadaway and lynne hirons. beau woods apparently was the 'combined training competition' course builder.. where i got that from i dont know!
 
To me it sounds like a championship course, our Areas were the ones at Richmond and I spoke to the lady from Headquarters after and she was very disappointed with the course, they made sure SJing was huge to try and compensate but they definitely wanted a bigger course as it turned out as a Combined Training competition! This was only Inter and I think the Open was harder XC but they still didn't feel it was good enough to qualify for champs from.
 
Im not in PC nor have been to the champs but from looking at my local PC team who went down the combos with most experience at BE Novice level did well (one DC and one with one XC stop) and the ones without the experience at BE novice didnt - one retired and one was eliminated. Would I be right in thinking that the open champs is on a par with BE novice level? (I could be completely wrong?!) Maybe some of the combos where just not ready to contest in a Championship at that level despite qualifying? I would expect a championship at a level to be more technical and ask more - so if you qualify for N in the championships you complete a IN.
 
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