Pony Club tests...

billylula said:
My daughter failed her C+ riding at the weekend. She was really disappointed as she's worked really hard for the last couple of years and is now eventing at BE100 with double clears and she's loved bringing on her big young horse. She failed because she wasnt straight in the saddle apparently although I can't see it and neither can her instructor. Literally noone has mentioned this ever, even the saddler. She's been to countless PC riding rallies specifically designed for c+ and noone has ever mentioned her lack of straightness. Still, she's resilient and is keen to take it again.

What makes me anxious is quite how vitriolic the examiner was. She didn't say one positive thing about my daughter, even though she completed all the riding tasks (ironically she was so happy with how the horse went!). She said her riding was way below what was required for c+ level and she'd lose her reputation if she passed her. This must have been so hard for my daughter to hear but she stayed calm and asked what she would recommend doing. She told us to get mirrors installed in our school! (we don't have a school!!). Anyway, she's had a lesson since then and we just can't see the crookedness! She also said that even though daughter had answered all the riding questions correctly she felt that the answers 'were too textbook'.

My question is, is it worth trying again as the feedback was so vague and there's nothing constructive that she can do to improve? How can she work specifically on her position if noone can see anything wrong? How can you improve on answering questions correctly?

I was really shocked at how nasty the examiner was. Surely she could have said ONE nice thing about dd? She was the only one in the group who did all the jumping and flatwork correctly, her horse was well behaved and nicely turned out. Is this what Pony club is like? Conversely the Care assessor was lovely and encouraging and passed her, saying she did really well so that was good. I don't want dd to take it again if she has to face the same attitude as it has really knocked her confidence.
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Hello, this is a couple of years on but we have sadly just had a very similar experience with my daughter’s c+ test. The similarities in the attitudes of the examiners are striking, they didn’t make the time to make even a single positive comment to my daughter having just made some very harsh comments ( which were completely incorrect had they known her or taken the time to let her finish her answers) Being present while this was delivered I was shocked that they felt it was ok to speak to a young person in this manner, they brought my daughter to tears and although she will resit at the next opportunity it will take a long time to rebuild her self confidence. Having experienced other PC examiners previously who gave well balanced and positive feedback I am really sad that there are still some examiners out there who think it is ok to behave like this in this day and age, it doesn’t take a lot to be kind, they can do a lot of damage and are certainly not helping to encourage our young equestrians.
 
Really sorry to hear this and hope your daughter hasn't lost confidence.

Takes me back to the early 80s when I failed my C+. The examiner ripped me to shreds in front of everyone and totally destroyed me. I gave up horses within a year. Honestly would have hoped things would have changed since those days. :(
 
billylula said:
Yes, we've looked into that. The nearest course is very expensive and a long way away but we may have to try and get a place. Tbh her PC doesn't have any formal B care training (which I presume she is eligible to do even though she hasn't passed her riding) anyway.

I work with a lot of different sporting organisations and best practice is always to give some positive feedback as well as negative so I'm surprised PC is so behind in this regard - or maybe I shouldn't be!!?
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I'd love to know whereabouts you are Vicky!

Sadly my dd never regained her confidence. They said she had to go to another instructor and be signed off to take it. We did, it cost £40, and they said the same thing, she was too crooked to ride. She isn't crooked,.you could peer and peer at her and not see anything unusual. The whole thing was a scam. Dd gave up riding a year later.

My younger dd is eventing successfully at BE90 but wants nothing to do with the PC tests!
 
billylula said:
I'd love to know whereabouts you are Vicky!

Sadly my dd never regained her confidence. They said she had to go to another instructor and be signed off to take it. We did, it cost £40, and they said the same thing, she was too crooked to ride. She isn't crooked,.you could peer and peer at her and not see anything unusual. The whole thing was a scam. Dd gave up riding a year later.

My younger dd is eventing successfully at BE90 but wants nothing to do with the PC tests!
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Sounds about right for the PC. Some of the worst instructors and examiners I’ve ever seen have worked for them, attitudes and skill sets that would never get a pass in other sports. (I coach various sports although not riding.)

Some branches, including the one I was in as a kid, if you didn’t have a certain type of pony and ride on teams, it wasn’t worth your while turning up because you’d only get ignored or nasty sarcastic comments. It certainly stopped lots of people from going for their tests, even those who were competing at a good level.

I’m very sorry about your daughter giving up.
 
shortstuff99 said:
In my B test I got told off for my riding looking too quiet and that I should make my aids look more obvious and louder. Yeah no thanks.
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Oh yes, this is a big 'thing' in PC tests - they want what they call 'positive riding'. My daughter has been criticized in several PC tests for being too nice to the horses - the comment "horses go well for you because they like you" was said in a way that indicated that this was not what they were looking for! She is certainly not ineffectual as I think her BE record shows!
 
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TGM said:
Oh yes, this is a big 'thing' in PC tests - they want what they call 'positive riding'. My daughter has been criticized in several PC tests for being too nice to the horses - the comment "horses go well for you because they like you" was said in a way that indicated that this was not what they were looking for! She is certainly not ineffectual as I think her BE record shows!
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It's very weird and I can't understand it. I've just successfully ridden a 3ft SJ round and ridden other horses and assessed, how has my riding been at fault?

If the horse is going well for the rider I can't see how being quiet is a bad thing?
 
I have to say I don’t recognise any of that at all! It’s surprising how much difference there is between the areas - I did my B test riding and care this week, the care was short and easy and I passed the riding on my ordinary chunky ISH. We completely flopped the showjumping, I think we cleared 2 the first time with refusals or poles at the rest. The examiner (who I’ve had clinics with and is usually very strict) was completely understanding and said that not every horse had scope and I’d be judged on my riding not the horse. Which was very welcome because most of the group had brought BE100/Novice schoolmasters. In the debrief they said they’d noted my empathetic riding and that they appreciated me letting the horse I swapped onto stretch out.
One girl did fail and her mum was quite put out by it and said she’d failed just because of her seat. But in the exam she mentioned she couldn’t answer a couple of the theory questions either, plus a sticky showjump round on an experienced horse so I don’t think it was just the seat. Talking well is as important as the riding in the test.
 
Lillian_paddington said:
I have to say I don’t recognise any of that at all! It’s surprising how much difference there is between the areas - I did my B test riding and care this week, the care was short and easy and I passed the riding on my ordinary chunky ISH. We completely flopped the showjumping, I think we cleared 2 the first time with refusals or poles at the rest. The examiner (who I’ve had clinics with and is usually very strict) was completely understanding and said that not every horse had scope and I’d be judged on my riding not the horse. Which was very welcome because most of the group had brought BE100/Novice schoolmasters. In the debrief they said they’d noted my empathetic riding and that they appreciated me letting the horse I swapped onto stretch out.
One girl did fail and her mum was quite put out by it and said she’d failed just because of her seat. But in the exam she mentioned she couldn’t answer a couple of the theory questions either, plus a sticky showjump round on an experienced horse so I don’t think it was just the seat. Talking well is as important as the riding in the test.
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To be fair I did mine over 15 years ago now ?
 
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