Setting horsey goals and how to achieve them?

[FlyingCircus]

Until now, I've never really had any goals as such. However, my horse has come back from various problems better than ever and he's talented enough for me to want to give this competing lark a go!
So...where do I start?! It all seems very overwhelming, as I've never had a schedule of sorts when it comes to riding. I just get on and then work out if I want to jump/flat/hack.

 

[be positive]

If you have decided to start aiming for some competitions the first thing is to decide where you would like to get to longer term, ie to do a BE80/ 90 or to get to Elem dressage, then work backwards to plan the steps required to get there, you may be aiming higher than my suggestions but for someone with little or no competition experience they are sensible medium term goals that should take 9-12 months to get to if you are starting with a basically well educated horse.

The eventing aims will require some schooling/ training/ competing in each sphere then a few ode's at a level you feel confident with until you are well prepared to take the next steps either in the ode format or each phase at different times, often as you progress your aims/ plans/ expectations change or you decide you enjoy one aspect more than another, I think it good to plan, be ambitious but also think you need to be flexible within those expectations, with horses so much can go wrong you do need to be prepared to change direction if required for some reason.

Forgot say where to start, look for either a local dressage comp that has an Intro test and enter that, it will give you the very first step into competing at a basic level or find a clear round jumping you can do, again low key no pressure but will give you an idea of where you and your horse are.
Find a decent instructor who does compete or trains people to compete, not all do and it really helps if they can clarify rules, explain how to deal with everything you need to in order to compete, you will find you will have a never ending list of questions so it helps if the instructor is involved in whichever sphere you decide to go into.

 

[FlyingCircus]

Thanks for taking the time to post

Do you schedule everything back from a competition then? And from what point? Say my aim next year is to get out to a few BE80s with view to stepping up to BE90 at end of season, do you typically go backwards from there and plan out your year? 6 months? I'm not sure how far in advance would be ideal.

 

[be positive]

Thanks for taking the time to post

Do you schedule everything back from a competition then? And from what point? Say my aim next year is to get out to a few BE80s with view to stepping up to BE90 at end of season, do you typically go backwards from there and plan out your year? 6 months? I'm not sure how far in advance would be ideal.

Yes in theory I do, in practise there is often a lot of flexibility but by planning well ahead you can be flexible depending on how things go and what requires extra work, winter plans work towards the spring/ summer, early spring results may mean changing the summer plans.
If you want to BE 80 next spring early summer then this autumn is the best time to get out to some hunter trials, work on the xc which cannot be done over the winter, spend the winter doing dressage and sj then with a xc school or two in the spring once the weather allows, in theory you should be well prepared for an unaff ode or possibly even a BE80 depending on how things have gone.
I would look at the fixture list and see what fits in to my plans and then work backwards to make sure everything is as well prepared as possible for the first one, after doing one or two then look at the 90's and find one to aim for and work it into your plans.

If you plan far enough ahead then it is easier to drop back, consolidate anything that needs work or tweak the fitness/ feeding in time for it to make a difference.

Being over prepared is far better than arriving under prepared and feeling overwhelmed or out of your depth, so much work is required to event even at the lower levels it makes sense to do everything possible to allow you to enjoy it, have fun and achieve the best result possible.

 

[bollybop]

Firstly I'd say what level are you/were you schooling at, and what heights have you been jumping?

If you've never really competed much, it helps getting out to the competitions and seeing what they are all about. You could even offer to help, as that will give you even more insight!

For instance be80/90 are often very "up to height" and will be a lot larger than the local pony club one day evebt