Team chasing - am I mad?!

[chestnut cob]

I think I might be mad... I've always thought team chasing looked great fun but have now decided this is something I'd really like to have a go at. Have made a couple of enquiries so will see what comes of it.

I feel like horse and I have worked really hard over the last year WRT flat schooling and SJ training. Done some BE and UA ODEs (and come home with some frillies ). Horse doesn't particularly love DR though he has nice paces and scores well. His SJ has come on in leaps and bounds, but his real love is XC which where he really comes into his own. He is brave, careful, clever and will school over a BE100 XC course like it's barely there. I was debating taking him for a few days' hunting this year, which is all he had done before I got him anyway (I've done the odd day with him, did a lot more with previous horses, and his previous owners said he was a fantastic hunter), but I'm not mad keen on all the waiting around then ending up miles from home in the pouring rain and having to find my way back to the trailer... He is a buzzy little horse, he likes to be on the move, loves to jump so I thought he might enjoy team chasing as a sort of reward for knuckling down so well all year during all the boring DR stuff

So am I mad?! Am I going to ruin all of my hard work on the DR front?!

 

[ihatework]

He will love it!!

Could well not assist the dressage though!

 

[chestnut cob]

He will love it!!

I think so too - he already thinks he's the cleverest pony there ever was when he's on the XC course, so can only imagine what team chasing might do to his ego

Could well not assist the dressage though!

Hmmm.. I suspect you might be right, and also suspect my teacher might actually kill me! ;-0

 

[chestnut cob]

Next question... how much faster is the pace compared to, say, BE90 XC speed (which we can make)?

 

[star]

Go for it. I've always hunted my eventer and it's not done his dressage any harm at all. If anything it benefits him as he's thinking more forwards. I am very tempted to try team chasing with him as think he would love it.

 

[ihatework]

Next question... how much faster is the pace compared to, say, BE90 XC speed (which we can make)?

The novice courses often have a bogey time option, so you could choose those over fastest time if needed.

 

[chestnut cob]

Go for it. I've always hunted my eventer and it's not done his dressage any harm at all. If anything it benefits him as he's thinking more forwards. I am very tempted to try team chasing with him as think he would love it.

Mine doesn't really need to think any more forwards - have spent a long time trying to slow him down and stop him from speeding off everywhere! So I suspect he might revert back to a few old habits But I do think he'd love TC.

Have heard back from someone I'd messaged anyway so hopefully have something on the cards. Fences are bigger than I'd originally thought though... I thought Novice was 2ft9/3ft (max fixed height) but looks like it's 3ft3. Not a problem in itself as that's 1m, and we're XC schooling happily over that height. But it's a bit different at speed and in a group.. thankfully from looking at vids online it doesn't look like anything is technical, just big gallopy fences like he's been used to hunting over. Just kick on, I suppose!

Will look forward to seeing some TC reports if you decide to give it a go too!

 

[Gamebird]

Novices are usually smaller than that (the hedges can be big, but the fixed height fences are generally diddy). Have a look for vids on youtube, there are loads (often under TC rather than team chase). It's not remotely fast either. BE90 speed would be about right as they're bogey time classes. The Fernie I think is the only one to run a speed class, though I did hear tell there might be one more this year.

My horse does Int and BD Medium and is chilled as anything about the dressage, but knows when he's team-chasing and is an utter prat. I have to tack him up before we leave home, someone legs me on as he canters past and we rarely jump a practice fence as he's too busy cantering sideways, backwards or spinning. He's fantastic once we're on the course though - the intermediates are extremely fast and big (I'm 6ft and have jumped the odd hedge I can't see over when walking the course). Someone told me that if you have time to see a stride you are not going fast enough! He goes in a snaffle, doesn't pull and will go first or last, angle anything, jump upsides or go straight past a horse which has stopped. There is the odd bogey time int class if you feel the need to move up though!

As for the waiting around for hours in the rain miles from home... Same old I'm afraid!

 

[chestnut cob]

Thanks GB.

Novices are usually smaller than that (the hedges can be big, but the fixed height fences are generally diddy). Have a look for vids on youtube, there are loads (often under TC rather than team chase). It's not remotely fast either. BE90 speed would be about right as they're bogey time classes. The Fernie I think is the only one to run a speed class, though I did hear tell there might be one more this year.

I've had a look at a few vids, inc some hat cams. Mostly it looks quite scary but good fun!

My horse does Int and BD Medium and is chilled as anything about the dressage, but knows when he's team-chasing and is an utter prat. I have to tack him up before we leave home, someone legs me on as he canters past and we rarely jump a practice fence as he's too busy cantering sideways, backwards or spinning.

This is how mine has started behaving in a XC warmup and start box now so I can only imagine how he'll be if he we go TC and he gets the hang of that! He thinks anything vaguely XC related is the best thing to ever happen to him. I have no intention of ever doing any Intermediates though, looks far too big and fast for me! I just want to do something to get us both a bit braver and thinking a bit more forward, not scare us both witless

As for the waiting around for hours in the rain miles from home... Same old I'm afraid!

Oh, well I look forward to that then... hooray! ;-/