Tips for getting the time - Novice BE

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MagicMelon

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Am consistently getting 6 - 8 time penalties at novice BE level. Ive really tried to go as fast as possible, and kicked on as soon as I land after a fence etc. But my horses simply doesnt have the biggest stride! And we do slow down for combinations etc. as he is naturally a very careful horse so never goes carreering in like I see others doing. I have only once got an black flag route so that's not the reason, and I always try to cut corners if possible.

What else can I do to try and make the time?? Anybody got any tips?
 
my old horse Sean, used to take the fence in his stride, so never lost any time, yet i still got faults till the end (all be it my first season novice) and i know my x boss's WB mare took 2 years to get enough confidence to go round the course quickly and take the jumps at the speed needed. just hang in there, try not to over lush and it will happen. how long have you been doing the novices for? xxx
 
If you have sufficient control, try not steadying for the combinations until closer to them, it's quite hard to get the balance right I know but if you can slow down 1 or 2 strides later into each combination that will save you a few seconds. Lots of people waste time coming out the start box and into the first fence- make sure you get straight into xc pace out the start box, many will hold a nice canter into the first fence and then go.
 
Bam Bam - Ive done 5 novices now I think since late last year. So I guess, maybe we'll just get the hang off it naturally? It's hard though as I feel like we are getting faster each time yet am still ending up with the usual faults. My horse is very confident but at the same time he likes to gauge the fence a few strides away so doesnt appreciate being rushed!

Boss - Thanks, I will try slowing down later into fences. I guess, I probably do slow down a bit early..... and I do try to go steadily down any steep slopes in case he stumbles....! Does everyone else just tear down hills etc.? Yeah, my horse does launch out of the start box so I dont think that's an issue. Although Im wondering if I start too quickly (ie. and he slows a bit towards the end)?
 
Don't know of any other tricks, I think you should definately stay safe and not push your horse in and start taking flyers (too scarey)
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My sister rides my horse and he is strong so she waste times pulling him up in front of fences several strides away and they don't hit the times either. All the time I try different combinations of bits to see if that will work, but tbh as he grows up and gets more educated I hope it will improve. Would rather have a few time faults than a horse and rider wrapped around a fence. Although it is dissappointing not to hit times and you wonder what type of speed BE would consider fast and dangerous!

Hope you enjoy the round anyway, how long have you been doing Novice for? Good luck with the next one
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Hi Wolfie, did my first one back in June but as I said, only done about 5 since (dont travel too far to things!). Got my next one at Brechin this weekend so looking forward to that. Maybe one day we will get the time! Yeah, like you say Id rather ride on the safer side than the dangerous one. I really value my horse so I hate coming into things too fast. He is very easy to pull up though so at least I dont waste time pulling like your sis has to
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Do you event?
 
good luck at brechin hun, the novice course is very twisty and hard to get a good consistent rythme so dont worrry if you dont make the time as not many do. I did my first novice there and i was just looking to go clear and i did so good luck.
 
My mum reads every eventing article she can lay her paws on, according to Mum even William Fox Pitt moans resonably regularly about how difficult it is to make the times and that is at all levels. This seems to be a standard grouse amongst eventers.

I just had a quick look on BE and in the 2 novice sections at Ivesley only 4/31 in one clase made the time and 9/32 in the other, also having a quick look at Pontispool I see 3/27 etc, etc....

I know that doesn't help you make the time but I think relatively it's not easy to do and making the time is the exception rather than the rule.
 
I know the feeling Bee and the pony have just moved up to novice, dressage is not the best. It is so diheartening that they can be one of a few double clears and still not be placed due to time faults. She is only a 14.2 Sec D x Newfie though so not built for speed.

Bee tries everything you have suggested, jumps on all sorts of tight angles , steadies only a stride or two before a tricky fence and just kicks at everything else.

It seems such a shame that she has to work twice as hard as all the others (JRN so full of ex Intermediate and Advanced horses) but is very satisfied when the opposition get too fast penalties.

Can you go to a gallops somewhere and run alongside a faster horse just to get the feeling of opening up between fences a bit more?

You can save a second at each fence by thinking kick then land, rather than land then kick.

I find that if the course is tightly strung she has problems, but if you know Brechin is twisty try practicing maintaining a good canter whilst making tight turns, gymkhana style.
 
The time being so tight is weird, if hardly anybody tends to make the time then surely that says something about it being too fast? It does make it 10 times harder for us on the smaller horses (mine is 16.1hh but he is very small built!) and if you're not on a TB then again, its hard.

I know that a lot of people DO get time faults XC but since our dressage isnt great, but we are easily capable of a double clear - the time is the main thing which is putting us just out of the placings.

Thistle, I totally agree that it is so disheartening when you get a double clear and then still dont get placed especially when double clears seem pretty hard to get (why do so many eventers get faults SJ?!). I think TOO much hinges on the dressage nowadays.

Nope, dont have any gallops near me at all! And I keep my horses at home and my friends horses dont event so cant even go for a gallop with them in a field somewhere (they're not fast enough)! I would love to do that though, I will try to get to the beach sometime soon as that's really the only place with a surface.

I havent done Brechin before so will be interested to see how twisty it is! I actually find twisty courses suit my horse better than the long gallopy ones as he can turn a lot quicker than others who are towing on.

Thistle - where does "Bee" (is this your child?) compete? Is she doing Brechin?
 
One thing I think is people do not move away from the jump quickly enough. This is where Francis Whittington is so deceptive he just does not hang around and is very quick away from the fence.
 
Thistle - where does "Bee" (is this your child?) compete? Is she doing Brechin?

Yes Bee is my 15 year old daughter.

We are based in N Herts and compete in E Anglia JRN and also in the SE region and midlands.

If you were closer I would suggest you got together and had a race!
 
Not sure what else you can do really, I was doing novice on my mums horse and she was not that fast, but when she started being obedient and listening I found it much easier to get the time. Something we also tried was having her slightly less fit ( my mum is paranoid about fast work) and that also helped. At the end of her novice stint we would get the time always.
One last thing is the fact that I trusted that horse with my life and we were a team, she looked after me and I looked out for her. If you spend time fighting you are wasting time.
 
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