Travelling to shows - how far and any recommendations?

B

blood_magik

Well-Known Member
Joined
26 January 2011
Messages
6,343
Location
Scotland
Visit site
I’m starting to plan my summer and it’s looking like I’m going to have to travel further than previous seasons due to a lack of classes locally. I’ve been spoiled having four large show centres within an hours’ drive of home. ;)

My issue is that Raz always performs better if we have a warmup/throwaway test. Hardly any venues up here seem to run more than one medium so I’ve tentatively been looking at venues over the border around Penrith and Durham.

I’m just wondering if 3-3.5 hours in the lorry is a little much to do two medium tests when I could make do with an elementary as a warmup and then do my main class at a venue 20 minutes down the road?

Any thoughts/experiences welcome :)
 
If you want info on any Cumbrian venues, stabling etc.
Dressage is so poorley catered for in the North and Scotland.
Recently a venue which was due to run mediums cancelled them as there where only 2 entries.
Generally anything over 2.5 hours/ 3 hours I like to stable the night before.
Its hard up here as for the nearest things (apart from the odd exception) are at all at least a hour away.
 
I hate travelling far but on one occasion had no choice. A 7 hour round trip for one, yes one class. (Area Festivsl final). We didn't stay over. Tbh it was actually ok though I wouldn't want to make a habit of it. It was just a rather long day!
 
Looking at it logically you would be better off staying locally and using the elem test knowing he will be fresh enough for the main class, if he gets a bit flat travelling he may perform 2 mediocre med tests and you will be worse off in the end, you can probably take him out more frequently to local venues and work on him being more attentive or whatever is lacking in the first test so both start to become more equal in time, as you move up the levels each test will take more out of them and you may find he performs better so can just do one sometimes.
 
I agree with be positive, use an ele to warmup and then do your medium test trying to work on getting the consistency in your first test. I personally wouldn't want to do 3.5hrs regularly! I am also lucky to have 4 venues within an hour and a half. I'm not up to medium level but the upper levels are well catered for in my region.
 
Last edited:
I think that’s probably going to be the way forwards, to be honest... the trip to Rockrose would be doable but then I’d be looking at having to travel to Aberdeen or Selkirk and it’s a lot when I’ve only got the one horse going.

Re the warmup test, our biggest issue is tension - he’s a spooky sod and always has been so it’s very much a case of holding his hand until he relaxes. He’s getting better though.

Thanks for the input, guys...
 
I agree with doing an Elementary if there aren't two mediums, however my other go to for Topaz is to do two warm ups. She is a bit odd in that it isn't normally the flowers/ boards/ etc that freak her out but the atmosphere, so taking her out working her then putting her away and back out for the test gets some of the silly out and is good preparation for those high level tests in the future ;). It's good for her to keep slowly expanding her comfort zones :).
 
be positive said:
as you move up the levels each test will take more out of them and you may find he performs better so can just do one sometimes.
Click to expand...

Good advice upthread and I'm just arriving at the stage where this ^^ is the case for mine. I'd also use the Elem as a warm up test - 2 warm ups hasn't worked for mine because she seems to need to get inside the boards to work through her tension... in the beginning I could have a 10% difference between scores in the first and second test. at last she's at the point where the first test is rideable and not spoilt by tension which is just in the nick of time, because she won't have enough petrol to do 2 tests when one is PSG :rolleyes:

Feeling rather lucky to live in an area with multiple show centres within an hour :o
 
I’d also stay local and do ele + med.

But also keep an eye out for stay away shows, I found it really useful to do a couple of those a year and ride multiple tests over 2-3 days.
 
I think the type of road also should be taken into consideration - Rockrose isn't a bad journey from the west using the M8. Ian Stark's is obviously further and the smoothest route would be M8 then A68 or possibly A7 but may not be the shortest compared to going via Peebles however that is quite a winding route. Doing an elementary and a medium locally would be my choice.
 
I’ve tried two warm ups (unintentionally - class ran ridiculously late after I’d been told it was running to time) and it didn’t work for him - it’s working inside the boards that’s the key.

He’s getting better at not overreacting to scary things. it was blowing an absolute gale up here yesterday and he only had a little spook at the arena doors rattling in the wind - last year he would have hightailed it to the other end of the arena and possibly dumped me in the process.

I think I’m going to have to stick to doing an elementary as a warmup just now and i’ll make it a short term goal to see if we can nix it by the end of the summer. Hopefully the harder tests will mean that he’s too busy to find things to spook at ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top