What has happened to the BHS exam system?

[soloequestrian]

I went through it some time ago but my friend has just done her Stage 3 and wants to take Stage 4. The whole system sounds like a nightmare now. I can see the point of a 'skills record' before an exam because you want to know that candidates aren't going to be totally over horsed but the BHS don't accept having very recently passed the S3 as a 'skills record' for taking the 4.... surely if you can ride at that level you're not going to come to any harm on the S4 horses (especially given that at most centres they will be the same horses....). They also seem to have upped the number of horses everyone has to ride e.g. the dressage used to be two rides and is now four, one of which is supposed to be a young horse.... can't imagine any centre letting lots of different candidates ride their young horse(s)! It seems like the whole system is designed to either make money from determined candidates or put people off totally! What is going on?!

 

[teapot]

You'd be incorrect @soloequestrian. As someone who spent a lot of money on Stage 4 training but a proper job/life got in the way of taking the exam:

The Skills Record was brought in because too many people were rocking up to the exams below the required standard, both care and riding wise at ALL levels. The BHS didn't like the failure rate, despite it not actually being their fault. The other thing the skills record allows for is to ensure there's a certain base line of knowledge, before going into that exam. It builds on the previous stage and imho has made the actual exam experience a lot better as the questions are then far more practical than theoretical. Now if someone has been signed off and fails badly, ie asked to leave the assessment early, the coach that signed them off will be contacted to find out what's gone on! Also as the BHS exams now have an education audit trail and third party adjudicator the skills records has tightened up the entire process which is no bad thing.

Ride wise, on the flat the difference in level from Stage 3 to 4 has always been the biggest, so passing the Stage 3 ride doesn't really help much, unless the rider's way above the standard. I've met and worked with a lot of people thinking simply having the Stage 3 was enough to go onwards, only to be knocked down by having a Stage 4 ride assessment. Having your Stage 3 is in no way proof that you're of the Stage 4 standard, hence having to be signed off!

You'd also be surprised how quickly an exam horse is ruined, especially at the Stage 4 level, or indeed people being overhorsed especially given there's a bit of a difference between a nice Stage 3 sj course at 90cms, and the Stage 4 course which could be 1m10 and a lot wider. I was told by a FBHS and assessor it's why there are so few Stage 4 and I exam centres because they're not prepared to risk the horses, especially jumping wise. All it takes is one person missing entirely (or godforbid worse) and bam, that's a school horse's education potentially put back months. Keep in mind the assessors also ride the horses at Stage 4 and above level before the day starts, so they know exactly which may be worse for wear by the end of the day. Said assessor also said they'd seen some horror shows in the Stage 4 ride and had to step in on a number of occasions, including just over poles...

With regards number of horses you ride, if you do the Stage 4 complete ride, ie flat AND jump, you ride four horses, two on the flat, two jump. Therefore to make the assessment fair across the different pathways - it's now four on the flat, and four over jumps IF you were take the flat only route, or the show jump only route. It also proves you're able to ride four different horses in the same day and improve each one to the assigned brief. It's a higher level exam, therefore you should be riding more horses for it.

With regards the definition of young horses for an exam - two things, firstly some stage 3 horses will be stage 4/5 horses. Others very much not, and I've been lucky enough to ride both types. There's a difference. I've also ridden exam horses that would count as 'young' but weren't 4/5 year olds. It's not just about age but 'young' with regards education. So you could get a 'young' 8-10 year old for example that would give you a decent prelim test, but not a elementary. That said, the better centres will pull out younger horses that are young age wise, especially for the I/Stage 5 exam, ie something that's used to the training centre environment but is still pretty raw education wise.

 

[teapot]

ETS: if I remember rightly the break down for the Stage 4 Ride Dressage only is:

1 x horse on flat working to elementary to be ridden in a double
1 x horse on flat that may be young or a mature horse that requires schooling.
2 x horses on flat that are used for training others, so you get a mixture of the older school horse schoolmaster and then a 8-10 year old, one of which much include exercises over poles, the second to assess their level of education/training, and how to maintain both horses for the job role of training others.

In addition to a debrief after each horse, questions on backing, turning away, knowledge of BD to elementary including the rule book etc etc

Stage 4 Show Jump wise it's 1 experienced horse over show jumps to 1m10; 1 inexperienced horse over show jumps to 1m (again could be a younger horse, or a mature horse needing schooling, and
2 x horses over show jumps used for training others, to include poles and a grid

The Eventing ride is 2 x flat, 1 show jump, 1 x xc, and combines a mixture of the above, knowing the rules for all three affiliated disciplines etc etc.


It really is the all round exam, and requires the all round candidate. The BHS have done the right thing I think.

 

[eahotson]

You'd be incorrect @soloequestrian. As someone who spent a lot of money on Stage 4 training but a proper job/life got in the way of taking the exam:

The Skills Record was brought in because too many people were rocking up to the exams below the required standard, both care and riding wise at ALL levels. The BHS didn't like the failure rate, despite it not actually being their fault. The other thing the skills record allows for is to ensure there's a certain base line of knowledge, before going into that exam. It builds on the previous stage and imho has made the actual exam experience a lot better as the questions are then far more practical than theoretical. Now if someone has been signed off and fails badly, ie asked to leave the assessment early, the coach that signed them off will be contacted to find out what's gone on! Also as the BHS exams now have an education audit trail and third party adjudicator the skills records had tightened up the entire process which is no bad thing.

Ride wise, on the flat the difference in level from Stage 3 to 4 has always been the biggest, so passing the Stage 3 ride doesn't really help much, unless the rider's way above the standard. I've met and worked with a lot of people thinking simply having the Stage 3 was enough to go onwards, only to be knocked down by having a Stage 4 ride assessment. Having your Stage 3 is in no way proof that you're of the Stage 4 standard, hence having to be signed off!

You'd also be surprised how quickly an exam horse is ruined, especially at the Stage 4 level, or indeed people being overhorsed especially given there's a bit of a difference between a nice Stage 3 sj course at 90cms, and the Stage 4 course which could be 1m10 and a lot wider. I was told by a FBHS and assessor it's why there are so few Stage 4 and I exam centres because they're not prepared to risk the horses, especially jumping wise. All it takes is one person missing entirely (or godforbid worse) and bam, that's a school horse's education potentially put back months. Keep in mind the assessors also ride the horses at Stage 4 and above level before the day starts, so they know exactly which may be worse for wear by the end of the day. Said assessor also said they'd seen some horror shows in the Stage 4 ride and had to step in on a number of occasions, including just over poles...

With regards number of horses you ride, if you do the Stage 4 complete ride, ie flat AND jump, you ride four horses, two on the flat, two jump. Therefore to make the assessment fair across the different pathways - it's now four on the flat, and four over jumps IF you were take the flat route only, or the jump route only. It also proves you're able to ride four different horses in the same day and improve each one to the assigned brief. It's a higher level exam, therefore you should be riding more horses for it.

With regards the definition of young horses for an exam - two things, firstly some stage 3 horses will be stage 4/5 horses. Others very much not, and I've been lucky enough to ride both types. There's a difference. I've also ridden exam horses that would count as 'young' but weren't 4/5 year olds. It's not just about age but 'young' with regards education. So you could get a 'young' 8-10 year old for example that would give you a decent prelim test, but not a elementary. That said, the better centres will pull out younger horses that are young age wise, especially for the I/Stage 5 exam, ie something that's used to the training centre environment but it still pretty raw education wise.

Very interesting.

 

[Bobthecob15]

I had no idea it was so challenging!!

 

[soloequestrian]

Those are all interesting points teapot. I suppose I was thinking more of the dressage exam when it would be difficult for someone who is able at S3 to do any damage at S4. It seems surprising that there is such a difference in the jumping but thinking back I did have to put a horse back together in XC that someone else had ridden really badly. My pal has had difficulty finding someone to assess and sign off the skills record because she's not at a centre that does BHS exams. She's ended up having to spend a lot of time and money on travelling to someone who can do that. I suspect up here in the north it might be impossible to find anyone.

 

[teapot]

Those are all interesting points teapot. I suppose I was thinking more of the dressage exam when it would be difficult for someone who is able at S3 to do any damage at S4. It seems surprising that there is such a difference in the jumping but thinking back I did have to put a horse back together in XC that someone else had ridden really badly. My pal has had difficulty finding someone to assess and sign off the skills record because she's not at a centre that does BHS exams. She's ended up having to spend a lot of time and money on travelling to someone who can do that. I suspect up here in the north it might be impossible to find anyone.

If it wasn't for the being signed off process, you could potentially have a very weak Stage 3 rider but a passed Stage 3 rider, perhaps never competed, perhaps never even ridden on their own, rock up and to be asked to ride a well tuned schoolmaster in a double. Or ask a horse to do an unsuitable pole work exercise. Both of those could end badly, and unfortunately assessors can't step in until something does go wrong.

I think back to how I rode in my Stage 3 flat, how the horses went, and I passed, to how I ride now on more advanced horses... the gulf between 3 and 4 is much bigger than most realise. Also the 4's such an all round higher level - it's the fitness, finesse, and subtleties that imho differentiate between the two levels more so than what's actually asked of the candidate, and that is where a lot of candidates fall down by all accounts.

As for finding someone to sign you off, the issue of finding someone qualified at the next level up, so a Stage 5 ride holder/Stage 5 coach is just as hard down south. I was traveling c.120miles round trip for my training - the centres at that level are so few and far between. The BHS APC map isn't that accurate either, so it's a case of asking around. Tbh though, given the lack of exam centres around, I'd be recommend your friend have the odd lesson on an exam horse anyway! School horses are a skill in themselves sometimes