When did you start eventing?

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FinkleyGladiator

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Did you have a good horse as a teenager and then go on from there? Or did you start later?
Only reason I ask is that I'd love to event but just cant afford it. For example doing the intro at Gt. Witchingham would cost me the same amount as doing about 3 unaffs there (with all the start fees etc.) which would be round the BE course.
I dont have transport either which means I have to rely on lifts. My pony is perfectly capable though,which is rather annoying! I'm 15 and my generous parents pay for livery, shoeing, entry fees etc. and therefore I dont feel I should ask for anymore. I can't see sponsorship being an option as I have no 'track record'.
I come from a non-horsey family meaning asking for some funding is out of the question.
Sorry for such a long and boring post. I see this has turned into a bit of a moan instead of asking for advice, sorry
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I'm not dilusional(sp?) and I dont think I'll suddenly be the next Mary King, I'd just like to event as a hobby.
 
I started in my late teens, because I got bored with BSJA. back then it was a lot cheaper though, iirc entry fee was about £45 no start fees, and winning a N class netted about £60, it was possible to make a profit on the day... just!
it is expensive now, but why don't you do some Unaff and then maybe ask for day tickets and entry to 2 events as a Birthday present, or, contributions towards it from other relatives too, perhaps?
 
Well, you know Alice and Ellie- she had a pony before then called Henry (the little cob) and she started doing more unaffiliated stuff with him round the bigger courses, and then moved onto Ellie. When they started jumping the bigger courses and doing well and did the PC Bloom Cup and did very well so we decided to have a bash. Did one on a day ticket and it escalated from there. But we mostly did unaff. PC stuff and RC stuff which is run round the BE courses and the PC teams.
 
I have yet to! I'm 19 and really hoping to this year, but atm it's hard enough just finding the money to pay for ponio's keep! Though if I can befriend someone with a box I'll be trying to get to a few this year
 
[ QUOTE ]
Did you have a good horse as a teenager and then go on from there? Or did you start later?
Only reason I ask is that I'd love to event but just cant afford it. For example doing the intro at Gt. Witchingham would cost me the same amount as doing about 3 unaffs there (with all the start fees etc.) which would be round the BE course.
I dont have transport either which means I have to rely on lifts. My pony is perfectly capable though,which is rather annoying! I'm 15 and my generous parents pay for livery, shoeing, entry fees etc. and therefore I dont feel I should ask for anymore. I can't see sponsorship being an option as I have no 'track record'.
I come from a non-horsey family meaning asking for some funding is out of the question.
Sorry for such a long and boring post. I see this has turned into a bit of a moan instead of asking for advice, sorry
blush.gif

I'm not dilusional(sp?) and I dont think I'll suddenly be the next Mary King, I'd just like to event as a hobby.

[/ QUOTE ]

I was the same as you - had a pony on loan as a kid, completely unhorsey parents, no transport, loved eventing and followed it avidly. I wanted to leave school and be a working pupil, my mother told me to go to university and get a proper job so I could afford my own horses and not just look after other people's. It pains me to say it, but I think she might have been right!

So I went to uni, got a degree, got an MSc, left uni, got a job, bought a house, and two years after graduating finally bought a horse and lorry. I vowed I would never buy another horse unless I had transport as I hated not being able to compete unless it was local level in hacking distance. Sadly I made a bad choice with the first horse, and after 2 years bought the second horse (and sold the first one), and finally, in 2006, at the age of 26, I did my first BE event.

I'm pretty glad I did it that way round actually in the sense of getting the decent job and buying a house first as it meant I'm now financially secure enough to be eventing now, 4 years later, without worrying about buying a house etc.
 
I started BE just after my 13th birthday. Will make the move up to PN and hopefully Novice before my 14th birthday. Have been very lucky to find a sponsor willing to cover all my BE and BS entries.

Also very lucky to have a horse to do it on. Bought Titan 3 years ago and we have been bringing him on ever since. It feels great to have done all the work ourselves and have a BE horse, although only at low levels at the moment he has the potential to go further.
 
I did pony club eventing, and then started BE when i was 16 and got my first ex-racer. Did all pony club stuff and BSJA on ponies and one horse before that. I'm very, very lucky that my parents are horsey and that i get my pick of my Dad's retired national hunt racers
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My brilliant Mum always drove me around everywhere, took me hunting, got me lessons etc and then i got her old horsebox when she upgraded a couple of years ago. No way on earth would i be able to afford a horse, let alone 2 and eventing, without my parents.
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I take my hat off to the people who manage to figure it all out and afford to event without anyones support, it must be very tough to do.
 
I started riding when I was 13 and got my 1st horse (pippa)when I was 16 (a very ordinary IDxTB, that had done a bit of riding club activities). I did one unaffilliated ODE and won it, so my instructor advised me to affiliate. I did my first BE event when I was 17, and all went well, and we completed all my first seasons events (we only did about 6) clr xc, with not more than 1 pole down at intro. Then that winter it went wrong. I started using a different instructor (through pony club) who taught my horse how to stop!!!! My confidence went completly. I didn't then do any eventing until I was nearly 19. I got another horse (Millie bought from the meat man) to run alongside Pippa, who brought me all my confidence back. With the 2 horses I started doing unafilliated ODEs, Millie won all 3 of hers!!!! and Pippa was going consistently clear again. I did the unafil 3DE at Milton Keynes and Millie came second. I affillated again in the July when I had just turned 19 Did a few intros with both horses (Pip always went clr but her dressage was a bit dodgy) and Millie was often placed. By the September I move the horses up to PN, it was too big for Pippa, altho she jumped clr, she didn't want to do it, so I decieded to cal it a day eventing her. Millie went from strength to strength, sailing round PN with ease. I carried on for a season at PN, then just after I was 20 I made the step up to Novice. In 2008 (when I was 21) Millie took me to my first CIC and CCI*, completing both with a clear xc. In the 2009 season I made the step up to Intermediate on another horse. (My parents had decieded I had proved myself on cheap horses, so v kindly scraped a bit of money to buy me a more capable, experianced horse, but we had to get one with several quirks!!!!) So I hope I havn't bored you. But that gives a bit of a timescale!

ETA, my parents wern't horsey at all. But once they realised how dedicated I was they pulled out the stops to help me out, even buying a lorry, building extra stables and arena at home, and helping to pay for me to get my lorry licence. They have now resigned themselves to loosing most of their weekends to help me out, and they fund Murphy and Colin's eventing, Plus they put Millie in foal (Which I wouldn't beable to afford) whilst she is injured. I pay what I can afford to run my horses (I am a freelance instructor, but I also make sure I have time for my own horses), but they understand I need a decent record to become what I want to be, so help me out (alot!) I owe everything to them, without them I would never be where I am now. I really don't know how any young eventers would manage without financial help from their parents, and if you do I salute you!!!!!!
 
Thanks for all the replys
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SpottedCat- It's nice to hear that I'm not the only one who hasnt had the money/transport to event. I was planning to be a working pupil before uni but after reading that I might go straight to uni, get my degree and go from there.
Thanks again
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its the same with us i have evented 3 years ish
but for aa year it was 1ft6 or 2ft classes at local as i was scared of pony :S
we borrow transport
so when we get out were extremely grateful for it
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wow some of you lot are very lucky to have parents like that! i didn't have a horse at all until i left uni. made do with riding friends' horses and going to the RS. i think its why i'm so hopeless- i didn't have a horse of my own to ride all the time when i was younger!
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when i left uni in 2003 i bought Rocky (ex racer) spent 12 months playing around and then did my first proper competitions (not counting the BUSA stuff from uni) at RC. Was ready to event him BE by 2006 but then he went lame- on 4 legs.
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by now my parents realised i was serious and so bought Ozka for me- the grey in my siggy- so i finally made it to my first event in 2007 at the age of 25
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So don't give up on eventing, there is plenty of time in the future to do it (FWIW i'm pretty hopeless as a rider but have been quite successful at intro and PN on a horse produced by myself so anything is possible!
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)
 
we have no money whatso ever either FinkleyGladiator so you not the only one
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single mum working full time to cover eventing costs. No stables land or school at home.. livery is the only option... i also owe it all to my mum, and my sponsors are very helpful
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I havent, im 17 with a great 6yo on loan but i have no transport and could afford to BE if i had! iv always wanted to event but its just not worth it mounting up to £100 per outing, i'm going to stick to unaffiliated untill im the other side of uni! quite annoyed at BE for making eventing such a rich mans sport - il just have to be patient! good luck whatever you decide to do
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Started proper affiliated eventing when I was 17 - did one day ticket when i was 16. Ive been eventing 2 seasons now, more like 1 and a half though for various reasons!

I sold my pony and would have loved to event him but dad felt that i need a horse to do proper eventing, so I got 16.2hh of horse
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I started pony club eventing when I was 12 - am still pony club eventing today
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I wrote a long explanation (as I do
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) then deleted it because it was boring.
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Short answer, some PC stuff in my teens but not properly until I was about 22.
 
I'll make mine short too:
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I'm from a non-horsey family, started riding at the age of 6, had my first pony at the age of 14, did PC on him and RC on next horse, then a big gap and did first BE event aged 26 on my horse of a lifetime.
 
As someone from a non-horsey family, I never had my own pony/horse as a kid, but was lucky enough that my folks would stump up for riding lessons when I was younger to shut me up!
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Got a share horse to hack around on while I was at uni and then finally got my own horse as a Christmas present in 2006 from the lovely Mr FigJam when I was 22.
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She was then injured two summers in a row (
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!) and we only got transport in Sept '08, so my first ever competitive outing was Dec '08 as a 24 year old. I'm definitely jealous of those who had the opportunity to compete and learn about competitive riding from an early age when you have no fear!
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Our first unaff ODE was July '09 where we came 5th in a PC run 3' class.
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We then did our first 2 BE Intros in August, even coming home with a rosette from the 2nd one.
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2 years previuosly I vividly recall being at an event as a spectator and thinking "I'd never be able to do that, those folk are so amazing" watching the Intro at Oatridge (prob the smallest Intro in the country!
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) so to get a double clear at Scone (considered far beefier!) and 4th place a couple years later just made my year!
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I had genuinely believed I'd never be able to do it or ever get the opportunity.

Really inspiring to read that a couple of folk on here who I would give my right arm to do as half as well as didn't compete BE until a similar age... maybe there's hope for me yet?! hmmm...!
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PS- definitely stick in with exams/uni and at least give yourself the option of choosing to either work with horses if that's really what you want or get a job that pays to have them as a hobby.
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I started riding rather late (38) started with once a fortnight lessons, before being allowed to join group rides. Still in contact with instructor who put me on a horse for the first time.
Bought "Ben" aka Screamin Lord Such" in 2001 and after some local shows and unafil we did our first be in oct 03. Ben and i competed for 4 season before injury forced his retirement in 2007 (not a good year also broke both heels and an ankle on another horse). Finally gave up trying to make an eventer out of Casper whom I bought in 07, at the start 08 and aquired MG. Ran him at 5 intro at end of the season with only 3 completions (I withdrew 2) and 1 XC clear. 09 was a much better year though culminating in a 1*.
 
[ QUOTE ]
As someone from a non-horsey family, I never had my own pony/horse as a kid, but was lucky enough that my folks would stump up for riding lessons when I was younger to shut me up!
wink.gif
Got a share horse to hack around on while I was at uni and then finally got my own horse as a Christmas present in 2006 from the lovely Mr FigJam when I was 22.
grin.gif


She was then injured two summers in a row (
mad.gif
!) and we only got transport in Sept '08, so my first ever competitive outing was Dec '08 as a 24 year old. I'm definitely jealous of those who had the opportunity to compete and learn about competitive riding from an early age when you have no fear!
wink.gif


Our first unaff ODE was July '09 where we came 5th in a PC run 3' class.
smile.gif
We then did our first 2 BE Intros in August, even coming home with a rosette from the 2nd one.
grin.gif
2 years previuosly I vividly recall being at an event as a spectator and thinking "I'd never be able to do that, those folk are so amazing" watching the Intro at Oatridge (prob the smallest Intro in the country!
blush.gif
) so to get a double clear at Scone (considered far beefier!) and 4th place a couple years later just made my year!
laugh.gif
I had genuinely believed I'd never be able to do it or ever get the opportunity.

Really inspiring to read that a couple of folk on here who I would give my right arm to do as half as well as didn't compete BE until a similar age... maybe there's hope for me yet?! hmmm...!
tongue.gif


PS- definitely stick in with exams/uni and at least give yourself the option of choosing to either work with horses if that's really what you want or get a job that pays to have them as a hobby.
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Your enthusiasm is infectious, FigJam.
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I'm almost inspired to go out and do walk pirouettes in the rain (yes, it's thawing here, woo hoo.)
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Rain?! Now I'm even more jealous of that than I was your amazing BE achievements!
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I think in some ways not having been around it all my life and only really getting into horses seriously as an adult has helped keep that "horse mad wee girl" feeling about it, no doubt I'd have ditched a pony for boys at 16!
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Get out and ride Mrs... I would if I could but it was blimmin' well snowing again this morning!
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Started at 16, only went into B.E as there were so few well built unaff ODE'S going on. Plus had competed in ISODE at school and someone told be to try B.E.
 
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