Where to find young horse classes?

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Suenomel

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Hi all, I am looking at starting competing my 4 year old in the new year (when he will be 5) in show jumping and eventing. He is showing bags of potential but i have no idea where to even start for young horse classes.

How do you get started? I have joined my local riding club which has regular events but nothing for young horses. I believe there are different criteria for 5 year-olds such as no timing in SJ?

Any advice/tips/help in where to go/what to do would be brilliant!
 
Ditto Maxine1985 but just to add, these classes would not be considered "first time to introduce your young horse to competing" type classes. At least not for your average amateur although I'm aware that some pro's will take a horse to BYEH for example as a first outing.

I am a (very) average amateur and have had a go at both classes which were great fun if you went without any expectations. The standard tends to be very high at the top end and plays to a horse that needs very little prep for that standard.

BYEH for 5 yr olds is a simple dr test showing some lengthened strides followed immediately by a course of SJ's up to 1.05m, venues seem to vary dramatically in how up to height they are! Badminton BYEH looked like a NC track and I wasn't even riding it! By comparison I did Chepstow which was relatively soft.

Good luck though, I have always enjoyed the little bit that I have done and it's nice to compare your horse against it's age group - even if they are usually very precocious types!
 
Matafleur said:
Badminton BYEH looked like a NC track and I wasn't even riding it! By comparison I did Chepstow which was relatively soft.
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Sorry to hi jack thread!

Did you do any other BYEH classes? Am looking to do a few next year (although I'll probably be chicken and get my instructor to ride!) and was wondering how 'harsh' you would say some of them are in the Wilts/Glos sort of area.
 
monkeybum13 said:
Sorry to hi jack thread!

Did you do any other BYEH classes? Am looking to do a few next year (although I'll probably be chicken and get my instructor to ride!) and was wondering how 'harsh' you would say some of them are in the Wilts/Glos sort of area.
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I only did Chepstow this year (which was really nice) and watched a bit of the Badminton one. In the past I have also done Gatcombe and Hartpury.

Badminton looked big to me, especially considering it's such an early one. I also though Gatcombe was fairly beefy although didn't go through to the jumping as my mare couldn't cope with the whole atmoshere during the dressage (had been fine at Chard BYEH previously) so didn't think it safe to jump her! Hartpury I thought was big enough but kinder than Gatcombe and it rode really well. It's always a busy one and v competitive as usually the last one. This was a couple of years ago now though when I was a bit more inexperienced so my views may be skewed!

Barbury always looks nice in the pictures...

Do it yourself - it's more fun!
 
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