Which would you do?

[ann-jen]

Ok so the dressage is going really well and we are ready to affiliate this year but ATM we are really working on our jumping and we are getting there - we can now jump round a small course of jumps in a semi-sane manner - LOL. So I've decided its time to actually go to a jumping show.
Now on the May Bank Holiday one of the local venues runs an unaffiliated ODE, show cross and straight dressage competition and in the first class the jumps are tiny and the SJ is very straight forward.
I was considering doing the straight dressage and asking if I could do the SJ HC but when I spoke to my instructor she thought I should just enter the ODE and if I wasn't happy after the SJ then not bother doing the XC which might razz her up. I really want to go and treat it as a schooling exercise to see how she manages jumping away from home and this is the only thing on this small in the area. But I know I won't be able to trust myself that if she goes clear SJ on a good dressage score not to go XC even if she's feeling tense - v lacking in self discipline I suppose!
So what would you do?

 

[*hic*]

BUT I'd also find out whether you can treat the XC as a schooling round ie miss any jumps that will worry you out, if so you can treat it as a nice canter in the countryside which might settle you both.

 

[Hemirjtm]

I think go fo the ODE....thats what i would do because i like to push myself!! But tbh it's entirely up to you...can you sign up on the day? if so do that and whatever you feel like doing do that!! Or get someone else to decide for you then you don't have to make the decision!!

hope it woks out ok for you, and you feel happy about whatever you do!

 

[ann-jen]

Seems pretty unanimous to do the ODE (the only vote for doing the dressage was me

). I've just found out there is XC schooling at the same venue this weekend so can go and give her a little try out this weekend to test the water before going for real.

 

[the watcher]

I think you should skip th XC unless you have done a training session beforehand.

It is all very well the rider being ambitious, but it is the horse that has to progress and ideally without stress..to do your your first XC under competition conditions seems very unfair.

 

[ann-jen]

I know what you mean. There is no way I want to undo all the hard work I've put in!
I'm having a jumping lesson on Saturday so I'll discuss it again with my instructor and will most likely go to the XC schooling session on Sunday. If she goes well over the weekend I'll go for it but if she's tense then we'll give the XC a miss - Jen can be different one day to the next so you never know what to expect.
Also she's had a bad experience at this venue so it'll be interesting to see how she goes at the schooling day and if that is now all in the past.