Who has done their stage 4 BHS?

[ArcticFox]

Hi all


looking at any feedback from anyone who has done their BHS Stage 4? I am competing and training my own horses at the moment and work full time. I run my own private yard and have previously been on livery.

how did you find your stage 4? I'm hoping to do it soon but woudl love to hear others experiences.

 

[ruth83]

I have. Currently working on the BHSI.

What would you like to know? Having both done it and been involved in training people for it, the biggest problem that people who compete their own horses have is that they are not always adaptable enough to ride the exam horses. Sometimes similar with the care and theory - they have their way of doing things, which is absolutely fine, but they struggle to discuss alternatives or use different equipment etc. Not always, but that is a fall down.

As always, lunging is a weak spot in this exam. It is part of the riding for this exam - as is a section of equitation theory - as I'm sure you know if you're looking at taking it soon.

It is a higher level exam so it tends to be a slightly different atmosphere to the previous exams. This is above the AI so those taking the exam are often more committed and mature than many at the previous exams, meaning there is a slightly different atmosphere. Nerves are obviously still present but people are more used to dealing with them.

 

[ArcticFox]

thank you
I will do a bit of lunging practice for sure for my exam. I passed my stages on first attempt including the lunging last year. I am now working towards my AI.

I was wondering if it was much higher than the stage 3 - I felt confident at it, and received no feedback on how I got on so hopefully this means I was of a good enough standard. I will have a think about all the things I do and what alternatives there are.

what kinds of things did they get you to do in the stage four? tack a horse up for competition (is this like stage 3?) or clip a horse/plait it etc?

I would love to go on to do my BHSI but not for a while I suspect!

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Yes, but prob of no current help to you, as took it in 1981 :redface3:
I took it about 2 months before I did my II (T). Then due to a major off (ruddy youngsters), I didn't complete the R & SM parts of my II, and then never bothered to go further.

Good luck AF, go for it

 

[ArcticFox]

Thank you. I'm just going to see how far I can go with it tbh.

 

[ruth83]

It is more in depth than the Stage 3 certainly. It is less about performing movements and more about training the horse to perform the movements and dealing with more of the issues that arise. Obviously the jumps are bigger etc.

In terms of the care, some of it is similar to the S3, tacking up competition horses etc. The feeding is much more in depth and there is a discussion on breeding. In the practical you will be asked to apply a knee or hock bandage. There is also more emphasis on yard and business management as the S4 forms part of the BHSII which is a more supervisory/managerial role than the AI.
The full syllabus is here file:///C:/Users/admin/Downloads/Stage%204%20Syllabus%20and%20Guidelines.pdf

There is a S4 training day at Gleneagles at the end of this month http://www.bhs.org.uk/training-and-...-4-riding?centre=GLENEAGLES+EQUESTRIAN+SCHOOL

 

[ArcticFox]

oh thank you for that! I hadn't seen it.

 

[loobylu]

I loved the Stable Management exam - much more discussion rather than spouting out lines from a book. Had an actual lame horse to assess too.
I also sat my riding, passed everything but the lunging first time in 2011 and have still to pass the ruddy thing. I haven't competed above BE100 but I have ridden literally hundreds of horses/ponies.

 

[Mike007]

I have instructed on some of the stable management parts at a BHS approved center and observed a number of candidates throughout training and the exam . For what its worth ,my opinions. It is a high value exam and anyone who thinks they can just glide through it is deluding themselves. Firstly,Fitness! Unless you are riding multiple horses every day , you had better get down the gym or start running . If you cant hold a two point seat around an xc course for at least 4 minutes without banging your backside on the saddle ,you aint fit enough.
You will be riding school horses. If you have been fortunate enough to have had your own horses and never had to ride anything and everything, it will come as a bit of a shock. These horses will see you coming a mile off and have learnt all sorts of things that your little darling at home would never dream of doing. BUT THAT DOESNT MAKE THEM BAD HORSES ! They are just professionals faced with an obvious amateur.So the moral is start riding anything and everything.
The examiners have seen and heard it all before, and do know that riding a strange horse and getting things perfect is blooming hard. Its what you do about it that counts. It is pointless to blame it all on the horse . What counts is how you thought you rode to make that horse a better horse ,and what further training you would do to carry it forward. Have the courage of your convictions and dont try "mouth music" to bluff.
I think that in terms of equitation the ponyclub A test is the higher standard ,but the stage 4 covers a lot of stable management and business management that the A test doesnt.
It is a hard exam and well worth the effort in my opinion.

 

[ArcticFox]

thank you mike. I am pretty fit - been galloping round Novice BE recently and didn't feel tired at all. I did have to get off the horse at my stage 3 and sit on the floor as I was recovering from a car accident and was in a lot of pain. thankfully they didn't hold it against me and I passed without feedback.

I rode the horses in my stage 3 and found them to be lovely horses.

I am pretty self critical so happy to say what I could do better, or what worked. I will definitely not be expecting to turn up and breeze through it so will start swotting up on my business management notes.