XC Speed - 420 MPM

[tina_day56]

Hello everyone.

I am newly registered to the forum (although I have been lurking for a while, reading posts and viewing the photos!!)

So I am finally out of my hiding corner and am in need of some help...I have my first XC competition this weekend in 5 years.

The 'bogey time' to match on the timed section of the course is 420mpm (I assume that is metres per minute??).

Does anyone know how fast that is? Fast canter, medium canter, can trot a bit?

Any help would really be appreciated!

Tina

 

[tina_day56]

Just realised it obviously depends on the length of the course! Doh!!

 

[Baileyhoss]

420 mpm?. isn't intro 375mpm?

420mpm is very very very fast. galloping the whole way round.

 

[I_A_P]

just keep a relativly strong canter all the way round and you should be okay - you don't need to hammer along

Its very difficult to judge, just takes a bit of practise and totally depends on the type of course (ie. hilly/twisty etc)

 

[ecrozier]

Nope, doesn't depend on length of course, as is worked out at average speed. It does depend a lot on your horse though! I have a small horse (14.3hh) but he covers ground much better than you would think. For him, 450mpm is a strong XC canter, so 420mpm would be medium I would think. However I have friends who really have to belt around to make 450 so for them 420 would be a decent XC fast canter!!
There are much more experienced people on here who I am sure will help a lot more, but maybe post what size/type your horse is so can give better guess? eg mine is 14.3hh arab, quick and light on his feet, and VERY forward going!

PS you aren't going to wellington riding are you? We are there on Monday!

 

[Baileyhoss]

it doesn't depend on the length of course.

 

[ecrozier]

Bailyhoss no Intro is 450! So 420 notthing like a gallop all the way. As fran said safest to stick with a good forward canter.

 

[AutumnRose]

Intro is 450mpm.....which is a decent forward canter all the way round. It is faster than people expect at first i think...you can't really dawdle but you shouldn't be pushing out of a natural rhythm. If you are worried about not being fast enough between the fences watch your lines into and away and think about riding away from the fence on landing...can ave you a second or more per fence.

 

[tina_day56]

thanks all. The horse I am riding is 16.1hh and seems to cover the ground well.

 

[Baileyhoss]

please ignore me i am speaking shite - will bow out to people who know what they are on about. I am sure i read somewhere that intro was 375

 

[tina_day56]

forgot to say....yes it's wellington. We are in for the senior 2ft3 class. The horse is experienced and now semi retired but I have had a long break and am a bit 'out of it'. My stomach does somersaults just thinking about it.

 

[ecrozier]

That might be SJ speed baileyhoss?
An average forward going 16.1 light or middleweight horse (assuming not a big chunky type) I would expect will make 420 very easily!! Just make sure you have lots of fun and post a report!

 

[ecrozier]

Lol thats a coincidence! I will see you there then, we are (I think) doing the senior pairs?! I am a last minute sub as a friend needs a lead horse and the person who was going's horse is lame! Apparently it is a lovely course, certainly a very nice venue I did the BE Jump Training there in Feb and was lovely. Wave at me if you see a little bay arab with a blue and gold bedford horsebox and probably a rottie tied on the lorry somewhere trying to get passers by to talk to him!

 

[pinktiger]

when i did my very first intro on a young horse i felt i had a really good purposful canter/gallop, but when i got to the scoreboard i was really really shocked to find i had 25 timefaults for going to slow, as i was stood there obv in shock, someone very kindly pointed out that as i was on a young horse i had probably set up(which i did) for each fence and each pull/set up = one second, and 22 elements adds 22 seconds onto my time!! Now i ride and jump out of the stride im cantering in and away from fences(at all levels), and have only had minimal faults (if any for time)

 

[jennystreek]

If its your first competition, it may be a lot faster than what you think!

Depends also on the terrain of the course - if flat, then I would go for a nice forward canter all the way. If you have down hill bits and feel the need to trot, then you may need to push it on the flat / uphill bits to make up for the loss of time.

At the end of the day though, only do what you feel safe doing

 

[star]

i am there on monday too

have entered our first ever HT - went for the 2ft6 but after yesterday's schooling session i might have to see if they'll move me to the 2ft3 as he was spooking and refusing at everything first time round. if not, will have to dig out the spurs! silly horse has hunted over 3ft6 but on his own he's not brave at all. it's my first hunter trial for 4yrs and i've only ever done one before. bogey time of 460mpm sounds soooooo fast to me! i wont be worrying about it too much though - main aim is to get round alive and not get eliminated for too many refusals!

 

[tina_day56]

Thanks so much everyone!! It's a really big help. I will post some piccies after the event.

 

[Finns Mum]

[ QUOTE ]
forgot to say....yes it's wellington. We are in for the senior 2ft3 class. The horse is experienced and now semi retired but I have had a long break and am a bit 'out of it'. My stomach does somersaults just thinking about it.

[/ QUOTE ]

I am doing that class too!


I will be the very grey looking person on the piebald jumping all the fences as if they are 6ft and hopefully I will be hanging on lol.


Do you know the course at all?


My stomach has been doing somersaults since last week

 

[Finns Mum]

[ QUOTE ]
- main aim is to get round alive and not get eliminated for too many refusals!

[/ QUOTE ]

Good luck that is my aim too

 

[ecrozier]

Lol its an HHO outing! I don't know the course but person I am standing in for said its very nice, not too taxing and flows well, no nasties....altho she is obviously keen for me to take her space so hardly going to say its horrid!!
Sure will be fine tho, lets do an HHO results from welly post on Monday/Tuesday!

 

[wizzi901]

I am there too on Monday doing 2ft3, its lovely course!! - 420 is not that fast (I am on a short strided but fast 14.2) and will be aiming for a good steady canter!!

Out on Sunday at Great Westwood too!!!

 

[wizzi901]

Hey T!!!! its me!!! the horse you are riding will love it and with him you want to do a nice forward canter, got a time for a couple of short trots to get your breath and then have a steady hoon home!!

xxxxxxxx

PS recognise the semi retired boy in my signature??!! xx

 

[TableDancer]

TBH I hate to sound like a stuffy old f*rt but given all the posts about xc safety etc I'd just like to add, if it's your first xc event I wouldn't worry too much about the time. Just establish a lovely forward rhythm and try to stay in it, steadying a little within that rhythm for any fences where you need to (coffins, into woods, steps up or down etc etc) If you manage that you aren't likey to be far out on time tbh, 420mpm really isn't very fast. And even if you turn out to be a bit slow you will have had a lovely time and built up your and horse's confidence so you can go a bit quicker next time. That's far better than going a bit faster than you, and he, are comfortable with and having some hairy moments. Have a great time and we want a report

 

[FigJam]

[ QUOTE ]
TBH I hate to sound like a stuffy old f*rt but given all the posts about xc safety etc I'd just like to add, if it's your first xc event I wouldn't worry too much about the time. Just establish a lovely forward rhythm and try to stay in it, steadying a little within that rhythm for any fences where you need to (coffins, into woods, steps up or down etc etc) If you manage that you aren't likey to be far out on time tbh, 420mpm really isn't very fast. And even if you turn out to be a bit slow you will have had a lovely time and built up your and horse's confidence so you can go a bit quicker next time. That's far better than going a bit faster than you, and he, are comfortable with and having some hairy moments. Have a great time and we want a report

[/ QUOTE ]

That's exactly what I did on my first time out. Just took a nice, steady forward canter and kept in a rythym the whole way round (with a trot down a long, steep hill as it had been raining and ground was quite wet to canter down studless). Came in almost a minute over the optimum time, but finished with a happy horse and rider and a clear round!

Next time out (two weeks later), I was happy to move her up a little speedwise and not "set up" as much for each fence, instead I was happy to trust her to jump them out of a more forward canter than the 1st comp. Came in 15sec UNDER the time for 2nd place!

Better a happy, but slower, clear round than a hair raising, fast, out of control one!

Good luck, be safe and have fun!

 

[Finns Mum]

Phew doesn't sound like I will be too out of place if I take to trotting where I am not sure

This is only our second attempt at xc, at our first attempt last year I trotted the first few fences then we both got our confidence, he even jumped the ditch first time, which he had never done schooling before or since!

But that was only a basic course so very nervous going to Wellington!

 

[FigJam]

Not at all, I'm sure there'll be plenty of people with young/inexperienced horses (and/or riders!) who will not be galloping round like it's Badminton, so don't worry about that!

Like Table Dancer said, better to have a nice, smooth round at your own pace to carry on the confidence that you both got at your first comp, than to scare either of you. Just stay nice and steady and have fun!

 

[star]

i haven't even thought about the speed - i'm just quite happy to let him canter at his pace and get over the jumps safely. pelnty of time when we're more experienced to worry about going at correct speed. also, it's only part of the course that's timed at Wellington so the rest of the time you can go whatever speed you like!

 

[Vicki1986]

its probably too late now but if you know a distance in your field then use a stopwatch to time yourself and you can work out your horses natural speed that way which may help.

 

[wizzi901]

Welly is a lovely course, and whilst its good to enjoy it, if you have a chance at it on a horse you know will generally go clear who is very experienced, why not at least be informed about rough speed so you are in with a chance?

I too compete for fun but with entry fees as much as they are these days, if you have a chance, dont we all like to have a good crack at a rossie??