Novice Dressage
Eventing for the Beginner Rider
Over time riding in the sand arena can get stale for the novice to horseback riding. Once the rider has adequate control over the horse, it may be time to consider eventing.
Eventing comprises the three basic areas of English riding: dressage, show-jumping and cross-country jumping.
The top competitions - Rolex in Lexington, Kentucky or Badminton Horse Trials in Gloucestershire, England - will probably come to mind when you think of this sport. But those are the ultimate ‘three-day events.’
There are many opportunities for the novice rider to experience the fun of ‘one-day events’ at much lower levels.
The Novice Dressage Phase
If you’re going to event, you must be able to comfortably canter your horse, because of the jumping phases. But the introductory levels of eventing are geared to beginner horseback riding and only require walk and trot movements in the dressage test.
The judge is looking for nothing fancy: just smoothness of transition from walk to trot and back, and from walk to trot. Ribbons are awarded in the dressage class, regardless of how well the other phases go for you.
Jumping Phases
You may worry about height when you think of the jumping phases of an eventing competition. But there’s no need for concern as entry level classes have really low jumps, including the ‘tadpole’ classes with 18 inch fences.
Stadium phase: you ride over a set of pole jumps in an enclosed arena.
Cross-country phase: the obstacles are rustic, fixed fences, such as log piles or wooden gates, spread over a wide area of undulating grass terrain with plenty of room between them.
Number of Jumps
You’ll have between 6 and 8 obstacles in each of your jumping phases, and they’ll be very inviting to you and your horse.
Lower level cross-country phases are not timed, so you can trot your horse quietly over the fences at your own pace.
Fitness
Even the least strenuous one-day-event demands a reasonable level of fitness in your horse and yourself.
Since you’ll be completing all three phases in one day, you must have a horse in good physical shape. Read a horse riding book on conditioning a horse for competitions and you’ll find that the goal of getting your horse fit will increase your riding enjoyment.
When you’ve completed your first one-day event, you and your horse will have developed a deeper trust in each other, and you’ll be fired up for that next competition!
Novice Dressage
Eventing for the Beginner Rider
Over time riding in the sand arena can get stale for the beginner to horseback riding. Once the rider has adequate control over the horse, it may be time to consider eventing.
UNDERSTAND Novice Dressage - Eventing for the Beginner Rider - Horse Training
Like you Never have before
Eventing comprises the three basic areas of English riding: dressage, show-jumping and cross-country jumping.
The top competitions - Rolex in Lexington, Kentucky or Badminton Horse Trials in Gloucestershire, England - will probably come to mind when you think of this sport. But those are the ultimate ‘three-day events.’
There are many opportunities for the beginner rider to experience the fun of ‘one-day events’ at much lower levels.
The Dressage Phase
If you’re going to event, you must be able to comfortably canter your horse, because of the jumping phases. But the introductory levels of eventing are geared to beginner horseback riding and only require walk and trot movements in the dressage test.
The judge is looking for nothing fancy: just smoothness of transition from walk to trot and back, and from walk to trot. Ribbons are awarded in the dressage class, regardless of how well the other phases go for you.
Jumping Phases
You may worry about height when you think of the jumping phases of an eventing competition. But there’s no need for concern as entry level classes have really low jumps, including the ‘tadpole’ classes with 18 inch fences.
Stadium phase: you ride over a set of pole jumps in an enclosed arena.
Cross-country phase: the obstacles are rustic, fixed fences, such as log piles or wooden gates, spread over a wide area of undulating grass terrain with plenty of room between them.
Number of Jumps
You’ll have between 6 and 8 obstacles in each of your jumping phases, and they’ll be very inviting to you and your horse.
Lower level cross-country phases are not timed, so you can trot your horse quietly over the fences at your own pace.
Fitness
Even the least strenuous one-day-event demands a reasonable level of fitness in your horse and yourself.
Since you’ll be completing all three phases in one day, you must have a horse in good physical shape. Read a dressage book on conditioning a horse for competitions and you’ll find that the goal of getting your horse fit will increase your riding enjoyment.
When you’ve completed your first one-day event, you and your horse will have developed a deeper trust in each other, and you’ll be fired up for that next competition!
UNDERSTAND Novice Dressage - Eventing for the Beginner Rider - Horse Training
Like you Never have before
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