Four Steps to Moving Up

Photo by Hoof Pix Photography

Four Steps to Moving Up:

Mike Huber, past president of the USCTA, acclaimed USET international rider and coach, and member of the USET Selection Committee, agreed to share the criteria he uses to determine whether his students and their horses are ready to take the next step.  Mike has developed four points to take into consideration when making the decision:

 

1.  Determine whether the horse is suited to the competition at the next level.  Does he have the talent, brain, and ingredients necessary to handle the complexities to be faced at that level.  Ask a professional for an opinion of the horse's athletic ability.  There are people who do not ride with me who will call and ask for my opinion of a horse's ability both mentally and physically and I consider it part of the service I will offer to give them assistance.  We will check to see if the horse will cope with water, ditches, and combinations.  Some horses will reluctantly trot through a water splash, but will NOT jump down into it.  Some horses cannot handle a one stride triple combination with a couple of oxers in it.

Riders should not be disappointed if the horse that has given them a good start at novice is unable to move to the next level.  It is very likely that there will be several horses in a rider's eventing career, and they shouldn't let one horse slow them down or even determine how far they will go.  I often hear riders who find thier horses are unsuited for training level say that they will just stay at novice or do dressage.  If a rider really wants to move up and enjoy competition at the higher levels then he or she should consider another horse.  A horse that has been a good servant to them will be very happy to do the same for someone else.

Former USET Coach, Jack Le Goff, used to say that you don't go to college with your kindergarten teacher, and while he was referring to instructors, it does apply also to your horse.  The horse that teaches you the ropes at novice is not going to be the horse that takes you advanced.  In the same way that the advanced horse is not always the right horse for a novice rider.

 

2.  Winning a novice event is not an indicator that it's time to move up.  A lot of novice events are won in the dressage with horses just getting by on cross-country.

I hear people say they can't move up until they have won an event.  Roger Haller's Golden Griffin, who was a memeber of the USET Three-Day Event Team in the 1970s, although often well placed, never won an event until he reached the advanced level.

Some riders believe they should stay at each level a year before moving up.  However, a year can mean different things to different people.  Some riders can complete 14 novice events in one year, others just three or four.  The experience comes with the number of events, the amount of exposure both horse and rider have, arather than the length of time spent at one level.  This will of course vary depending upon the number of events available in your Area and your personal circumstances.

 

3.  The quality of the cross-country performance is most critical.  Was the clear round smooth and confident?  Did the rider come off the course feeling the jumps could have been bigger and more difficult today?  Or did the horse feel green?  Was he hesitant, crooked, or stuttering in front of fences?  Did he barely get through the water?  Do not be blinded by the "0"s on the scoreboard.  Realistically analyze your round.  This is when it is helpful to have your coach or a fellow rider watch your round and tell you if it looked smooth, controlled, and positive.

 

4.  Preparation is the vital key to moving up.  There is a significant difference between novice and training and not just the three inches in height.  Yes, you have to learn a new dressage test, but can you handle the triple combination?  Can you be effective or are you just hanging on as the horse goes through?  Some competitors never even get to the cross-country when show jumping comes first because they can't handle the more technical requirements.

You should be comfortably schooling training level courses at home.  Yes, your horse might be happy splashing through water but is he ready to jump down a drop into water, or handle the difficulty of a small coffin and other combinations.  There are schooling days and clinics which will give you an opportunity to jump some combinations on actual courses.  You will have professional help on the ground to advise you.

A professional knows what a horse has to face when he moves up a level.  Often amateurs don't know what they are going to be asked to do.  Read the rule book for the types of fences and specifications permitted at each level and then do your preparation so that you can tackle that level confidently and successfully.

 

USCTA News - Volume 26 - Issue 6 - November/December 1997

Edited by Jo Whitehouse