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Considering...Yet Nervous

3K views 16 replies 11 participants last post by  BeccaF 
#1 ·
Ok...deep breath...here I go!

I am considering the idea of possibly getting in to eventing.

A few key points to understand about me:

  • I'm 47 and have not had consistent riding lessons for any length of time. So I really know nothing about dressage or jumping.
  • I have 2 horses in my backyard, neither are showing material, even at the lowest-of-the-low levels. One is a mid-20's pasture puff, the other a big honkin' draft cross.
  • I've always loved watching the sport and ages ago used to volunteer at horse trials held at the USET HQ here in NJ. Boy what fun that was!
  • DH is a triathlete and is constantly encouraging me to do SOMETHING with horses beyond taking care of my 2. And has said that he'd be all over helping me out, the way I do when he's competing and training.

So...I guess I'm looking for a bit of encouragement and advice on how to start on such a journey! I have no aspirations to get to any particular level at this stage. I really just want to dip my toe in the waters. Kind of a bucket list sort of thing.
 
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#2 ·
You are braver than me, way, way braver. I would love to event, jumping & xcountry looks so fun, however I don't wanna fall, I know I will break something.
 
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#7 ·
Thanks for the encouragement so far!! :)



Aaaaannnnd this is the EXACT reason why I used the word nervous in the title of this thread!! :lol:

to quote some actor in some movie i saw some where and some time............ you can do it!!!!!! lol
Awesomely, simply well said!

i would say start out by finding somebody to give you jumping lessons, just to get started and learn proper form. that will 'get your feet wet' in the world of jumping and let you get a feel for whether it is something you can see yourself really getting in to.
This is a bit of what I had in mind and the bolded part is an excellent point.

draft cross would probably make a decent jumper. won't have the agility needed for higher level events/courses, but IMO just fine for learning on. you have any good conformation type photos of him? we could tell you if he'd be suited physically.
I would love love love to ride Jake as I like to be different and he is not what you'd ever in a thousand years consider to be sport horse material. I don't have a confo shot and at this stage would be embarrassed to post one. He's HUGE! And I don't mean just tall! He needs a serious fitness plan but then again, so do I. :lol:

He's a Belgian cross but really favors the Belgian side. So whatever he's crossed with did not contribute any refinement whatsoever.

But in all seriousness...that might be something to consider. I could spend the next months starting to get us both fitter, relax a bit over the winter and then aim for something next year. I'd have to find a trainer to come in but...hmmmmmm....

You may be on to something there EHG!

I just completed my first recognized BN HT last week. I am 46. I highly recommend it regardless of age. What you have going for you is exactly that, your age. You are far enough along in life to have a healthy respect for the dangers of the sport and wise enough to take it at your own pace and only jump at a level you are comfortable with. Find an eventing trainer who can get you started on some trustworthy school horses. There are schooling shows you can do at 18" or 2' jumps so you can safely see if the sport is right for you. Once you are hooked (should happen some time before you even pick up your dressage test at your first show) do what height you feel comfortable at until it is boring and then move up. I did elementary for 2 years and just this year felt ready for the 2'7" height. I'm moving at a snail's pace by most people's standards, but staying safe and having a ball. There are a ton of more age seasoned eventers out there, so don't worry about that. Welcome to the dark side and have fun!
I think you just made my day MBP! :D And if I started out for fun with my big guy, I doubt we'd be able to do much more that 18". Which would be totally fine by me!

Hmmmmmm lots of fun stuff to think about and plan for!
 
#3 ·
to quote some actor in some movie i saw some where and some time............ you can do it!!!!!! lol

i think you'd have a lot of fun. back when i had my gelding, i loved jumping with him! mind you, we never had any formal training/lessons together (my minimal jump lessons were on school horses a few years prior), or jumped any higher than 2 foot high obstacles, but it was always so much fun :) best was when they would bale up the straw in the nearby field we were allowed to ride in, and we'd line those square bales up into quite the little xc course. i recall a mercedes straw bale jump being constructed once, lol.

i would say start out by finding somebody to give you jumping lessons, just to get started and learn proper form. that will 'get your feet wet' in the world of jumping and let you get a feel for whether it is something you can see yourself really getting in to.

and draft cross would probably make a decent jumper. won't have the agility needed for higher level events/courses, but IMO just fine for learning on. you have any good conformation type photos of him? we could tell you if he'd be suited physically.

i free jumped my draft cross lease horse the other day......... he basculed (the curvy jumping form of the horse) perfectly over a ground pole and thought it was a good foot and a half off the ground! lol! he's never once jumped like that before, we've only done itty bitty cross rails once or twice, and he looked darn happy doing it! i'd love to take him further, but alas, switching leases and barns end of month.
 
#4 ·
I just completed my first recognized BN HT last week. I am 46. I highly recommend it regardless of age. What you have going for you is exactly that, your age. You are far enough along in life to have a healthy respect for the dangers of the sport and wise enough to take it at your own pace and only jump at a level you are comfortable with. Find an eventing trainer who can get you started on some trustworthy school horses. There are schooling shows you can do at 18" or 2' jumps so you can safely see if the sport is right for you. Once you are hooked (should happen some time before you even pick up your dressage test at your first show) do what height you feel comfortable at until it is boring and then move up. I did elementary for 2 years and just this year felt ready for the 2'7" height. I'm moving at a snail's pace by most people's standards, but staying safe and having a ball. There are a ton of more age seasoned eventers out there, so don't worry about that. Welcome to the dark side and have fun!
 
#5 ·
Sorry to hijack the thread....but MBP, have you ever fallen? I love jumping and the xcountry part looks thrilling but I am so chicken of falling & breaking my hip or something like that...
 
#6 ·
While eventing? Nope, except for my very first show. I was very ill prepared, underpowered, my horse was a saint but could only take so much and dumped me at the 3rd stadium fence. Even then, I just slid off slowly and landed softly in the sand on my nice cushioned butt. Since then, nothing. I was grinning ear to ear during XC at that show last week. I've said to my friends, if eventing is so dangerous, they shouldn't have made it so much fun.
 
#10 ·
Go for it!! In Alberta we have a very strong "mature" crowd out eventing, gals and guys, some into their 60's! It's great!

One thing I love about eventing is that just about any horse can do it, you don't need to go drop a bunch of money on an expensive horse or anything like that. I've seen everything from TB's to shetland ponies to saddlebreds and full drafts, and everything in between! I wouldn't necessarily write off your guys, many older horses and "other" breeds or mutts do just fine at the lower levels. For just starting out, you might want to look for a been there, done that sort of horse, that way you can just concentrate on yourself, not training the horse as well.

As far as getting started, I would definitely find an eventing instructor to get in with. You should have a decent selection in NJ, and I wouldn't necessarily go for the big names, but instead look for that barn that has what you are looking for, a good solid program whose students are successful at the lower levels. I would also track down your local eventing association, check out what all is offered in your area, see if they have any upcoming events you could spectate or volunteer at. Or see if there's any active facebook pages, so you can kind of get in there and start learning and meeting people. Eventers in general are great, very helpful and friendly, and love it when others show interest in our sport:) Often you can find great instructors by word of mouth. Clinics are great as well, eventers are big on clinics! You can also find some that are kind of an introduction to eventing, or that cater more to the newbies, and they are a great way to get out and get your feet wet as well.

Eventing is a TON of fun, and a good instructor will get you solid in the basics before advancing. I honestly don't find it any more dangerous at the lower levels than show jumping at the same height. Riding horses is always a risk regardless of what you're doing. The great thing about eventing now is that they have starter level, so basically just cross rails for stadium and tiny logs for cross country, so your first event can be very easy, low pressure, and straightforward for those just starting out. You start small and gradually advance, a good coach will help you do it in the safest way possible:)

Many eventers are just out there for the sheer fun of it. Everyone has their thing, some are serious and want to move up the levels, but many also have no aspirations of going any higher than say, novice. So you shouldn't have any worry about only wanting to go out and do the lower levels just for fun.
 
#11 ·
Go for it!
Eventing rocks!
Find a good instructor, most important.
Some instructors are used to a 'higher faster, higher faster' kind of show rider which is awesome. Good for them! However, in my experience, adult riders that are new to eventing really want a slow and safe approach with common sense instruction that's difficult enough to challenge but very logical and in sequence.

I have a GREAT time with my adult riders playing at schooling shows and small events. It's fun for them and they learn a lot without the expense and stress of a rated show. My very competitive riders do big shows, but generally my adult riders are content to play at schooling shows.
 
#12 ·
However, in my experience, adult riders that are new to eventing really want a slow and safe approach with common sense instruction that's difficult enough to challenge but very logical and in sequence.
This is EXACTLY what I need! LOL

Albertaeventer...great post! Thank you! You're right, there are scads of trainers in NJ (I've been doing a bit of research...well...maybe more than a bit :wink:).

I think what I might also do is look around for a local event and go and walk around observing the riders, the coaches etc. to see what I can learn about the various barns in the area. If it's not too late in the season. I don't know anyone who participates in this sport so that will another be a way to learn more.

Really appreciate all the encouraging responses everyone! Getting more excited and nervous...but in a good way. :D
 
#13 ·
Go for it! Never too late to try something new! I've had eventing bouncing around in my head too but finding time is about impossible for me. :( Missy & I do have our own 'xc course' of sorts back in our woods, we jump all of the downed trees and the drainage ditch during our "you won't get ate being a trail horse" lessons. Lol.

I want to see Jake jump. Get on it! :D
 
#15 ·
I'm thinking Jake needs it much more than you do with his fluffy self! When I was a kid a friend had a big Belgian gelding that was part of her dad's pulling team that she rode english for fun. We jumped him a few times, hands down the most ungraceful thing ever but he sure tried! Wish there were pics of that. :lol:
 
#16 ·
It will take some dedication and work, but it's not at all impossible. Here's the obituary of Walter Gervais, who started eventing way later than 47!

WALTER GERVAIS | The Chronicle of the Horse

Seriously, though. At a show about 10 years ago in the warm up for a top division (maybe advanced, but it could have been a CIC***), a rider with limited miles at the level saw Bruce Davidson--who evented in his first Olympics in 1972, was world champ in '74 and '78, and had been at that level on myriad horses since, take a deep breath before XC. The rider turned and said something to the effect of "you still get nervous?" Bruce replied that the day he was not a bit nervous coming out of the start box was the day he was too foolhardy and needed to quit eventing.

We ALL get butterflies, but it is precisely those butterflies that make completing XC so much FUN! Throwing your heart over the fence so you have no choice but to ride over after it, the satisfaction of a course well ridden, the pride in your horse when he saves your sorry butt, the pride in yourself when you convince him that yes, that really is the jump you want, the feeling of having your horse locked onto a fence or, better yet, looking for the next fence to lock onto . . . . those are the reasons we event.

Oh, yeah, and we do some prancing and stuff first and we get to jump again. That part is okay, too.
 
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