Getting Into Eventing

Yup, they sure do, Stormy. It is a shame that people can't accept other viewpoints.

Forgot to add - I also know that I am doing what is best for my horses and myself - In that order.

I don't think wild_spot attacked anyone for having a trainer, and yet you attacked her for not having one. She did not start any fight.

Some of my favorite quotes from you

"Go have fun getting hurt then guys! "
"You really don't seem to be taking the riding seriously"
"THANK YOU! At least there is one sane person here!!!!!!!! "-so going against your beliefs is insanity?

Vs. wild_spot
"I am not saying riding with a trainer is bad - It is always beneficial. I just think it is preposterous to expect every person to have a trainer with them every time the step onto a CC jump. "
"I'm not saying riding wth a trainer is bad - Of course it isn't! But do you really think that people who can't afford the megabucks (And yes, here it is megabucks) to have a trainer present every time they school CC should be made to miss out on this exciting sport? Really? That's elitism if i've ever seen it.
"Which doesn't make them wrong. I hate that they are vilifying anyone who rides/has ridden CC without a trainer present as irresponsible and not caring about their horses. By doing that, they are insulting a huge percentage of Australian eventers.
"

Now... who is being open to ideas and mature. Who is being rude and isulting?

Maddie you do relise that it is YOUR decision if you go out on the XC course and you instuctor can not force you in to doing something that you don't want to do!!!! If your instructor WANTS you too doesn't mean you HAVE too!!! there is a differnce between WANT and HAVE TO!!!!

And Ella is here and she is also reading this, and she is shocked that you said he doesn't bolt because you and Jalah had a HUGE arugument that Chinga never bolts, and you said that he always bolted, and now you are saying that he NEVER does!!!!

I never said he always bolted, I said he has and was bolting (Is at the time). No I am not stupid I know what I said, by the way. Why would I make something up like that? Its nothing to be proud of.
She can’t force me. But she knows what is best for both my horse and I, she has more experience than me so I will follow her instructings. Because I don't think she is going to put a meter cross country jump in front of us or a water jump and announce jump that. Knowing her, there will be a long and detailed explination of how to jump it -- thats a good thing.
As for the bolting, he use to. But then the tight circle and walkie game got rid of it, but awhile ago, it started again. The reason being, he was bored. He was sick of riding the same paddock every day. The same coloured polls the same routine. The same bending, barrels, key hole, ect pattern. Part of the reason we moved another reason we moved was because the other place was bigger and it was closer to home.
So yes he has bolted his gone through several stages of it. But working with Sue in the past two weeks has helped him allot. Now he is learning to slow down and it will be at least a year until we are at competitions so there is nothing to worry about. As for the Mount Gravatt thing, we have actually arranged with Sue to go up there and play with their course. Even if we don’t go over the jumps, I can still walk Chinga around them. Get him use to them and do theory. Thanks for your concern though! By the way, Mount Gravatt has an awesome course!

And lets just clarify, instead of turning this into a big over exaggeration.

I said Training over a CC course without a coach is irrisponsible because those fences . Where as NO WHERE on this forum, did I say that riding, hacking, doing Dressage, playing over Stadium Fences without a coach is irrisponsible.

There are many who do alot without a coach, and I have no issues with that, but I feel that due to the huge increase of accidents that are occuring out on that CC course today, we cannot take the chance of hurting ourselves and our horses.

Many Top Level Eventers *In North America* including David O'Connor, Karen O'Connor, Jim Wofford and others stress how important it is to have education under you before you get on that course. Not only be able to ride that course, but be ready and prepared - though edcuated coaching and training.

Now, on that note - Wild Spot, I did not see your past posts, I usually skim past the majority, but I went back and re-read -

Yep, you are right. We grew up in different atmosphere's and different practices of Horsemanship. Since I joined PC, I grew up in a very trainer orientated atmosphere, where in your country, they are far and few between.

I have a dear friend who is a Kiwi and she is a phenominal eventer, and I just had a long discussion with her about this and she did most of her riding without a coach - but, on that note, she didn't start out without a coach, and when she was ready to move up she didn't do it without a coach/trainer by her side.

I agree, that it is one thing to ride a low level fence *beginner novice* alone, when you've been riding Novice or Training - but I wouldn't consider moving up at all without a coach working with me.

I guess from my point of view, I was thinking in hands of preparing for an event, I wouldn't school over the course without my coach by my side *But you also have to understand that MANY courses in my area will not allow a rider on their property *course* without a coach present* so I wouldn't beable to anyways, even if I wanted to.

Whereas in your area, it is lax and free willy nilly.

I would feel comfortable going over a BN course alone without a coach, but I wouldn't feel comfortable doing it without eyes on the ground or others present for incase if someting went wrong. But I wouldn't school over a N course, without help because there are questions that I cannot answer on my own, or I wouldn't consider training over a T course without educated eyes being with me, because there are questions that I cannot answer on my own.

Low Levels are supposed to be strait forward, simple, fluid - but for someone who is at the lowest of levels, I wouldn't encourage them to piddle around without help, but once they moved up and obtained the experience needed through proper education and training, I would feel comfortable for them to go over the lowest level course, because they've trained it and experienced it.

I would never encourage someone just starting out to ride alone, never. That is just a disaster waiting to happen. How is the rider to know how to establish rhythm, or how to rock back or how to put their horse in check or how to stay behind their horse? Without the education under them?

Then when we start to move up into higher levels - how is a rider to know how to extend, or bring back, or do a coffin canter or to ride a fly fence - without the education?

So I do see both sides, as my friend does. I see and do agree with your case, and I see and agree with mine.

^ Thank you.

I also agree - I would never go out on a CC by myself - I will always have my dad/a friend/SOMEBODY.

Finally some civil conversation :]

I train mostly N XC(I did one training question too), and I couldn't have done it without my trainer. She pointed out so many things that I was not able to feel, and she told me how to ride the fence corectly, so when I went to a show there I could navigate that course perfectly(although I do wish I had one of those ear things and she could talk me thruogh it LOL!)