AMA I’m an eventer (or any other horse questions!)

[Makelemonadewhenlifegivesyoulemons]

Just the title really :-) this thread will probably completely flop but just in case anyone has ever watched it or has any questions.

For anyone unsure, eventing is an equestrian sport which is similar in set up to a triathlon. It involves competing at 3 separate disciplines (cross country, dressage and showjumping) and is an Olympic sport (obviously I’m not at this level though!) and there are other big events throughout the year too. It’s usually competed over 3 days and is sometimes known for being quite dangerous and risky, especially the cross country phase.

any eventing or general horse/pony or equestrian questions- feel free to ask away!

Hi op,I've a million questions!I've always wanted a horse of my own but it wasn't meant to be.
I'd it true that you can't ' make ' a horse do the jumping and dressage if they don't like it or do some riders use ' sides ' to force the horse along? I am not implying for a second that you do so,I really genuinely don't know but have often thought about it.I appreciate the horse and rider build an special bond of trust in each other.
thank you.

Ohhh you are living my daughter's dream! She's 12 and we have a pony but she does SJ and only u/a shows for now. She would love to event, but I don't want her to. It looks crazy dangerous 🙈

Hi! That’s actually a really good question! :-)

It really depends the horse to be honest. Overall I would say no you can’t force a horse into jumping or dressage if they really, really don’t want to do it, but some horses are very honest and willing and would do it if the rider encouraged them or used spurs or a whip. On the other hand, other horses would just completely refuse no matter what.

I always approach a horse as an equal part of our duo/team, and if it doesn’t want to do whatever is being asked of it then I don’t make it. What’s a team if 50% of it isn’t enjoying itself? Usually if a horse doesn’t enjoy jumping or dressage they’ll enjoy something else instead, like hacking, trail riding or even just living as a companion horse. Horses are sensitive animals and i would rather have my horse happy above anything else :-)

Most riders have the same attitude, but unfortunately some will be harsher and of the opinion that the horse will do what it’s told to do or what it’s been purchased for. Unfortunately miserable horses can cause serious accidents by bolting, rearing and other behaviours so from a safety perspective it can be dangerous to piss off a horse and try to force it to do activities it’s frightened of.

I hope you get your dream to have a horse one day! Lots of riding schools and clubs loan out horses- of course I don’t know your circumstances and would never want to make any assumptions but just letting you know in case you weren’t aware and it might be an option. You usually pay a set amount and can ride, look after and basically own the horse without the long term commitment and responsibility. :-)

Brilliant! :-) She sounds like a brave kid- lots of adult riders would be scared never mind 12 year olds! I can totally understand your fear, you sound exactly like my family- they can’t even talk about me doing cross country as it scares them so much haha. Hope she continues loving riding! :-)

Both my kids event. Older one working towards junior international - age 15. How many horses do you have and at what level?

How do get a horse fit enough to be able to do all three disciplines three days in a row? Our lovely (non-eventing) pony is usually exhausted after 2 show jumping classes in a day and needs a break afterwards 😂

Why are jockeys almost always Irish?

sorry it’s taken me so long to reply- I wasn’t getting notifications and I completely forgot I had posted this thread and suddenly remembered this morning!

I only own one right now but hoping to get another next year. My current horse is relatively young and very green with any sort of XC or rustic fence so no competitions this season obviously, I’m focusing on introducing everything gradually and bringing him on. He’s doing well though so I’m hoping to compete him next summer.

That’s amazing about your kids; best of luck to them for their competitions! :-)

Do you ever get scared?

It’s so difficult! It depends on the age, breed and current fitness of the horse- mine is relatively young but fairly fit so I’m gradually improving on this but it takes time- I’ve been following a fitness plan with my instructor and it involves interval training (lots of transitions and flatwork which actually ends up helping with the dressage side of it too!). It seems to be helping him and once he’s ready we’ll gradually up the frequency and intensity of training. I definitely need to work on own my fitness though, I’m exhausted after a round of jumps too 😂

Hi
Any tips on dealing with a very spooky/reactive pony pls? We’ve tried a variety of calmers (with no luck) and vet has ruled out anything physical, apparently it’s purely behavioural - and it’s driving me crazy. We handle her in a calm and consistent manner, she just seems to look for things to spook at!

thank you!

Why the long face?!

I’m not massively knowledgeable about racing or Ireland, but equestrian sports in general are really popular over there. Presumably because of the rural demographic of large parts of the country and it’s just historically a very popular sport there. I don’t know much more than this (sorry!) but the Irish train fantastic riders and jockeys. Racing is more engrained in the culture than it is in the UK. I think (99% sure) steeplechase horse racing began in Ireland.

Sometimes but not regularly. It’s scary to sit down and think about rotational falls (the worst type of fall) or any other type of accident that could happen, but when I’m riding I don’t really think about this. I just see the jump and don’t consider anything else other than successfully getting over it. When I’m scared it affects the way I ride so I try not to let the doubt or scared thoughts even enter my head! It’s hard though.

Horse riding in general is a dangerous sport but when you do it you sort of become immune to it. I’ve been ferried to hospital in an ambulance (not after an XC accident, after a bad fall doing flatwork!) and I was a bit scared at that point because it suddenly hits you how much damage you could do, but the fear went away as soon as I got back in the saddle.

Are you a member of Shiteventersunite? 😁

@tiredvommachineasaurus I am! Best group ever 😂😂

How friendly in general do you find the eventing world?
We have a pony and my adult daughter used to compete at Pony Club Endurance, up to Nationals and that was the friendliest discipline I've come across.
^^

Neigh, you're alright, thanks.

What level have you competed at?

There's a whole section for this so YABU - www.mumsnet.com/talk/AMA

Agreed!

Sorry I know it's not my thread, but generally when a horse is that spooky, it often is physical pain. Definitely is with my horse. What checks have you had done?

I was going to say this, you might get more response in the actual AMA section.