First BE ODE next month, any advice welcome!

[Rollingdinosaur]

I am finally taking the plunge, and having a go at a proper affiliated ODE next month, if I don't get balloted out. I am excited, and somewhat terrified. I have done several unaffiliated ones, and not made a complete tit of myself, so this seems like the logical next step.

I would be interested to hear any tips, or ideas of what to expect, from those in the know. Will the standard be a lot higher? Will I look a prat, as a lot of my gear is on the cheap side, and I will be turning up in 4WD and trailer, rather than a swanky lorry. I am also not sure on the hat standard required, it mentions PAS 015, and kitemark. Does that mean it needs both? My hat has the kite mark, but not the other bit. I suspect that means I need a new hat, but I don't want to fork out for one if I don't need to. Any tips will be gratefully accepted, thanks.

DD has been doing well at SJ, Arena Eventing (school team qualified for Hickstead at the weekend) and WHP so we're now taking the plunge this weekend. She's going to do a cross country at Poplar Park this weekend. I know it's not a ODE but it will be the first time she'd gone across country competitively and it's for the school so bit of pressure on her from her team mates.. Will report back!

Glad all is going well (except for abscesses which are a pig to get rid of and seem to take forever).

Dhorse caught himself on the gate latch going through and it shut on him with his front end one side and back end the other. A bit of a panic and he extricated himself by pulling the gate off it's hinges (luckily it was an old gate). A bit bloody but mostly superficial, what worries me is whether he's hurt his back or pelvis so I've given him some bute and will walk/trot him up in a few days and see how he is. He is due for physio shortly so hopefully that will help too. Poor boy, he was remarkably good considering how horrible it all was.

urgh, frosty, how horrible. Hate it when that happens, they panic so much. Hope it's better soon. Glad to hear yours is sound rollingdino. Such the wrong time of year to be getting injuries and abcesses!

Prep going well here, apart from a small soundness panic too. I let DD1 jump precious eventing cob and he knocked down a heavy wooden pole really hard. Next day his near fore was all swollen and I instantly thought suspensory ligament! However, vet could find nothing wrong, so we are assuming that it's just a bang. It's still not completely down, but he is 100% sound, so carrying on. We had an outing to an eventers dressage comp, which we won, 90cm clear round jumping last Wednesday, where he did a lovely clear, and XC schooling last Friday where he felt great. So we are all ready to go to Stafford on Sunday for the BE90. Just keeping fingers crossed for no rain between now and then.

The not-so-nice thing I am discovering is that our success last season has seriously re-awakened the long dormant competitive streak in me, and I desperately want to do well, which makes me really nervous! The trips out we have had haven't been quite as relaxed and fun as last year, when I didn't expect much and didn't care what happened!

Here is a gratuitous photo of the eventing cob to show off how fit he is! I've clipped his legs off too, so there's really not much cob left at all!

That's a lean mean jumping machine!

Dhorse has just been caught galloping around the field bucking and farting so I'm more hopeful that he's ok when I trot him up on the concrete tomorrow!

Good luck at Stafford, nothing wrong with a competitive streak either!

phew! hope it's all ok

Ouch Frosty, that looks painful, poor boy! I hope it is all superficial. How was he when you trotted him up yesterday?

Tootsie, sounds like you are off to a promising start! Good luck for Sunday, let us know how it goes. There is nothing wrong with a competitive streak, as long as you remember to enjoy it as well. Eventing cob looks very smart.

Sound as far as I could tell which is promising. I'm going to take him out for a gentle hack tomorrow as I find that the best way of working out if all is well. The scrapes on the inside of his leg have already lost their scabs and are looking nice and healthy, the other wounds are drying up and scabs are forming too which is good.

How amazingly exciting...my daughter has just moved off her event pony on to horses so he is now my lovely schoolmaster to take me out. In theory, as he's been off work for 3 months with dental issues, then colic, then a virus. I finally hacked out today. Fingers crossed for you.

How did you get on tootsie? Dhorse is fine - took him out Saturday and yesterday and he gave no indication at all of discomfort, even going down the hills so that's such a relief.

Yesterday - same old! We were 2nd after dressage, which I was almost disappointed with, as I thought the test was really good. However, friend who was watching disagreed and thought he wasn't as forward and sparkly as usual. I need to find the balance between obedience and forwardness. Beautiful forward show jumping clear. And then back to square one on the xc. I had to kick and kick and kick over the first 6 fences and he gave them all several feet of air, I could hear the commentator saying how sticky he looked, and as the first minute beeped on my stopwatch I didn't think I'd have enough energy to carry on! And then at fence 10 he spooked at the gravel put down on the take off side of the trakehner about 3 strides out and came nearly to a stop. I tried to kick on over the fence, if I'd been Ollie Townend I'm sure I'd have had the strength to make him go from 3 strides, but I just didn't, and he ground to a halt for another 20 penalties. Damn. After that though I slowed up and really thought about the way I rode every fence and he felt really good. I think the run was essential, and hopefully it's clicked his brain back into gear and we'll be away for the next one.

Sounds like you can crack on now Frosty, good news. wtf, are you planning to take your eventing schoolmaster eventing??

Naughty boy! I suppose at the first event of the season it takes a little time to get back into gear. Does he do it if you're schooling or is it just at events? I'm afraid I've no idea what the answer is, but hopefully now he'll be a bit more helpful. Are you allowed sheepskin thingies on the bridle like they do in racing?!

I took him schooling last week and he felt fabulous. Fit as a flea, no hesitations. But it's a different environment, it's popping fences randomly, with a friend nearby. It just doesn't come naturally to him to go out on his own into the middle of a field away from the collecting ring full of friends. And he is so naturally careful that I wonder whether the solid fixed fences just give him a bit of the fear? He needs to take a lot of confidence from me, and I'm only just working out how to give him that. If I was a pro, or had real eventing ambitions, I would sell him as a hunter, which is what I bought him as. But unfortunately for him he's not going anywhere and I have the eventing bug now so he needs to get his head round xc!! I wonder if sheepskin blinkers would work?? Interesting idea, thanks.

Oh how frustrating tootsie. Hopefully next time out he'll be more relaxed XC. You have still come a long way since this time last year!!

Glad your boy seems ok Frosty!

We went to a pole clinic at the weekend. It was very busy with 5 horses in a 20x60 school, but he was as good as gold. I have XC schooling coming up in a couple of weeks, and all being well am hoping to do combined training mid April. It will only be a walk and trot test, and 50 cm jumping, but I figure we've got to start somewhere.

DD enjoyed her experience doing the 80cm at Poplar Park. She'd never jumped on grass before and most of the other competitors had either done the course before or at least gone for schooling sessions there.

They jumped the first four fine but then as they ran down from a table to a white 'dog kennell' he slammed the brakes and didn't want to know. she was eliminated for three refusals but was allowed to carry on. They were great over all the other jumps including two water complexes. DD enjoyed herself and is keen to do more. Just need to school him over that white jump !!

That's pretty impressive for your DD Butkin - I remember watching at Homme House Horse Trials a couple of years ago and there was a white jump, not sure if it was kennels but something similar and none of the horses jumped it well, most of them spooked or did an enormous leap so maybe it's something to do with the colour. As long as she's still keen then that's a great result.

I'm just putting together a team for the Novice Team Chase at Worcester on 9th, horse is perfectly capable, not so sure about the jockey but hopefully it will be fun.....

Sounds like your DD is pretty fearless Butkin! Good luck for the 9th Frosty, let us know how it goes!

I am a bit down in the dumps at the moment. Having got rid of the stubborn abscess, stupid bloody horse then trod on himself the day he was shod, cut his coronet band, and pulled the shoe off. All on the same hoof he'd had the abscess. That was a week ago, and he's still not quite sound. Now the weather is improving, I so want to be out and about, so frustrating!

That's annoying - I used to turn out my previous horse with overreach boots on for the first week or so after he'd been shod as he had a habit of pulling new shoes off.

I've made an interesting discovery re dhorse's provenance! He's not Irish bred, just imported to Ireland, most probably from Poland so having said I know nothing about warmbloods, more than likely I own one (or a part warmblood). He has a no 3 branded on his thigh which I hadn't really thought about it until someone said "Irish horses aren't branded". A few questions and suggestions from the H&H forum make it seem likely that he's Polish (or maybe Czech/Hungarian). It doesn't change anything, but it does probably explain some of his characteristics.

Eek, teamchase times are up, now I'm getting nervous!

Good luck Frosty. Let us know how it goes! I had my first go at clear round jumping last week. It was a success in so far as I stayed on the horse and he jumped everything I asked him to. There was an awful lot of bucking and leaping around though. I think the spring grass is doing its thing. I've started leaving him out at night now in the hope that he'll be a bit calmer. Off XC schooling for the first time tomorrow so goodness knows how that will go.

We had a blast! An awesome clear round, however the bogey time was 7 minutes and we were 25 seconds too fast, in fact the fastest out of the 46 teams in the class, oops! Having been dumped by dhorse schooling on Wednesday and then he refused at the practice fence and was very wary of it thereafter I wasn't over confident but they all simply flew. I'm now knackered....

Good luck with the XC schooling, it sounds like he's coming on well.

I've just bought myself a new horse (or big pony - he's 14.2!) After pootling around on my mostly retired 13hh for the last 2 years. My aim is to get out to a be80 however I seem to have completely lost my confidence jumping and I'm gutted! I used to fly round xc with my little pony but being out of practice in just so nervous.
New one is lovely, very balanced and steady to a fence and just takes you over it but I still have to get over the nerves! I'd love to keep on this thread to update as I try and gain in confidence and hopefully get out to some comps in the upcoming months, even if it is a 40cm class

Oh wow, well done Frosty! Sounds like you had an amazing time! What is next?

Welcome Jon! New horse sounds amazing! The nerves will go. It sounds like it is still early days, and you are still getting to know each other. I am in a similar boat, with a new horse I'm still getting to know. I've gone from confidently jumping 90cm courses on my old schoolmaster, to feeling brave if I make it over a tiny cross pole with new boy.

Well we survived XC schooling today. He was much calmer than last week, despite there being horses galloping in all directions all round us. He did still lose it and have a couple of minor bucking fits when the excitement got too much, but he jumped everything I asked him to and I'm really pleased with him, as well as also being knackered!

Yes I've only had him for 3 weeks but I'm amazed at how my confidence has dropped! He's brilliant so it's definitely me, need to pull myself together ha ha.

Glad xc schooling went well, I really want to get out doing xc again. Transport is always an issue though :( we have a small xc course around our fields but there's always horses turned out so I'm having to wait until they move down to the summer fields! I'd like to get out to a proper course though :)

Give yourself time, three weeks is nothing! I'm 5 months in and still don't feel confident with new horse, as we don't know each other yet. I think it takes a good year to get to know a new horse properly, so you know what to expect from them in any situation.

I've had my horse for 18 months and I am just beginning to feel that we have a relationship of sorts so don't start worrying yet. Stick with what your confident with and don't over face yourself or horse - it will come.

I'm very pleased with this picture so I thought I'd share it!