Congratulations to Duckz on her double clear XC - YAY!!
Thank you for sharing!
I do however, find your last two comments contradictory. Either you like this format and think it’s the way to go, or you don’t. Saying you don’t want every course to be like this yet saying you don’t think this affects the future of eventing is confusing to me. Don’t we want to practice what we are actually going to have to do? If this is what is “fun” and is accepted, this IS what eventing should do to prepare us to compete at championships. I’m all for the championships being “maxxed out” and “hard” - but not so much it being a nearly totally different sport in one phase. I would understand your comment if you were at “random” event in Area Y, but this IS THE championships. It’s being held out as what we should aspire to, not a flash in the pan, or some farm’s way to deal with their particular layout and terrain.
And, your first comment a bit frightening. Or, maybe just sad. IMO, BN and N riders AND horses should not be seeing courses “like they’ve never seen before” Despite what the powers that be WANT…A lot of lower level riders ride at the LL for FUN. No Olympic dreams, no *** dreams, no ** dreams (well, maybe dreams, but not realistic). MAYBE, just maybe, we think we’ll get to training.
I do “get it though” money talks, and I see that in my little world. At least I am elderly and nearly at the end (meaning, I think it will take some time for courses I go to to switch over 100%, except for one in my area that is well positioned for this change) and I will likely be done competing by the time it has truly turned into 2 phases of stadium and dressage. If I were a young rider, with “big dreams” I would definitely practice and go to these types of events. Also, buy horses suited for this type of eventing.
Yea Duckz!!! Looking forward to hearing the report!
[QUOTE=Winding Down;8826684]
GM, I am not saying it is a good course this year. I am saying that there is a good chance it will be an outstanding course in the future.
I have been reading FB reports from trainers and riders. None are nearly as damning as the posts here, which are from those who have NOT run the xc course.
If you are on FB, check out Patrick McGauhan and Stuart Pittman (sp may not be correct). Both are trainers I respect who have no iron in the fire of promoting the “new format.” They are not glowing but the potential for this venue is noted.
There are others posting as well, and I do not think you can accuse them of being there because they want to make a pile of $$ etc etc., as accusations above indicate.
Most venues are not that great the first few years. This venue is fabulous in all regards except that the xc course does not (yet) use the available land and is partly in a derby field this year.[/QUOTE]
Hopefully you are correct and this is just an “off” year as it were. With all of the money being spent for such a nice facility it would be too bad if they boogered up the XC.
I don’t find those final statements contradictory at all. Duckz is saying it is a fine course, just not one that she would want to ride all the time.
Likewise, there are 4 unrecognized venues within about 45 minutes of me. One I would not want to ride all the time. It is well run, fun, and relaxed. The jumps are rarely maxed out and it is so twisty in the relatively small area that it is the only one of those 4 venues where I MUST walk to course or get lost. I am going there with my filly. It is a great experience for her with the commotion, busy environment, etc. And it is relaxed that if I have issues, I know I can complete the course (ie - even if I am eliminated for to many refusals or something).
Do I want every unrecognized course like that? No. Do I think it means all unrecognized courses are horrible? No. It is what it is.
I don’t think anyone should want any Championship course on their normal run - I think they should be at least a little scared of the course, otherwise it isn’t really meeting it’s intent, in my opinion.
That is not to say the course shouldn’t be flowing, forward, inviting, etc - just that it should LOOK and FEEL like at least a bit of a step up.
https://www.chronofhorse.com/article/2016-nutrena-usea-american-eventing-championships-intermediate-cross-country-live-stream - Intermediate xc is on live stream now
The lower level amateur & Jr divisions have pretty sad results. If I have time I’ll break it down, but the majority of problems are in that derby field. Also, they removed a fence/turn from Training, is there a way to know which one based on the detailed results? I’ll be interested to hear and see recaps from lower level friends…I can count 3 that went home early due to slippery footing (1 Slipped in the water, 2 elsewhere).
In all my events this year, I can count 0 friends that slipped and had a RF/HF. And there was some serious rain in this year.
goodmorning, I heard it was fence 9 that was removed.
[QUOTE=Divine Comedy;8827251]
goodmorning, I heard it was fence 9 that was removed.[/QUOTE]
Yep. A brush.
[QUOTE=Fergs;8826995]
The Area IX championships are in 2 weeks; that will probably be a good preview of the AEC course design for next year. I hope lots of people come because it really is a fantastic facility![/QUOTE]
USEA has already said that AEC’s will be at Tryon again next year, so I guess it’s Colorado in 2018.
Any word on how Dana Cooke is after that rotational? Looked scary, hope she’s ok.
[QUOTE=Divine Comedy;8827251]
goodmorning, I heard it was fence 9 that was removed.[/QUOTE]
I wonder if it was removed after the the training amateur division? That was the division with RFs. The others did not have any, or were very few, IIRC.
I have heard from 3 people who have finished XC and they were very excited about it.
So, were the results typical of an event? Is slipping in grass normal? Should an event expect to have footing that stands up to rain?
How difficult is it to qualify for AECs?
It’s pretty normal at Nationals level breed shows to have a bloodbath. People qualify in less competitive areas with smaller class sizes and lose hard at nationals with the higher level of competition. Some people go to win, others go to say they went.
[QUOTE=TakeAChanceinVA;8826204]
I guess my beef is more with the sport in general and not any specific courses. Sooner or later, if I keep funding the USEA with my membership, the derby style XC will trickle into all events. It’s clearly the future of the sport. Which I dont like. So my choice is basically to not support the USEA at all. It’s just like boycotting the AECs if you dont like the course, but on a broader scale. 
My one membership wont make a difference, I get that. But gradually if the sport continues as it looks like it is, the numbers may reflect it more significantly.
I am also in Area 2 - and have plenty of unrecognized options to choose from should I feel like playing on XC for a weekend. I just hope other areas have the same options and that we dont start to lose some of the ‘old school events’ to keep up with this new trend.[/QUOTE]
You are not alone. Similar decision here - can compete very happily at the unrecognized events that have recognized-standard courses, and with the local eventing organization, without needing to fund the way the USEA is messing its membership around.
[QUOTE=ACMEeventing;8826224]
Interesting. The score has been changed. Maybe a clerical error?[/QUOTE]
It is quite common for the initial posted scores to be corrected.
With Startbox, once the score is entered, it’s shown to the public. There is no way to enter scores and save them for review and correction before the public has visibility. There is also no way to put a label of “unofficial” or “official” on what the public can see online. But sorting out questions and corrections before the score is final is part of the scoring process. So the first scores you see online are “raw data”, as it were.
[QUOTE=Divine Comedy;8827251]
goodmorning, I heard it was fence 9 that was removed.[/QUOTE]
I am wondering if this fence was removed after the Training Amateur Division concluded? Looked like most all of the RFs were in that division and not the others. I cannot believe that the Young Amateurs are that much worse than the others.
[QUOTE=goodmorning;8826620]
WD, how do you feel about the 6 Training riders that slipped and had RFs in that derby field on that lovely footing? Dismiss right? Now if they were advanced BNT, would your opinion change? 6 RFs due to slipping. Have you looked at the T results for ammys?
Apparently they removed a fence or turn & after the rainstorm the footing improved as the horses sunk a little which was needed.
Now, if you want to dismiss this stuff go right ahead but it’s aired on some UL riders YouTube show for all to see.
Go AECs. Great experiment USEA. Texas may have been the middle of nowhere but at least it was at a proper venue.[/QUOTE]
My guess - complete speculation - is that the cumbersome-ness of the AEC’s has a lot to do with why it was plunked down at a facility that someone must have known just couldn’t be ready in time.
Keeping in mind that the AEC’s are actually run separately and outside of the USEA, even if they do have an affiliation …
The AEC’s no longer had an arrangement to do one more year in Texas. Where to go? Well … that’s a lonely road. We’ve had long discussions on this board about the scarcity of two things -
a) Facilities that can handle 600-900 competitors.
b) Areas that will accept the AEC’s on their turf.
Know that the reason the AEC’s have not been in Area II, probably still the largest and most active eventing Area, is that Area II organizers flatly refuse to allow it, due to the hit on their entries. Know that having the AEC’s in Texas may be contributing to the loss of TWO long-established events in Area V due to the steep reduction in their entries for the last 3 years.
There may be more reasons - more complex reasons - these AEC’s are at Tryon that just an evolving presentation of eventing.
Just to correct the AECs started in Area II at the Carolina Horse Park.
I rode the novice today- after the torrential downpour yesterday and the spritzing today. The footing was actually better today than yesterday- I had biggish studs( no road studs but not mud studs either) and was fine. Fence 6, which was coming around the barn and then facing the downhill approach to the water and stands, caused the issues yesterday, and I assume it was like my horse, who came round the corner to almost a stop, looking at things, then went on.
Footing needs some work ( maybe more time to sit?), fences were beautiful.
My gelding is 6, usually very spooky and has never been to a venue like this before. Honestly, I expected a lot more trouble than I had- normally, he’ll almost dump me shying at the back of jumps, jumps next to me, etc. despite my thought on how spooky it was, he never had an issue with the busyness of it all.
I honestly don’t know what I think.
As a spectator, it was wonderful. You could see most of the jumps in the 2 big fields, the water complex had a Jumbotron next to the stands, so you could see the riders on other parts of the course, there were food stands( and drinks) at the far reaches of the course( and portable restrooms). There as a misting tent set up, with multiple stations for the horses.
As a horseman, I appreciate the absence of rocks, stumps , groundhog holes and roots. Yes, the footing was a little slippery, but was that due to the newness? The type? I dunno. I appreciate the safe barns, the fans and the footing. Having dressage and SJ on good footing was really nice - for once I didn’t have the dressage ring set on a 20 degree angle!
As an eventer, who now has been doing the sport for over 30 years, mostly at the lower levels- it rode well, but I think felt crammed together. Not much else they could do with what they had as far as land. Do I feel cheated, misled, upset that this wasn’t a " real" xc course. No. Do I want all courses to be like this? No. I don’t feel it’s the death knell of eventing as we know it. That happened when the long format went away…
How is Dana Cooke?
