I haven’t done a starter trial at BCHP yet, but am probably going to go to the May HT at novice. I am wondering how stiff the training XC is, since I thought we might try that at one of the starter trials this summer. What can I expect? We are good with corners, trakheners, and water. Personally I find maxed out tables scary, but I suppose I am going to have to deal with those sooner or later. Thanks!
There’s some light to dark questions and also a double bank they use sometimes.
they have several years courses up on the my coursewalk app. Go download them and have a look!
I have only done recognized training there, but I thought it was a pretty solid training with pretty much everything on it (half coffin, trakhener, double down banks, drop into water etc.)
Thanks! I have looked at the coursewalks and thought they looked reasonable. Well, I plan to walk the training course when I am up there to do novice, so that should give me a better idea.
Thanks HF. I am hoping the starter course will be softer!
Did you look into the MCTA starter as a move-up? They will have a “modified” Training course… so it will have the training course set mostly the same as their recongized, but with some Novice options. I wanted to use it as a move-up for myself but can’t since my trainer is going to Fair Hill that weekend.
That does look like a good one, but lord I hate that drive!
Flora Lea is similar to MCTA for their starter trial. They are more in between the levels so good to move up.
As for Bucks…I hate that drive! Some people I know love their event though. I always see to have rotten luck so haven’t gone there in years but I think that is just my rotten luck.
Thanks BFNE. I hate the drive to Bucks county too, which is why I haven’t gone before. Flora Lea is a good idea, although with the work they are doing on 322 that drive will probably suck too!
Yes…it likely will suck as a drive too! And getting over I-95 (unless super early in the am) is never fun. Hopefully you will have a great ride at Bucks. I know a few people who it is one of their favorite events. We are in a good area for starter trials though. HPNJ also runs a few that are good. I’ve typically moved mine up to training at Plantation. If there is a fence on course that you just decide will be too much, I like that they will let you just go around it (obviously you are E but they let you continue on).
I walked the Plantation training course for their April horse trial, which is supposed to be their easiest, and it looked really tough! The technical questions weren’t too bad, but there were a few jumps that were massive!
They ride suprising well. That is what I like about their course.
It all rode really well. i thought it was a great first training of the season course (which it was for me 
)
Great. Jumps 2 and 3 seemed huge. It’s a big difference from novice! But of course it all looks different when you are on your horse!
I think that is just the move up. I walked that first part and actually thought it looked small;). I think it ALWAYs looks huge when you are first moving up. I recommend walking the Prelim course before you walk the Training course. If you walk novice and then walk Training…it makes training look huge.
Haha, totally agree with the above… since I am also preparing to move-up to training I have been trying to go out and school a bunch of the competition courses. We went to Fair Hill 2 weeks ago to school and they had a max table as fence 2… I was pretty terrified of it! Of course my horse jumped it fine. Then we went and did Novice again this past weekend and everything looked and felt tiny. I think just schooling a lot of the “max” jumps will help to make them feel and look less imposing! I’m planning a few more schoolings before my move-up just to up my confidence a bit.
The starter trial Training course at BCHP is generally softer than the recognized course, more straight forward, fewer combinations. Show jumping is in the ring, rather than on the grass field, so it tends to be a bit tighter in the lines and turns, but definitely not max. Have fun!
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