I’ve been riding for 5ish years since I was 18 and made my mind to convert from H/J to eventing last fall. We haven’t been to any horse trials before and me and my new horse(only had him for 5 months) haven’t been to any shows at all actually. He’s a very honest Thoroughbred/Quarter horse but does get nervous sometimes. We’ve been working very hard and lately finally we’re able to jump a course without him tensing up/getting nervous/giraffing around.
Planning to go to our first event at morningside in a month and my trainer may or may not be able to go with me. We’re going to do pre-BN so the height shouldn’t be any problem. The thing is I haven’t been to any show for a long time and I actually have no idea how to walk the XC course and not very familiar with walking the SJ course. Any suggestions guys??
My suggestion is to wait until your trainer can confirm she can come with you. When I got into eventing I hadn’t done any kind of show in over 30 years! I volunteered at several events first. My trainer was with me for my first CT and then for my first HT. Now I often show alone, but in the beginning I can’t imagine not having my trainer or someone who knew what they were doing with me. But maybe you are braver than me!
Ask your trainer to do a practice course walk with you and help you figure out what to look for and how to make a plan. Go and school at Morningside prior to the event if possible so you already sort of know the layout, or go to one of their CTs, even if you just go as a spectator. Try and recruit an experienced friend or hook up with another trainer for the day. Allow time to walk the course multiple times on the day.
Is your trainer cool with you going without him/her? If so… and if your trainer can’t recommend another trainer who will be at that event to give you a helping hand, see if you can find someone experienced to travel with or hang out with while there. Or consider hiring a groom who is also an eventer. [And by hiring a groom, I mean finding a (former) Pony Clubber or working student who has evented for a few seasons and can walk the course with you.]
At pre BN, you can trot the whole course if you have to - fences should be straightforward so what matters most is walking the course enough times so that you know your way.
What matters more, at this level (IMO), is having someone help you get to where you need to go and hold your hand when you get nervous. And pass you your crop when you drop it when mounting or reminding you to put your armband on.
Ideally, that’s your trainer, but if this is your first EVENTING experience, and not your first SHOW experience… it really depends on how confident you are (and I don’t mean in the riding sense, necessarily, but about being in an unfamiliar environment without an “expert” to have recourse to the entire time.)
I would NOT go it completely alone without organizing support ahead of time if you are trailering alone, too. If you are trailering with other people, however (and… you like them), then that is probably a built-in support system. The trick there will be whether any of these people can, given their ride times, walk the course with you.
Unless you are talking about a different Morningside than I know, I think this is actually just dressage+ show jumping than you go and school XC. If you are in Virginia, try connecting with the folks here and see if you can make a buddy:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/area2ar/?ref=bookmarks
I’d highly suggest watching an event if you haven’t already. Go get a course map and follow it. Pretend you’re competing and get a whole plan for yourself. Watch all three phases. Without a horse it’ll be way less pressure. See a list here: http://useventing.com/competitions/omnibus#II
CDCTA on April 10th would be a good choice and is in Berryville, VA.
ETA: I went to my first event with out a trainer (it was a pony club rally so I had people) and I figured things out just fine, but I’m not overly nervous at shows and don’t mind being solo in general.
Thanks pologirl27. I was trying to figure out how Morningside was set up to run a HT. I was thinking maybe they have a baby course set-up, but I think the OP may have been confused between a CT and HT.
If the OP has converted from H/J, walking a show jumping course is not going to be new news. The fact that the jumps are 18 inches really means that finding the distance is pretty moot given most horses can trot over the fences. It will mostly be about knowing your course.
I agree with others that having a friend to help or knowing someone else who will be there is a real plus.
Agree that CDCTA is a good HT to observe. Apparently the new location in Berryville is such that you can see most everything. The OP can always volunteer to be a jump judge – it’s fun and you get OTJ training.
Best ever thing to learn from is volunteering in your area. You learn the rules and then don’t make stupid expensive mistakes, you meet people and make connections and you learn to recognize when it’s done right and how much can go wrong.
So in respect to learning the rules the first thing I worry about since you are new and haven’t gotten yourself out to watch first is that you know about your flags for directional jumping, esp in the warm-up. Red is on the right, that’s easy R-R, and white is on the left - do not jump the fences backward. And you have finish flags in stadium and on xc don’t skip those!
If the case is that you will be only schooling xc it would be nice to have a lead buddy to help you string the fences together on course, or just go at it in a good road trot. Set a nice quiet pace and stay in it, circling when need be to reestablish pace and balance, or to collect yourself 
You’ll be fine on your own, without a trainer. Just talk to your coach about the course walk, which is a straightforward exercise at your level. Plan to ride to the base of each fence, square in the center of the jumping face. At sub-BN height, there’s not a lot to worry about, and you can always trot fences if you’re feeling uncertain in any way.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions of anyone about anything. Everyone is there for experience of some kind. We all had a first time out and will know just how you feel.
When I go to a new type of competition for the first time – and I’ve done this many time, in many sports, and almost always entirely on my own (I even did this yesterday and got an ass-kicking from an Olympian) – my goal is to show up at the right place at the right time and to finish with a number score and not an E. That’s all. There’s enough newness and disorientation that it’s just too much to expect anything else. Of course you want to do well, but it’s all part of a progression, and it’s really best not to put any pressure on yourself in terms of performance.
Also remember that the one thing you almost always have complete control over is how much fun you have. I try to go to competitions with the idea that no matter what, I’m going to be the person who has the most fun. This has helped me get past numerous fails and embarrassing incidents, and it’s also given me the confidence to try new things in new places when I know absolutely no one.
Good luck. Have fun.
