Do any of you guys have experience with the 4 year old tests? I think it could be a good goal to work towards with my 3.5 year old, but I don’t know much about it. What shows offer them (I’m in the mid south if that helps) and what are your thoughts and experiences? Worth it? Or should I just work towards a Training/First level test for next year? My guy has pretty good gaits and is getting better as he’s getting stronger and more balanced, but he’s definitely not a “freak mover.” I’ll definitely talk to my trainer about it as well and get her opinions on the whole thing, but I wanted to find out a little more before I mentioned it to her (: TIA!
following, I have a 3.5 year also and would be interested in answers
Same here, 3.5 year old. Canter is, I think (supported by real professionals), nice enough to be competitive, walk is great, trot is fine…nothing fancy. So I’d also like info as well. Will have to confirm at some schooling shows that we won’t completely embarrass ourselves.
ETA: I’m a “professional” according to USEF, but not in the sense of actually knowing anything.
[QUOTE=Covergirl15;8830165]
Do any of you guys have experience with the 4 year old tests? I think it could be a good goal to work towards with my 3.5 year old, but I don’t know much about it. What shows offer them (I’m in the mid south if that helps) and what are your thoughts and experiences? Worth it? Or should I just work towards a Training/First level test for next year? My guy has pretty good gaits and is getting better as he’s getting stronger and more balanced, but he’s definitely not a “freak mover.” I’ll definitely talk to my trainer about it as well and get her opinions on the whole thing, but I wanted to find out a little more before I mentioned it to her (: TIA![/QUOTE]
Where exactly are you? There are many opportunites in several shows in the south.
I think the young horse 4 year old classes are good to get immediate feedback on the quality of the basic gaits of your horse, but all of the young horse classes are designed for horses who are good movers and can mentally handle the work. You’ll get feedback regarding how your horse is performing in that test, at that time. Lots of horses are ready, lots of horses aren’t - and that’s not an indicator of how that horse will do at higher levels. For example, many young horse class phenoms simply can’t collect and won’t make to FEI. Also, many youngsters don’t have the concentration or large gaits to score well in the young horse classes but have what it takes when the classes require focus and adjustability work later on.
Young horse classes simply aren’t for every horse, and that’s pretty well recognized.
I suggest really looking at the scoring and requirements for the young horse tests, and then really looking at the requirements for training/first level and proceed with the tests that will showcase your horse AND provide a positive foundation for future work, whatever you are envisioning that work to be. In other words, are you showing horses whom you’ll move to a breeding career or are you working with a riding horse for upper level potential or…??? Are you planning on selling sooner than later or not at all?
The young horse tests are usually done by pros with their high performace prospects with an eye toward either qualifying for championships or getting year-end scores. They are made to show-case the gaits on really flashy movers. I’m not sure about all parts of the country, but from what I have seen, the classes tend to be small 1 - 3 horses. So, I don’t see that there is much point unless you have a really flashy mover and expect to get impressive scores.
That being said, it is perfectly fine to go into the class just for your own interest even if you don’t expect to do well. No one is going to laugh at you, or tell you that you shouldn’t be there. Though I am not sure why you would want to. The 4-year old test is scored more like a materiel class. You only get scores and comments for walk, trot, canter, submission, and general impression. So, I don’t really find the comments as helpful as in a regular test. And with three training level, and three first level tests to memorize and choose from, I am not eager to add another test to my repetoir.
[QUOTE=J-Lu;8830276]
Where exactly are you? There are many opportunites in several shows in the south.
I think the young horse 4 year old classes are good to get immediate feedback on the quality of the basic gaits of your horse, but all of the young horse classes are designed for horses who are good movers and can mentally handle the work. You’ll get feedback regarding how your horse is performing in that test, at that time. Lots of horses are ready, lots of horses aren’t - and that’s not an indicator of how that horse will do at higher levels. For example, many young horse class phenoms simply can’t collect and won’t make to FEI. Also, many youngsters don’t have the concentration or large gaits to score well in the young horse classes but have what it takes when the classes require focus and adjustability work later on.
Young horse classes simply aren’t for every horse, and that’s pretty well recognized.
I suggest really looking at the scoring and requirements for the young horse tests, and then really looking at the requirements for training/first level and proceed with the tests that will showcase your horse AND provide a positive foundation for future work, whatever you are envisioning that work to be. In other words, are you showing horses whom you’ll move to a breeding career or are you working with a riding horse for upper level potential or…??? Are you planning on selling sooner than later or not at all?[/QUOTE]
Thank you for all the information! I’m in TN, so Lexington is a fairly easy trip as well as Atlanta, etc. He’s a gelding, so no breeding in his future :winkgrin: but the goal is for him to be my future upper level horse. Brain wise I think he can handle it–he’s been pretty good about everything so far(: and we’re going to a schooling show next month to hang out to get off the property and see how he handles it. Again, just playing with the idea of working toward it (:
I read through all of the young horse tests and they strike me as something for horses that are heading towards an upper level career.
So, I took my 5 y.o. to one of the Young Horse Show Series shows this year where they offer 4 and 5 y.o. tests. While they are NOT the same tests as the USEF tests for 4 and 5 year olds, I really felt that the YHS 5 y.o. test would have been a stretch for my horse. Not that he’s a bad mover or anything, but mentally, he’s just not there yet. And that’s OK! I figure that nobody has ever done damage to a horse by taking things slowly with their training. As my trainer has told me, if he were with a pro, he’d probably be showing 1st or 2nd level by now, but why? Who cares! Unless you’re working towards something specific and/or want those points and awards, it’s just not something I would even bother with, and as someone else mentioned, it certainly isn’t necessarily indicative of the horse’s talent or ability down the road.
So I agree with the comments about not expecting overly high scores if your horse doesn’t have huge gaits. You also won’t get movement by movement feedback like you do for a normal test, so it may prove less valuable for you in that sense.
What I do like on the young horse tests is the horse doesn’t have to be as perfect and steady because there aren’t individual movement scores, it’s obviously only young horses in the classes, and so some blips in the performance are more acceptable. For a horse who moves nicely but mentally isn’t quite ready to be scored on perfect steadiness, they can be a nice alternative - but tempered by the realities mentioned above regarding the purpose of the tests and how you’ll be judged.
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If you search for “Young horse dressage” on the USEF website you can see the list of CDIs (where you can earn qualifying scores) as well as regular horse shows offering the young horse tests. If you want to try to qualify for Lamplight or DAD, plot your show schedule early. For Lamplight you need 2 scores, and you get one drop score if you show 3 times. Showing more than 3 times will pull down your average, so you want to be strategic about it. For Devon you only need one score.
My four year old filly has done it this year, and it was a positive experience. She’s a homebred, and I was not aiming for Lamplight (too far to travel) but she did qualify for the 4yo tests at DAD. If you decide that the 4yo test is a reach, don’t forget about the breeder’s series materiale championship. You only need one 72% in a materiale class to qualify for that. That said, I am a total ammy and made my dressage show debut on this mare. To do the 4yo tests, I sent her to a trainer.
I think if you approach the young horse tests with the right mind set, they can be really fun and useful. Good luck!
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