Since the advent of the FEI Young Horse, Children’s and Junior tests, I’ve heard only a couple of people on the web state they were “doing FEI” because they had shown at these levels. Now, the FEI 4 year old test is what, TRAINING LEVEL?!? and the Children’s test is about First. But who takes that seriously? (only the twinkies who made me waste the phone call about their “FEI level horse for sale”) The FEI 6 year old test and Junior tests are about 3rd level. I’ve got a certain amount of respect for a junior rider who can do third and also for the person who can train their own 6 year old to do third. However, this is not FEI. The Young Rider’s Test is the only one that is truly FEI Level. (about PSG)
If you can get on a horse you trained and do a series of 5 4-tempis, a passable canter pirouette, a real trot extension and a counter canter circle of 15 meters or less I figure you qualify as an FEI level rider, and the horse could be said to be schooling FEI. If you can get on a horse you didn’t train and reproduce this as well, I’d accept you were an FEI rider. (However, in my experience, riding a schoolmaster is far far easier than training the animal yourself from the ground up.)
Competition is only one way to prove your or the horse’s qualifications. I actually prefer to watch the performance myself, and that only requires a fine day and a nice ring, not necessarily at a show.
