I entered my new guy in a training CT. He is not an eventer so the dressage will be interesting. I have not competed above Novice so God help us both. What might I expect in the way of combinations? My last Novice combination was an oxer, 2 stride to a vertical. What might I expect at training level? My guy by the way is a 17 year old 4’6" jumper so the height will not be the issue for him. I need to practice for me.
In training you can have either a triple combination or two doubles. A skinny or Liverpool is also possible, though probably unlikely at a schooling show.
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https://www.usef.org/forms-pubs/KlV5P9prkmM/ev-eventing-division
From Appendix 1 Levels of Horse Trials c. Show Jumping: The jumping course must include either (i) two doubles; or (ii) simple triple combination in the second part of the course with only one oxer.
© USEF 20207031. If the oxer is at the “b” or “c” parts of any combination it should be set on two strides at a minimum of 35 feet.2. The course should intro duce simple technical questions with some related jumps set at a minimum of 70 feet.3. If a liverpool is used it must be built as a vertical over the center of the liverpool tray and a straight forward alternative jump must be offered.
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Above posts are correct. Generally the technicality of the tracks will be similar to novice with maybe one or two additional fences and the possibility of a triple line. Swedish oxers and fans sometimes appear, but usually just a straightforward 3’3” course. Have fun!
At a CT that is not held in conjunction with a recognized event, you really might see any/ all of these, or it might be a straightforward hunter-y course that is the same all the way from 18" to 3’6.
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In reality you should be schooling a level above what you are showing. A horse who can jump 4’6 means nothing if the rider and the horse as a team are not. Showing Training? You should be solid schooling Prelim courses at home.
Most Trainings have a triple combination. In Ontario, 50% of the fences should be max and 25% can be bigger than Training height. Liverpools are also common.
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This is a schooling show, the first one in the area this year. The organizer is known to be kind, lol.
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You should be fine and probably even better than fine. 
You’re familiar with the courses at this venue and you’re on a capable horse.
Keep in mind that combinations should be the easiest things on the course. You ride to the base of the first element and let the horse take it from there. Your job is to keep the horse straight and stay balanced. One hand on the mane is a good idea.
In pentathlon we ride courses at this height (with double and triple) on horses we’ve never seen before. I find that not-knowing the horse means I can’t overthink it the way I would with my own horses. You ride forward and keep the horse straight and if anything goes wrong, you fix it going forward. You don’t obsess on the details. This kind of competition has really helped me with riding my own horses - you learn to get the job done on the day without a thought-cloud hangover. :lol:
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The main thing I guess I’ve noticed wrt the difference in Novice and Training SJ is - Training courses tend to require a more forward (not fast - but forward, in front of leg), balanced ride. You can get away with a less-balanced green rider/horse trip in Novice - without rails, etc. But at Training the rides need to be a bit more proficient to earn a clean round. Although you still see still plenty of clean rounds on not-so-balanced trips in Training.
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I would not get too hung up on schooling solidly at prelim before showing at training. That is not a realistic goal for many who may not have the capability to be proficient at prelim but are solid at training. I showed for many years successfully at training without routinely schooling prelim courses (the odd fence here and there, sure, but not whole courses).
I have also watched literally hundreds of sj rounds at both levels working the SJ phase of the horse trials (2 unrec and 3 rec a year) at our farm. What flyingchange said is very true. The height and modestly increased difficulty from novice to training does require a more forward ride - so you must be able to create, maintain, and recognize the right canter.
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Eh. I think this is a bit harsh. She was simply asking what to expect, not if she was qualified to jump a 3’3” course.
You already have all the info on what a recognized competition is expected to have, schooling shows are a mixed bag.
Plan on being a touch more forward than novice and with a good uphill rhythmic canter. Have fun!!!
And video is a must
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Well to me it seemed she was worried about an in and out which if you’re going to showjump Training level that really shouldn’t even be an issue.
However the OP replied to me explaining it was a simple schooling show and that it wasn’t a big deal, so that changes it.
So here’s what we had: The biggest oxer on course was the first jump by a dark, scary stand so of course we had a run out. Totally my fault as this is only my second show with him and I didn’t think he would be looky. The rest of the course was lovely and flowy. Our only combination was a 2 stride vertical to a vertical. The organizer (who was the jump judge) even let me have a courtesy round as there were only 4 in training. It was the same course as Prelim (they were set up 4") so he was kind to the upper levels. It was the first area schooling show at that venue this year so we were just all happy to be there.
As a funny aside, we entered it as a CT. My guy had NEVER been in a dressage arena! We had been practicing a whole 3 weeks. He came down centerline and that tail went straight in the air and it set the tone for the whole test! lol. We happily settled for last place with 36 in a field that scored 32-35.
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Congrats! Sounds like an interesting day :lol:
Now the first one is behind you!
