Pony Club.
I started eventing when I was a teen, after being an equitation/hunter rider for years. I’d say make the switch! Eventing is such a wonderful sport, I think the best in terms of partnership with your horse. As far as eventing in college, new college club eventing teams are sprouting up all over. Clubs can definitely help with connecting you to resources and getting cheap exposure to upper level trainers. Dressage is a great way to start an eventing career, as a former hunter, I still struggle with dressage! Eventers, even the Olympic/ CCI**** level eventers are so friendly and helpful. Good luck with the switch! You can also go search for trainers/ resources through your USEA area’s website.
I read a book about Bruce Davidson when I was 9. I realized I REALLY wanted to do that.
When I was 45, I finally decided it was time. Been doing it ever since.
Nice thread (and op, I hope some suggestions you can use in there).
My advice - if you are interested but lack opportunity where you are, hang tight! With college and post-college on your horizon, you will have new chances coming your way.
In the meantime, ride as much as you can, whatever discipline you can. If you can get experience riding out on terrain, trail riding, cantering in the field, etc., that will all serve you really well when you do get the chance to learn eventing.
I grew up doing low level h/j stuff - we had a horse but not enough money to do anything very fancy. Rode IHSA in college and went hunter pacing a few times with my coach. Thought that was the most fun I’d ever had on horseback. Fast forward some years, had not ridden in a while (sometimes life, money, jobs, travel for work gets in the way), moved to the DC area, which is a huge eventing Mecca.
Found a barn with a sort of membership program for working adults - you come out whenever you can and can ride one of a pool of horses. It suited my schedule. Just so happened one of the main trainers was a pretty accomplished eventer in his younger days. Of course I wanted to try it since I’d had such a good time hunter pacing.
The rest is like everyone else - I got completely hooked.
That being said, I was in my 30s by the time this happened…so it’s not like you are going to age out or anything.
[QUOTE=Kairoshorses;7642749]
I read a book about Bruce Davidson when I was 9. [/QUOTE]
It gets really freaky the day you are in the dressage ring after him, warm up with him for XC and follow him in SJ.
It gets even freakier when you watch him crash into the oxer at 2 that you were worried about…
I attended Potomac Horse Center back in the late 70’s/early 80’s and got hooked on eventing. Thought it was the most fun ever and still do.
Way back in the early 90’s my very good friend (and Cyclone Sister), was starting her young TB mare doing horse trials. She invited me to take my old semi-retired hunter Herman aka “E Ticket” to a cross country schooling at the Meadows of Moorpark.
Herman was 23 at the time and he still loved jumping. It didn’t take long for both of us to realize how fun it was to have small cross country jumps on our “trail ride”. Once we schooled we had so much fun that we decided to enter the horse trial the following month. We had a blast. The thing we loved about it the most was how friendly the people were. Also a big draw for me and my non-riding husband was having ride times. No more waiting around at the H/J shows for hours on end for our turn to go.
One horse trial was all it took and we were hooked on eventing. After that we showed beginner novice a lot at the Meadows, Middle Ranch, and Ram Tap, and eventually (because there was no beginner novice) we competed restricted novice at Pebble Beach. I remember that show in 1995 like it was yesterday as Herman turned 25 that weekend and we came in from last in dressage to 3rd place after show jumping.
I went to a horsey girls’ school in the 80s. An eventer ran our riding program for the first few years I was there but we were all taught to to a bit of everything, including hunting. As an adult, I realized I needed riding as an outdoor activity and an outlet from my office jobs, and dressage was not that, so I’ve changed gears to be an adult weenie eventer.
My advice to you at your level is: if you can’t take jumping lessons don’t jump. Ride as much as you can, particularly on terrain. Work on your seat, get comfortable on a variety of different horses, including when they’re keyed up (as many horses get when they know they’re heading out to x-c), and practice good horsemanship and horse care.
Volunteer at some events. You can learn a lot about the sport (and it’s good karma).
When you have access to jumping lessons, then incorporate the jumping. For someone who is comfortable w/t/c/hand gallop over a wide variety of terrain on a wide variety of horses, that part can come quickly.
Have fun.
[QUOTE=ccr0009;7638338]
Oh goodness! You can thank “Accelerated Reader” which first enticed my 8 year old self to start reading the Thoroughbred Series because there were at least 30 books in my school’s library which earned you 4 points a piece. (Accelerated Reader Champ 3 years in a row.)
This led me to dream of one day running a race-horse farm. To appease my now love of riding, my mother bought me a subscription to Young Rider. What a great year, because Kim Severson was riding Winsome Adante at the time, and there were huge posters of the pair running in each magazine![/QUOTE]
Exactly the same, from reading the thoroughbred books for AR down to the posters of Winsome Adante covering my walls :lol:
Pony Club! Still think that eventers are absolutely the best people 20+ years later. I dabble into dressage (I will admit I have an inner DQ). Mostly stick to eventing.
Grew up showing hunters and jumpers, when I moved to college I started riding at a barn that does H/J and eventing. I dabbled here and there doing whatever I could, and when my current horse fell into my lap I decided that eventing is the job that suits her best. Given a good hunter I would do the hunters, given a good jumper I would so the jumpers, and since I have a horse that’s getting pretty good at eventing, that’s what I’m doing! Not to mention, my wallet appreciates the costs of recognized events to rated horse shows VERY much!
Started out in 4-H, but somehow heard about Rolex and started going in the 80s. Switched to riding jumpers, and after a while got bored with it. Moved to a barn with a bunch of eventers, and they convinced me to try it. The mare I had at the time would jump just about anything, so we went out at Novice and had a blast. (Unfortunately my gelding, who was young at the time and bought to be a jumper, never really took to it…but he’s off the hook now, since I have a 5-year-old that looks like he’s going to LOVE it…)
I did voltage as an 8 year old, it was hosted in an eventing barn. I begged for real lessons and eventing is just the first love I have had. Watching all the older girls eventing was a huge push in that direction. I have done dressage, hunter-jumper and can ride western and stuff. I enjoy all aspects, but for whatever reason eventing is just what I desire the most.
