Hunter Trials Levels

loopyloulilly

Hi I recently got into hunting with my 3 year old gelding. He takes the ditches, banks and drains in his stride no bother to him. He's being to learn and enjoy his sport. There is hunter trials starting up at the end of April. He's currently jumping 90cms at ease. Just really want to know what are the levels with the singles?

Thanks in Advance

convert

I think 3 is a little young to go hunter trialling. Most associations require (or used to, at any rate) horses/ponies to be at least 5.

If you still want to hunter trial him, I'd advise going to walk all the courses the evening before as a lot of the 'standards' will vary between courses, so it's only by going to look at them will you be able to decide if the standard suits you and your horses as some courses are too big/technical for young horses, while others are much nicer.

loopyloulilly

convert wrote: »

I think 3 is a little young to go hunter trialling. Most associations require (or used to, at any rate) horses/ponies to be at least 5.

If you still want to hunter trial him, I'd advise going to walk all the courses the evening before as a lot of the 'standards' will vary between courses, so it's only by going to look at them will you be able to decide if the standard suits you and your horses as some courses are too big/technical for young horses, while others are much nicer.

Thanks for the reply convert. We're going to stick with novice level.

HoofRocks

you can do three classes, ponies, novice and open. ponies is smallest and open is the biggest. jumps are about 1 metre in open but can be a range of anything. maybe start in a novice and work your way up.

fits

Funnily enough I was about to start a similar sort of thread today. Theres huge variation between courses I think. Tinahely novice seems fine. Curracruit is mostly fine but has one or two fairly strong fences imo, but its a lovely course.

Anyone know what the novice course in Kilmanahan (near Dungarvan Co. Kilkenny) is like? KK hunt have their HTs on there next Sunday.

fits

loopyloulilly wrote: »

Thanks for the reply convert. We're going to stick with novice level.

I'd probably start with pre novice or enter the pony classes HC unless you're very sure of things. Its a good idea to rent a course for some schooling first I think too.

to the poster above, Open classes can be well over a metre in places. More like 1.10m

loopyloulilly

I'm going to the Rathowen hunter trials, its close to where I live so handy. Did any one ever ride at this hunter trial?

HoofRocks

yeah they can be over a metre but i think it depends on the course alot too, some courses open jumps would be the size of a novice jump. like ballon hunter trials jumps are very different to punchestown jumps but both courses are equally very good.

renting a place for a school is a good idea and you've loads of time to yourself without the fear of someone tearing up behind you and you can jump as many times as you like.

i'd like to do novice but i don't like the way in some courses you have a nice little novice jump and then a huge big thing and then a small one again. that puts me off them.

actually, do they allow you bring big horses in pre novice?

convert

fits wrote: »

Anyone know what the novice course in Kilmanahan (near Dungarvan Co. Kilkenny) is like? KK hunt have their HTs on there next Sunday.

I was at a PC championships there years ago and found the course to be fine, not as big as a lot of the courses I'd gone round previous to it. Tho it was about 10 years ago, so it's probably changed a bit since then!

convert

HoofRocks wrote: »

i'd like to do novice but i don't like the way in some courses you have a nice little novice jump and then a huge big thing and then a small one again. that puts me off them.

actually, do they allow you bring big horses in pre novice?

If there's a pre novice competition, you can enter horses or ponies. I use them to educate my young horses all the time (when I can find one relatively close by!).

bullylover

hey dont know if it helps, but theirs a great training course in Piperstown, Drogheda. Pre novice course up to 1* event.
Its a great course for young horses loads of naturals and coffins,ditches drains and its all weather so its handy:)
Its only 10e for the day too:)

silverfox88

HoofRocks wrote: »

.

actually, do they allow you bring big horses in pre novice?

in most places they do, i know the edenderry harriers ht in carbury in kildare has a lovely pre novice course, was very handy last year as we had one or two green horses so they entered hc and tagged along with the novice pairs, great for horse and rider as they could do the smaller jumps but still had the advantage of going out with more experienced horses

fits

Was in kilmanahan today and it is a really lovely course. Long and open ground. Lots of drains and ditches but it rode extremely well I thought.

convert

fits wrote: »

Was in kilmanahan today and it is a really lovely course. Long and open ground. Lots of drains and ditches but it rode extremely well I thought.

I must've missed you... I was there, too!

For a novice horse, I thought Punchestown was a much nicer course, and that Kilmanahan was more of an 'event' course, but still very nice and rode well.