River Glen Training Level?

[clpony]

Thinking about trying this out at the end of this month.
Could some one please give me some insight on to the level of difficulty here? i know the terrain is rough but how are the jumps xcountry??

We just completed our first training at poplar...want to make certain I am not going to get in over our head.
thnks for any help!!:)

[KateWooten]

XC always seems to ride fine - it's the stadium that is notoriously OTT.

[carolinagirl191]

I agree w/ Kate. The T XC should be fine if you had success at Poplar. It's the stadium. I watched the triple take out an entire division at Int. I had to leave (listening wasn't much bettter) as I was to ride Prelim after the switch. My horse was great, it was a very forward course, he was experienced, so I just rode forward. For some reason, the prelim divisions didn't have as much trouble. Later, there was a lot of "Babble" back in the barns as it had eaten a number of riders in theTraining divisions.
You just never seem to know what they are going to throw at you in stadium.

[clpony]

thank you both for your response.
what is it that makes it so over the top? is it tight...combinations, etc...?

[KateWooten]

well... it's everything really. She just seems to try to pile as much on as possible. For example, (and I'm a numpty so can only tell you about the very lowest levels) ... at a Schooling BN course, in early March, an easy intro for young horses we had ....

1) bright, full height, full spread oxer placed at a very slight angle AT the ingate

2) off-stride bending diagonal line of three yellow fences

3) I forget what all else because my head was in pieces but it was all of everything all the time. If you see what I mean !

I think at the lowest level, and at a schooling show, you have to have a little leniency, especially over the first one or two !

[carolinagirl191]

Kate hit the nail on the head - you get the kitchen sink and you get it at max height or width or both

[clpony]

Wow!! Thank you so much. Sounds crazy!!

[subk]

thank you both for your response.
what is it that makes it so over the top? is it tight...combinations, etc...?
Could be (unless they've changed it in the last year or so) that the warm up area is awful. It's tiny with no room to get your horse really going, then they ask forward questions on the course. If you have a horse with any type of claustrophobic issues it's dangerous. If you have a horse who doesn't have problems with being in a small area with horses coming at them then you might leave with one.

[Liebe-ist-Krieg]

I was there 2 years ago, and a good 1/3 maybe 1/2 of the Training division out. I recall the Prelim and Inter. being tough as well. The course did seem to favor a bold horse and warm up was rather intense. I'll be there though running Inter. , I love their x-country!