The Novice/BN 3 day clinic

[enjoytheride]

First, someone who thinks N/BN riders are wannabees and need to step up or pack it in needs not respond but if you have some helpful advice by all means pitch in!

What would it take to hold just a clinic?

1) what kind of facility

2) over how many days

3) how to find the right riders/horses

4) what are the goals/structure of the clinic

5) speed

6)height of the fences

Let's think of this in a clinic format and get the kinks worked out first.

Finally, price. how do we keep it affordable and make sure everyone gets paid.

[Ajierene]

Let`s say you`re at a 3-phase event, where the 2nd phase has a mile or so of roads and tracks, run at 220 m/m, then say 3/4 mile gallop at around 400 meters/min, with maybe a couple of slanted 3 foot brush jumps,(or maybe not).

Then about two miles of roads and tracks at 160 m/m, coming into a ten minute vet box, before a novice level xc.

It`s the WHOLE EXPERIENCE, putting all that together, that creates the challenge and the meaning.

Sure, maybe not for all the hotshots, but for a lot of the actual eventers I know.

Since it hasn`t been even attempted, how will we know until someone offers it?

I don't have as much experience with setting up clinics and events to say how much exact room would be needed and what venues would be most viable, but I think this quote from the other thread may be helpful as a starting point so people can start thinking about how much room would be needed and how to accomplish it.

I will say, ideally it should be over at least three days.

How to get to the riders? Start with advertising in the form of flyers at every event you can think of. Color coding the flyers and offering a coupon may help you get a feel for what events and types of events (recognized or unrecognized - did anyone come over from a hunter/jumper or dressage show?) draw the most people.

I would like the goals to center around the mechanics - what exactly happens in the ten minute box, what do roads and tracks feel like and how do they go into the steeplechase, etc.

What to do in the jog ups.

How to jump as speed would be great also.

How to keep it affordable? Will running it in conjunction with a Training Long Format be feasible and more financially better? Keeping it unrecognized will definitely help with the bills. Keeping the 'fancy' to a minimum also - get people to donate jumps if you can.

Someone mentioned a GPS system so that you need less volunteers.

That's all my suggestions for now.

[Auburn]

Maybe LAZ would consider trying it at her place? She seems to put on very nice, educational events.

NMK,

Would you mind asking Sarah, if it would be possible at the second SF event or even in conjunction with their T3D?

[LAZ]

First, someone who thinks N/BN riders are wannabees and need to step up or pack it in needs not respond but if you have some helpful advice by all means pitch in!

What would it take to hold just a clinic?

1) what kind of facility

2) over how many days

3) how to find the right riders/horses

4) what are the goals/structure of the clinic

5) speed

6)height of the fences

Let's think of this in a clinic format and get the kinks worked out first.

Finally, price. how do we keep it affordable and make sure everyone gets paid.

1) A place that has enough room for

a large dressage arena
a show jumping course of 10-12 jumps
a class room type area
stabling for the amount of horses that are expected
room to warm up
a good level place with sound footing for jog ups/demonstrate and practice jogs and a collecting area for the same
a championship level cross country course
a safe place with good footing for steeplechase that can either be roped or is contained
sufficient room to lay out phases A & C--(they can share but you need at least a mile of safe tracks and hopefully more so you don't have to just trot in circles or straight lines)
a place where the Finish of C/Start of D and (hopefully) finish of D coincide so you have a good place for a 10 minute box
an area near the end of B/Start of C that you can have an assistance area
I can't think you'd need a C hold for Nov/BN but if it is needed, then one of those as well.How many acres depends on how the facility is laid out, so that is hard to say exactly.

2) How many days:

4 days

Thursday is the settle in/in barn exams/learn to jog/drive around roads and tracks with lectures in the evening plus the Jog
Friday is dressage, Steeplechase school, lectures on vet box & other important topics such as after care of the horse
Saturday is Speed & Endurance Day
Saturday night is the PARTY!
Sunday morning is the Jog then Show jumping3--How to find the right riders

I think there has to be a qualifying system in place for riders. Horses at Novice/BN I'm not so worried about.
I'd suggest 4 clear x/c rounds with no speed faults and minimal time faults4--What are the goals:

This one I dunno.5--Speed

Top Novice speed for X/C
Lowest Training Speed for B6--Height of fences

This needs to be at current Novice regulations7--Costs--I can't see how the costs can be kept below $400/head. See my previous post on one of these threads for details.

Hope this helps, its from my experience of organizing our T3DE, running the YR program, and being co organizer for the 87 Pan Am 3 Day.

[LAZ]

Maybe LAZ would consider trying it at her place? She seems to put on very nice, educational events.

NMK,

Would you mind asking Sarah, if it would be possible at the second SF event or even in conjunction with their T3D?

I would be happy to do it it, but I do not have the show jumps to meet USEA standards (I have minimal wings and my poles are 10' not 12'), and many of my cross country jumps are somewhat narrow for USEA regs (10-12').

I also am leary about hanging myself out there financially, though I guess it could be canceled if need be.

P.S. I am talking about my farm, not in conjunction with the IEA T3DE--I can't speak for the IEA board on that one, but we already run our maximum # of horses for that event & I don't think the N3DE would go with it in 2010.

[rmaryman]

Maybe I mus-understand the question that you are asking..if so just ignore me...

are you wanting to do a clinic that would simulate a 3-day event, but with obstacles at the level a novice/BN rider could do successfully?

OR

are you asking about doing a 3-day-long clinic for novice and BN riders that would address the Dressage, XC, and stadium as individual (but related, obviously) elements?

the answers to your questions as listed would vary of course depending on what you are wanting to do....just dumb ol' me wanting to know

Rick in VA

[Meredith Clark]

Fair Hill would be great.. and I'm not just saying that b/c it's in my backyard :lol:

They've already held International level 3 days so they obviously have the facility.

It's not a private barn so you wouldn't already have student/boarders ready to volunteer but Fair Hill has a pretty good following of pony club/ 4-H/ adult armatures that always come out to help.

[Brown Horse]

Maybe I mus-understand the question that you are asking..if so just ignore me...

are you wanting to do a clinic that would simulate a 3-day event, but with obstacles at the level a novice/BN rider could do successfully?

OR

are you asking about doing a 3-day-long clinic for novice and BN riders that would address the Dressage, XC, and stadium as individual (but related, obviously) elements?

the answers to your questions as listed would vary of course depending on what you are wanting to do....just dumb ol' me wanting to know

Rick in VA

The way I read it, I could have sworn it was the second scenario...until people started chiming in about LF and whatnot! I could be completely wrong, though.
OP, why just BN/N? Seems like it would attract more people if you offered a BN group, Novice group, a Training group, etc etc. On the "entry" form you would have the rider write a short statement about what level they are at.
Like I said though I could be misinterpreting what it is you want to put on!

[tle]

I know this isn't exactly what is being asked but the one thing that I think the US kind of missed when designing the educational 3-days is the idea that Phase D was longer and tougher than XC for a horse trial. Heights may be the same, but maybe you had an additional 200-300 meters.... or maybe an additional combination (ie: a regular Training XC might have a half coffin, the 3day woudl have a full coffin set at 2-3 strides each or just numbered individually). Yes it's an educational event, but I still think it should be a pinnacle event too.

Just my 2 cents.

[Speedy]

If this is really about education, getting the LF word out and having some fun, why not forget about doing an "event" and focus on structuring this as a "clinic"?

If I were organizing it, I would enlist the BNTs involved in the T3D in Area II. I'd ask them to, over a 3 day period, hold unmounted lectures about each element of 3D prep that is essential to a healthy and successful 3D experience - including proper conditioning methods, feeding programs, farrier care, equipment, the 10 minute box, etc. There are a number of topics that should be covered if folks are going to walk away from the experience with any real understanding of what a LF involves at any level - and each of these lectures can describe the differences in approach - and the reasons for those differences - from one level to the next, so that participants understand, not only what is required at their particular level, but also how that would change, and why, as they move up. I'd do these lectures in the mornings.

I'd then have mounted sessions in the afternoons, starting with the esstential positions on xc, how to use a bridge, how to judge your horse's pace - without a watch - all the things that folks often don't focus on during their lessons and really don't practice very often, particularly if they live in urban or suburban areas. These are the areas where you see obvious holes in education at regular HTs.

I'd then have a couple of jump sessions, the first involving each of the basic xc questions, and the second involving a small steeplechase type jump, just to give participants the idea of what it is to jump this type of fence, with the emphasis being how to do so in the proper balance and out of stride - as opposed to at "speed".

If folks actually signed up for this, I would then give them the opportunity to put it all to the test a couple of months later (months that would, presumably, be put to good use, based on the information provided at the clinic) at an unrecognized LF event of the type described by Denny. I would not allow anyone to do the LF if they hadn't participated in the clinic first.

I'd market this at HTs, through the Adult Area chats and of course through the local pony clubs, and my guess is that some of the BNTs that I am thinking of would donate some, if not all, of their time, which would keep costs low. There are a couple that come to mind that might even donate the use of their farms, which have galloping tracks and steeplechase fences, in addition to outdoor and indoor rings and full xc courses.