[Caroline Weber]

On WeDoItAll's thread on Caber Farm's recognized horse trials, she mentioned that she and her daughter had forgotten the meter wheel and could not wheel the T course. This struck me as interesting, since I've never wheeled a course at training or below - I might consider it at a championship if I happened to have a wheel with me, but otherwise, I don't.

I'm curious - how many of you wheel courses below Prelim? If so, do you only wheel at championships or at big events (Groton House, Millbrook, etc.)? I've seen people wheel courses even at BN, which I admit, has me a little confused. Is the wheeling of lower-level courses a new trend? I don't remember seeing this five or ten years ago - maybe I just never noticed?

Thanks for your replies!

[ThirdCharm]

I've wheeled courses at Novice for students who insisted on strangling their horse's canter due to nerves.... I give them minute markers so they know that if they are at the minute marker and they've been on course for 80 seconds, they really are not going as fast as they think they are! Other than that at T or below I usually just set the watch for Speed Penalty or Optimal time (depending on if they are slowpokes or speed demons) with instructions accordingly..... However I think that with the lack of open/galloping space available, a lot of people don't have the opportunity to practice galloping (even very very slowly like at Novice!) and need a little more help establishing an accurate idea of pace when they start out, so I would not be surprised to see wheeling become more common.

Jennifer

[Eventer13]

I did a course walk last fall with a BNR, and she wheeled the training course. I thought it was a little funny- I mean, we really arent going THAT fast- so I didn't pay attention to all that. Too much for me to think about anyway. But I'd say about half of the group was writing it all down.

[RAyers]

I never have wheeled a course either. I don't need to since I don't wear a watch.

Reed

[asterix]

I don't own a wheel, although I could see it would be tempting to use it if I did.

I found that just by going at a given level on a given horse, I'd learn to pace it correctly (up through Training), and I like having that sense of feel. Of course i'd get it wrong occasionally, but I think that's part of the learning process.

I've only done a few prelims and we were still going way too slow to make time (he's a big guy who didn't have a natural gallop -- it used to be hard to make time at novice on him!), but I was looking forward to getting more efficient and learning to make time there too...hope to get back to that after current rehab is over.

I do see people wheel all the time at the lower levels and it does seem a bit extreme to me...

but I'll admit to USING that info when a BNT wheeled the Training xc at AECs the year I did it and told her students it was wheeled tightly (which I then heard back at the barns). I knew I had to hustle to make time at 470 and it was helpful to hear her insight about how to ride certain sections of the course.

So I think if I ever do AECs at Training and up again, I would try and wheel it or talk to someone who had. Other than that, I think it's a cool part of the process to learn pace and feel and "course feel" as it were.

[flea]

I will probably never go above training and wheel the lower level courses anyway. My daughter was competeing in the 90s and wheeled the courses also. Even though its a lower level course, I feel each outing is not only a competition but a learning opportunity also. So the more "learning" I can get the better. I also wear the forbidden watch at Novice level. Again helps my learning process. Like this fall, I didn't take into account that the last minute was twisty with water and going to take longer. I had kept track of my time so knew when and where I misfigured which was an educational thing. I saw I wasn't going to make the time and didn't try to race and make it up had to to take the penalties, But next time I have a better idea how to ride a course like that.

[WeDoItAll]

Well here's why we would wheel this course ... although this is her first Recognized event at Training level, she's completed several unrecognized. This is a relatively new horse to her and they are still working out some of their communication. The first one did SJ before cross country and she was "very" quick during the SJ round. So ... trainer said you will trot between fences. Said course (actually was at this location) took 22 minutes to complete -- and she was clear of jumping faults (schooling show, not timed, so no time penalties). Then she had another show where she was very very quick (balanced and steady ... but quick). Next couple were on a different course and she went a really solid Novice speed. So .... we actually want to ensure she's not TOO FAST :-). Just haven't found that happy medium yet. And her next event is a T3DE 1/2*, so this is the event to use as a test for that one.

[yellowbritches]

The only time we've wheeled courses is for CCIs. That's it. Maybe for a big UL horse trial course, maybe, but not for anything else. In fact, after the last CCI anyone here did, the meter wheel disappeared, and it has hardly been a tragedy. There's been some projects at home it would have been nice for (measuring out meters to practice galloping), but still, not a tragedy. I will freely admit to sniggering a bit been I see people wheeling BN courses. It seems silly to me.

[FlightCheck]

I don't wheel, for myself or my student, but I've got a pretty good sense of distance/speed in my mind (as opposed to the alleged emptiness!)

Personal preference, I guess. I do practice "at home" what 350, 400, 450 "feels like", and of course also watch thousands of eventers go XC each year.

But I don't see anything "wrong" with it, for those who do.

[Bensmom]

Hmm -- well, as a perpetual BN/N competitor I'd get sniggered at for wheeling my course, using studs at such a low level and wearing a watch.

But, you know what? It isn't a bad thing if those of us who probably won't ride at the upper levels learn good horsemanship too -- I find that knowing where my minute markers are at BN is a great test for really learning what my pace should feel like.

If you don't need to do it for yourself, that is great, but I usually do do it, and think I learn something from it. Even if for no other reason, I get to feel like a "real" eventer, and though that is a little geeky, I don't think there is anything "wrong" with it.

Libby

[flea]

You go Bensmom...we will meet and have a beer while wheeling our course, checking our watches, and holding our stud box! Why the sniggering? Everyone learns differently and it helps us learn. It seems like the more advanced people would be the one without the watches, wheels, and beer as they have are more experienced and don't need these aids anymore. Well, maybe the beer still.

[Bensmom]

flea -- you're on! Care to join me for a Tropical Storm party -- I have lots of cold beer and much food, since I have the contents of my BFF's fridge (eventually I will quit wondering WTF? when I open the fridge and see the Diego yogurt -- she has a 3 year old son and I have no kids!) and my mom's fridge and freezer here. We could have a major TS party!

Cleaned up the tackroom already -- we could have beer, food and sit around and sort the studs out

I think it is cool if riders are accomplished enough to not need the benchmarks to know how fast they are going, but without lots of training, since I have no feel, I'd never get it!

libby

[blackwly]

I have personally never wheeled a course at training or below, not that I think it never has it's place.

When I first moved up to prelim - 15 yrs ago mind you- I used to wheel a lot of courses as I tended to finished with 5-8 time faults of so and I was working on my pace.

That said, it has been many years since I wheeled a prelim HT course now, as I'm very comfortable with feeling the correct pace. I will still wheel some intermediate courses- if I'm going for a competitive time- though I usually only note two check-points---usually a 2 minute and 4 minute marker. That does help keep me on my toes and help me know when I can back off the pace a bit.

I always wheel any CCI and take note of all minute markers. If I'm there, I'm there to compete and win and I am heading out of the box with the plan to make the time unless my horse tells me otherwise and the plan changes mid-ride.

[deltawave]

My option doesn't fit: "I sometimes wheel courses at Training, always above, rarely at Novice".

If I'm not going to wear a watch (something I almost never do at Novice) there's no point wheeling the course. I usually didn't at Training with Gwen once we'd been doing it for a while--I'd wear a watch but rarely paid attention. Training speed was her favorite gear.

ETA there's absolutely nothing wrong with doing so, because it's a good way to learn pace and how to plan a course. I can usually tell what my time was within about 15 seconds, so unless I'm gunning for time OR it's my first time going that speed on a horse I just don't bother below 450mpm.

[KBG Eventer]

I am at Novice, and I sometimes do if I decide that I am going to try to find my 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 marks. I almost always forget to look at my watch until I am about one or two fences away from the finish flags though so it is kind of pointless other than I usually confirm that I need to slow down a bit towards the last jump. It would probably be a good learning tool to do that though.

[NRB]

No option for me to select in the poll.

I've never wheeled a course in my life.

I competed rec training as a kid in the 80's. Now I compete only 3 unrec ht's in a year. I am pretty much the perpetual novice rider as well, although I have done 1 training. I just dont' get out enough to move up. I own a meter wheel (Thanks to Deltawave for the link b/c I would have never bought one at full Dover price) and I use it to meter out markers in the back field so I can get an eye for my pace. And I do wear a watch during this type of a practice. I wear a watch when I compete, but I don't think that I have ever looked at the watch while on course. I just use it to make sure I have a record of my time when I am done, so I look at the time when I pass through the finish. It just give me info.

[Long Shadow Farm]

I like to wheel my courses just to get the minute markers so I know for sure that I am close to time (if I need to speed up or slow down). A couple of years ago, I was glad I did at Greenwood because when they added the new loop, a lot of people didn't make time because the course was very very tightly wheeled. Plus they ran it at 470mpm. I knew by my watch that when I came through the water, I would have to hussle up the hill and around the bend (a great gallop stretch anyways) to be on time. It paided off cause I was the only one in my division not to get time faults and I moved from like 10th or 12th to 3rd. Ended up 2nd after show jumping and my best finish to date at a rec HT. So, I don't mind if everyone else doesn't wheel their courses (grin). It pays off for me from time to time.

Bobbi

[caevent]

The reason I will wheel for myself and students at any level is not because we don't know our pace, but rather the actual practice of remembering minute markers, wheeling accurately, listening to your watch, for when the time actually DOES count. Can you imagine if you lost the area championships or a big CIC/CCI for just a couple measly seconds because you forgot to pay attention to your time? Our sport IS that competitive (can be won and lost on a matter of decimal points) and it's nice to be able to go home with a bit of prize money to make back your hard-earned entry fees.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

I usually don't even wear a watch at Training level or below. Never wheel a course except for a CCI....and I might for a CIC as well. Minute markers at training level...you're kidding. You are not on course long enough for it to matter!

I can typically tell if they wheeled a course tight by looking at how long the course is measured on the course map....if they say the course is at the max specs for the level...you can bet they wheeled it tight. But time is never an issue for me at training level.

[Robby Johnson]

I wheel every course. Granted I've not competed in nearly 3 years, but I agree with Bensmom - there's a reason why they give you a time and if you want to be both safe and competitive, you sorta need to be able to ride to it.