[AppendixQHLover]

I really think eventing is great and doesn't reuire the fance movement of the hunter ring.

My horse could do the BN courses. Is there anything below that for people to get feet wet?

[quietann]

You're in Maryland? Absolutely! There are clinics, there are unrecognized events with elementary or "baby beginner novice" levels... you bet! Good luck!

[AppendixQHLover]

You're in Maryland? Absolutely! There are clinics, there are unrecognized events with elementary or "baby beginner novice" levels... you bet! Good luck!

Yes I am in MD. We are working on our dressage right now for communication. I am moving to a new facility in December that has lots of trails and jumps on those trails.

[snoopy]

I really think eventing is great and doesn't reuire the fance movement of the hunter ring.

My horse could do the BN courses. Is there anything below that for people to get feet wet?

I think that you will find that eventing does actually require far more fancy movement then the hunters who IMO are rather unimpressive and flat on the ground and over fences. It is far more likely that a horse not suited to eventing ends up in the H/J arena more then the other way round.

[GilbertsCreeksideAcres]

I think that you will find that eventing does actually require far more fancy movement then the hunters who IMO are rather unimpressive and flat on the ground and over fences. It is far more likely that a horse not suited to eventing ends up in the H/J arena more then the other way round.

I think she will find that eventing is a blast and worth trying, even though there are always people who will want to shoot holes in her sails before she even starts.

[snoopy]

I think she will find that eventing is a blast and worth trying, even though there are always people who will want to shoot holes in her sails before she even starts.

Actually I am always thrilled when someone joins the sport...my post only addressed the misconception that event horses are not fancy movers and made no reference to her not being welcomed to the sport....since you seem to have a bit of hot air and are concerned about her sails...perhaps you could help?

[Horsegal984]

Personally I took that to mean simply that her horse doesn't have the hunter 'type' movement. A lower level event horse can move just about any way it wants to around the courses as long as it gets around clean. If the horse wants to go around overjumping and with it's head in the air she won't be penalized for it.

And to the OP, go have fun!! There's lots of schooling oppertunities out there, and if you're comfotable with it, there's lots of horses that go out their first time at BN or Maiden. Doing trail work is a good way to judge how your horse will handle being out of an arena, and hunter paces are another good way to get out of the arena in a fun and relaxed environment.

[SouthBeach1990]

I think that you will find that eventing does actually require far more fancy movement then the hunters who IMO are rather unimpressive and flat on the ground and over fences. It is far more likely that a horse not suited to eventing ends up in the H/J arena more then the other way round.

My good friend had a Chronicle of the Horse event horse of the year as her show hunter for many, many years. ex-event horses as long as the move well and have good jumping form make incredible hunters.

I diasgree about the movement....hunters, good one's anyway, float beautifuly, and jumpr round and pretty.... event horses have a more dressage oriented movement and tend to be flat over stadium...apples and oranges though...most event horses would fail in the hunter ring as would most hunters in the event world...unless they had certain natural characteristics and were given good training.

[magnolia73]

You do get a score for your horses movement in the dressage phase, but they are looking for something different than a hunter judge. And it isn't 100% of your score like in a hack class.

But truly- I think at the lower levels- BN, N, the unrecognized events, the B & C hunter shows- it is all about having a relaxed competent horse that does the job with obedience and accuracy.

[AEM74]

There are starter and tadpole divisions that you can enter. You'll even find a recognized starter event or two or three throughout the year, though I'm not in your area so I don't know which ones to specifically mention to you.

I don't want to paint an entire equestrian discipline with a broad brush, positively or negatively, but I think you'll find the eventing community much more welcoming and down-to-earth than the hunter community as a whole (flame suit on). They're a fun, encouraging, passionate bunch of horse folks and I think if you get in with a good trainer and group, you and your horse will enjoy eventing immensely.

Have fun!!

ETA: You might be surprised at the array of "fancy" horses you'll find in the eventing world. Many, many downright lovely horses of all shapes, sizes and breeds.

[AppendixQHLover]

Sorry I should have clarified. My horse is just not a super-fancy mover that wins the hack at A shows. He does well at the lower level hack classes and over fences. We have fun and enjoy working together. He has a great work ethic and loves to please.

We have a little bit of work to do still. My instructor will work with us more this winter but she knows that I do want to do some eventing. I think that I will need to medicate my mother if she comes to watch.

[Kementari]

I think that I will need to medicate my mother if she comes to watch.

In 17 years of me riding - 15 or 16 years of jumping - my mother has never once seen me actually JUMP. She's come to lessons; she's come to shows. She has watched me in many a jumping round. But she always closes her eyes right at the last stride, waits a few seconds (she perfected the timing by having my father or my instructor tell her many times when it was "safe" ) and then opens them again to watch my approach to the next jump.

I guess she just takes the fact that the strides in between the jumps are the key to a good round REALLY seriously...

[AppendixQHLover]

My mom never can get used to the idea of me jumping. She reminds me I am not getting any younger. Um..my most recent injuries are not from the horse but from me being a complete klutz.

[Kementari]

It's not so much the IDEA of me jumping as the REALITY of it that bothers my mom... (She loves looking at my pictures - because then she knows beforehand that it all turned out OK! )