| Author | Message | ||
     Frances Collings Username: Victory Registered: 11-2009 |
We have been at this game for approx. 30 years and no one has come up with the answer yet!! Reckon your pony will well cope with the Intermediate Class next year! | ||
| Diane Hogben Username: Dianeh Registered: 10-2013 |
I do get your point about top drivers in a novice class, but on the other side it means maybe a top international driver with a total novice, green horse, competing in an open class, where the horse has no experience. | ||
| Fiona Powell Username: Fionap Registered: 12-2003 |
Diane, thank you for your comment: this is a much-discussed topic. Outdoors, in the East Anglia Carriage Driving Group, we have pre-novice, novice and open singles classes. The open singles class drivers can choose from the novice qualifier, intermediate, open or advanced dressage tests (which people could be using if they are competing at national level) and this seems to work well and to be popular. A scheme to sort classes by the experience of the horse might be relatively easy to manage for singles - provided they bring the horse they say they will (hmm?) - it becomes more difficult with multiples, which can declare three to five horses... I don't think anyone has come up with a workable solution yet! If top international drivers were allowed in the novice class with a novice horse, I don't think this would be popular myself because ours is such a small sport and the "real" novices might get fed up! Any ideas, anyone?! | ||
| Diane Hogben Username: Dianeh Registered: 10-2013 |
The only thought I have is it should be the horse/pony that qualifies, not the driver. I was, at the beginning of the season driving a well established pony, and was worried that if we carried on doing well and qualify, the next year when I am driving my less experienced pony, he would have to move up to open classes, which he is defintely not ready for. | ||
| Fiona Powell Username: Fionap Registered: 12-2003 |
Do you have any comments, good ideas, plans, thoughts about going to the Finals or indoor carriage driving in general that you would like to send to me or share here? I would be delighted to hear from you. Your comments may be published (if you wish) in the driving press, otherwise anonymity is assured! Thank you... Please comment below or send me an email, fionap@innate.co.uk or call 01473 735732 |