Tweseldown ODE

[Tiggers Bounce]

hi all,

this is my first post!!!!
:D

Being brave (or it could have been the couple of cans of Stella??) i entered the Novice ODE (done a couple of intro's and pre novice or 3) at Tweseldown,
saw they were taking late entries for the novice and went for it....
looked up my section list this morning and :eek:
let me see Leslie Law, Mary King, Vicky Brake and William Fox-pit are in my section......
Went to see Tigger (my trusty steed) in my lunch hour and informed him that i may have finally lost the plot!

so.......

what is Tweseldown Novice course like??????? lol

[Waikato Valuta]

I dont know what that course is like but congrats on taking the plunge and doing your first Novice.

Here is a pic of my local Novic event.

You go up the steps then do a tight turn and over the oxer.

[Waikato Valuta]

Just thorgh i'd add that those riders that are realy good would only be competeing in the novice to bring on a young/green horse. So you still have a chance of beating them if the horse mucks up. Besides apart from those good riders I'm sure there are pleanty who arnt so good you will beat.

[Tiggers Bounce]

If i can stay in the top 20 i'll be chuffed.... please cross everything on the 11th July....:)

[RachelEvent]

Hello!

Another affiliated eventer :D I'm doing pre-novice at the moment, but am taking a break ready to enter my first novice (after lots of BSJA showjumping practice!!) but mines at Urchinwood, which is meant to be pretty much the easiest :o

If you go to www.ginnyelliot.com there is actually a photo guide to the Tweseldown Novice course from eariler this year... it looks about mid level difficulty to me, although it's hard to tell the dimensions of the photos from the pictures. My instructor did the open novice there at the beginning of the year, and she was clear, but then bl**dy well should be riding a horse thats jumped round blenheim and bramham!

Rachel xx

[RachelEvent]

Just addind on...

let me see Leslie Law, Mary King, Vicky Brake and William Fox-pit are in my section......

I know how that feels, it's a bit intimadating rolling up to their huge lorries in our clapped out landrover and trailer, or charging around the warm-up arena on my suddenly excited horse while they look so infuriatingly perfect. At Salperton last weekend I was parked next to Leslie Law, and had to go into the showjumping straight after Zara Phillips. They were really nice though, Leslie Law was chatting to us when we pulled up, saying he looked like a 'fun horse' and zara phillips started talking to me whilst waiting to go into the showjumping arena.. I didn't recognize her though until she had gone in :o Then I was like d'oh I sounded like an idiot saying her horse was very pretty!

Rachel xx

[DavidH]

Good on you. Go for it!
Riding against the top names is part of the fun of Novice level.
As waikato rightly pointed out, they will be on green horses and can be beaten.
I still remember the elation of beating Blyth Tait at a novice event.
Go there with the intention of having fun, it is.
Don't be intimidated by the names. From my experience they are all very approachable and happy to give advice to us mortals (just don't ask while there in the start box).
Let us know how you get on.
All parts crossed here.
David H
(ex-eventer but soon to rectify that)

[Tiggers Bounce]

thanks for all the votes of confidence my first Novice was planning to be Urchinwood too!!!
so i expect i will see you there....:)

i never thought of the virtual course walks... must be the blonde coming out...:rolleyes:

i also have to say this is my first season and i have also found everyone really nice ... officials and competitors ... Tigs and i are having great fun... :D

[tasha]

How did you get on? Ive done PC camp twice at Tweseldown so jumped a lot of the jums, there's some bigguns round there!

[Tiggers Bounce]

:( .... i had to withdraw!!

did Shipton Moyne (very badly!!!) last Weds and woke up Thursday morning and my neck and upper back had decided that i am far too old to be hurling myself round XC courses... lord knows how i did it... i didn't fall off (honest) :)

eventually managed to get a dr's appointment for today... (as usual, lots better now), but hopefully he will give me a cert so i can get my entry fees back, fingers crossed.

luckily next event in my diary is not until 29th.

Tig is pleased... he's been turned out since last Thursday, playing with his mates in the field, with no work, apart from I got on him yesterday and hacked cowboy style round the farm.