Hunter trial - so disappointed

[coverblown]

Today Cait competed in a hunter trial.

Neither of us had been told how this works - we thought it was just the fastest round the xc course - so off she goes, fast as she can, a bit scared.

Well she came home 2nd, but was not placed due to something called an "optimum time", of which we were not aware.

We have been riding at the school where the trial took place, and Cait hired one of their horses. Despite 2 years instruction there, nobody told us about the optimum time business, and despite them originally telling her that she was 2nd and top junior, apparently they had the wrong optimum time and she ended up out of the placings and 3rd junior (which means nothing). Naturally she is a bit fed up especially when instructor (afterwards!) says "oh yes that's how hunter trials work....." A little information beforehand could have been of use, methinks. And daughter would not now be crying upstairs with no rosettes when she thought she had 2.....

[phyzelda]

thats not very fair!! but sounds like she had a good round, look at it as experience! Good luck with the next one!!

[Wobblydeb]

Oh how disappointing! I guess it's frustrating when your child is upset, and it so easily could have been avoided. :rolleyes:


Will she get another chance to compete again soon?

[coverblown]

Thanks folks, for your understanding.

I am contacting the yard to see if I can get her into a more appropriate lesson group. She rides with me, and although we love it, she is a far better rider than I am. She has resisted moving into a higher level lesson on her own thus far, but I think she needs the support of others who are competing, not just time spend lolling around the arena with her mum!
Next one is next year - that's one of the reasons she was so fed up, but lets chalk this year up to a learning experience and see what next one brings....

Thanks again

[DavidH]

Just for future reference there are 3 ways of timing a hunter trial.
1) optimum time over a part of the course. The time is not stated but the metres per minute should be.
2) Optimum time over the whole course.
3) fastest time over a section of the course. This type usually include a gate which has to be opened, passed through then closed again and possibly a knock down fence which generally accrues a 10 second penalty if it is knocked down.
Always as the sec what type of timing is used.
Thought I'd post this as i dont want your daughter upset at the second one if it runs on a different system to the first.