Leading on from my BHS Stage 1 thread!

[Blossom]

I get the feeling that some of you feel that the BHS Stage exams are unnecessary, is that right? If so, who on this board has done or are going to do the BHS Stages and who thinks that they aren't really important? Just really intrigued as to all of your personal opinions!

Blossom

[Wally]

I've taken them and was really quite amazed at some of the questions and the attitude of the examiners. When I took them there was no written paper at all, All I was required to do to get my stage one and two, taken together, was ride a very stodgy horse in the indoor school for half an hour with and without stirrups, when I did the show jumping bit the horse fell over with me completelly in the warm up, just fell over his own feet. A real confidence giver!!

Then I got a wonderful couple of certificates because I could recognise the difference between a GP saddle and a dressage saddle and knew how to take a shoe off, hardly in depth stuff!! That was really the sum of what I was asked! Things may have changed now but I felt the whole thing was a bit of a farce. Other stages were not so shallow but still now written paper of any way to get a full range of what the candidate knew.

One poor lass got asked two things about which she had little knowledge and was a bit weak, had she been asked two different questions she would have passed. Not a very fair examination system. Everyone should have to do everything or at least have a large portion of the pass marks on a written paper.

[Hareer]

I took my BHS stages 1,2 and 3 about 4 years ago and I'm pleased I did them. I know that some people think that you just have to recite stuff at the examiners and the whole thing to be really stuffy, but I'm glad I did them and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I did my exams in my own time and off my own back and it was a real sense of acheivement to pass them. Maybe I was lucky but I found all the examiners to be v. friendly and helpful and full of encouragement. It's a shame they have stopped giving the results on the day as it was a great oppurtunity to speak to an outsider about your riding and knowledge!