Eventing success part three: up the ante

You’ve laid the foundations, built a successful partnership and are consistently completing events, but what’s next? It’s time to get a little more competitive. But how do you make the transition from an educational or confidence-building day to a competitive one? And when’s the right time?

This issue, I share my advice that will help you turn the dream of stepping onto the podium a reality.

Moving up

Remember, there’s a difference between being more competitive and stepping up a level. The former is about refining your skills in each discipline to achieve better marks, whereas the latter might introduce a whole new set of challenges, for example more difficult moves in a dressage test or more technical combinations on the cross-country course.

Step by step

Knowing when you’re ready to be more competitive starts with establishing your success so far. Ask yourself, are you able to complete all three phases on the day without too much trouble? Obviously, it’s natural to have a few mishaps every now and again, but upping the ante should only come into play when your confidence is high and your record shows regular completions with minimal jumping faults.

Gut feeling

Before I make the transition to being competitive with any of the horses I ride, I focus on taking my training to the event, riding each phase as it comes and finishing with a happy, healthy horse. I think it’s so important not to look at the final results too soon, especially if you’re riding a youngster or are a new partnership, because it can alter your perspective of how the day actually went.

Discover more of Piggy’s advice for producing better scores in May Horse&Rider. Get your copy today!