FULL GALLOP HORSE TRIALS
Date: August 19th 2018
Running order of Divisions:
See Course Designers Evaluation sheet below
Starters/Clear Rounds:
Advanced/Open Intermediate – 2/1+time (50%)
Intermediate– 9/4 (44%)
Intermediate/Preliminary – 3/1 (33%)
Preliminary – 13/7 (54%) + 2 with time (69%)
Preliminary/Training – 8/5 (63%)
Training (A)– 11/5 (45%) + 1 clear with time (55%)
Training (B) – 11/5 (45%) + 2 clear with time (64%)
Training (C) – 10/7 (70%)
The original plan received showed the Advanced/Intermediate and Preliminary courses all jumping the same track. Appendix I of the Rule Book requires that each Division must be more technical as you go up through them. As the Advanced course was one fence short of the maximum number, the Course Designer followed my suggestion by adding a new fence after the first double combination. This made this line far more technical, then for the Preliminary Divisions, when it was not included in those tracks.
10c was removed for the Training Divisions and 5b for the Novice. Removing 5a for the Novice would have made this track even less technical, and preferable, as this would have given a new distance.
By adding the new fence for the Advanced course (#6) this also added a turning point from fence 1 to 2 and from 10c to 11 and helped to prevent the horses from ‘falling in’ on these turns.
The Course Designer’s Evaluation Sheet states that 25mm cups were not used for the top poles despite being recommended in the Rule Book. There are times when heavy poles are all that is available and a 20mm minimum depth cup would be more appropriate, but in general the 25mm cup rule should be adopted.
Fence 7 on the Advanced track (fence 8 on the other tracks) was a Fan jump. This type of fence is very useful on a ‘turning’ line, as in this case, but is a very easy fence to use and is normally only seen in speed courses in small indoor arenas. A triple bar would have been more appropriate and useful in this instance.
Richard Jeffery
USEF Eventing Show Jumping Course Advisor