As we write this blog the new British Eventing season is starting in just over a week and we know lots of our customers are gearing up to compete over the coming months. It’s such an exciting time after a long winter of hard work, cold weather and dark mornings, and we can’t wait to see how they all get on! Our gallops have been a hive of activity over the past few months as people bring their horses here for fitness work on ground that’s always perfect and that gives them a superpower when it comes to the cross-country phase. That’s right, we’re talking about getting a feel for pace so you can nail those optimum times.
Why does learning to judge pace matter?
Obviously, the main reason people worry about their pace is to avoid time faults, and you can rack up these for going too quickly AND too slowly! You’ll pick up 0.4 of a penalty for every second you’re on the course over the optimum time and 0.4 of a penalty for every second under the optimum time, after a 15 second grace window.
But it’s about rhythm and balance too, which are both essential to a successful round and a happy, fresh horse as you near the end of the course. Ideally, you want to be able to maintain a rhythm and a similar pace per minute from start to finish. It can be tempting to rush between fences and then steady right up for the fences, but this is far more tiring for the horse and knocking them out their rhythm can unbalance them. But always glancing down at a stopwatch isn’t ideal either so ideally you want to use your it for reference more than as a constant guide. That all means it’s helpful to learn how to judge your pace, so you know what the canter or gallop feels like to help you meet the optimum time at your chosen level. Here’s a reminder of the British Eventing optimum times:
BE80 – 435m/min
BE90 – 450m/min
BE100 – 475m/min
BE105 – 500m/min
Novice – 520m/min
Intermediate – 550m/min
Advanced – 570m/min
How to use the gallops to learn to judge pace
Our gallops have distances marked out all along the way, so you can time how long it takes you to ride a certain distance. That then allows you to work out your speed – and top points to those who can just about remember the speed equals distance over time triangle from school maths lessons! It must be said we spent most of our time at school daydreaming about horses… The aim of your gallop sessions can be to practise riding at the right pace for the BE level that you compete at (or that you’re aiming to compete at!). Do bear in mind that our gallop has perfect shock absorbing ground and that won’t be the case at competitions – plus there could be hills to go up and down, water to canter through and those pesky fences along the way! These will all impact how fast you can go and how quickly your horse tires – but the gallops are still an invaluable tool to make sure you know what pace to aim for.
How to use the gallops for fitness work
It goes without saying that you and your horse need to be fit to safely tackle a BE cross-country course, and that’s the other main reason people bring their horses to the gallops. From sustained cantering at your BE ‘optimum’ pace to interval workouts, it’s a great place to get fit together before your first event of the season. You can visit with up to three friends or come on your own – you have sole use for an hour, so make the most of it!
Good luck to everyone out competing this weekend and beyond!