Top Tips for Competing at BE90 Level

At BE80 the speed is 435m/minute. At BE90 it’s 450m/minute over a similar distance and you might see a half coffin, steps and a trakehner as well a narrow fence, corner or bank. You will not be expected to jump a bounce, bullfinch, full coffin or sunken road.

I would expect to see a maximum of three combinations on the course, and the other obvious inclusion at this level is that of alternatives. You should understand the principle of alternative fences and of “black flagging” which is where an alternative is on offer without being penalized. It will just take more time.

A designer can also use frangible devices at this level, which is nothing to worry about. This just means that there is a 90cm minimum drop which is required to be able to pin or use MIM clips on a fence. They are still unlikely to be used at this level, but be assured it is a good thing if you do happen to spot one!

Helping riders set their horses up for a fence

Encouraging riders to ride well and present their horses to each fence correctly is something I encourage in my course designs. At this level you don’t want riders to stress too much, and as a designer you want them to jump the fence in the right place.

Surprisingly, you can have a relatively straight forward fence yet the horse will hit it. This normally happens when there is a long run up and the horse subsequently becomes strung out, disengaged and on the forehand by the time he reaches it.

To help prevent this, I will place something, like a tree or another obstacle, before the fence so that riders have to curve around this, which will encourage them to set the horse up for the fence.

Water

At BE90 level, you can’t have a jump into water, but you can have a fence four or five strides away from the water.

At this level riders must slow down and give the water respect, even if they haven’t jumped a fence before. Slow down and give the horse time to read what is ahead of them.

The last fence

So often you will see the last fence shared for different classes and this is certainly the case at British Eventing Championships at Gatcombe where the same fence is jumped for the novice, intermediate and open championship classes.

The problem comes when these fences are not built at the maximum dimensions. If you’ve been jumping fences at the maximum height, and you come to the final fence and its tiny, there is nothing to get the horses in the air. The rider will get complacent because it is small and this is when accidents can happen.

Positive experience

Like with BE80, you are aiming for a positive, confidence giving round, but you can test the horse and rider a little more. Obstacles which have a sympathetic and more forgiving profile should be used where possible and all obstacles should have well defined ground lines and their jumpable width be wide and inviting. 

You are still concentrating on ensuring all the basics are established, and when you feel confident, you are jumping good clear rounds, and you trust your horse, you are ready to move up to BE100 where the time becomes a more influential factor.

By Helen West