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Why You Need To Try Equimind Online Competitions

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Written by Andrea Parker

The rise of the internet has seen the emergence of a new way of competing with your horse – online competitions. Equimind is a UK based company which now offers dressage, jumping, show horse, vaulting, riding for the disabled and even blind horse competitions, meaning that there is something for everyone.

But why should you try online competitions?

Cost

It’s much cheaper. By the time I’ve paid nomination fees, ground fees, camping fees, put fuel in the car and bought lucerne hay for Nonie attending a traditional competition could easily cost in excess of $300. At just £12.00 per test (which works out to about $21.00 Australian) Equimind online competitions work out to be much cheaper.

Convenience

It’s more convenient. You get to film your test from the comfort of your own arena at a time that suits you, after you’ve had the perfect amount of time to warm up. This also means no camping, no getting up at the crack of dawn and so on.

No traveling

No traveling required! This one pretty much speaks for itself, but one of the biggest draw cards of competing online is that it provides on option for people who do not have a towing vehicle or a float to engage in competition.

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Say Goodbye To Plaiting And Whites

No plaiting or competitions whites required! While I do love plaiting up it takes a decent chunk of time out of my day, similarly white breeches and saddle pads require a lot of cleaning post competition. The only competition where you do need to plait and get dressed up for are the Winter and Summer Championships which run once per year each.

Get Experience In The Ring

It can be a great practice run for show days in real life. If you are like me you might be guilty of not practising test riding often enough. The problem with this is that test riding is a skill unto itself. A skill which if you aren’t out competing or riding through tests regularly can easily become rusty. The monthly schedule of Equimind competitions has given me that extra bit of prompting to ride though tests more often.

Feedback From Judges In Other Countries

Get feedback from judges in another country. EquiMind competitions are judged by qualified judges from Britain, South Africa and Germany. This can be particularly appealing if you are competing in your local area or not competing at all – you’ll get feedback from a broader range of people.

‘Practice’ Until You Get It Right

You can have more than one attempt which is super handy if you make a mistake. I’ve certainly done this on occasion when I’ve got halfway through a test and realised that I’ve gone the wrong way.

Monitor Your Progress Over Time

In addition to your paper test sheets, you’ll have video footage as a record of your progress over time. I guess the same can be true of traditional competitions too but this is the only way I’ve ever had consistent videos of myself riding.

If you would like to try an Equimind class, please DM me for a discount code. Go on, give it a go!

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About the author

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Hey, I'm Andrea Parker, an adult amateur dressage enthusiast on a remarkable journey with my 13-year-old mare, Mon Ami. Delving into the equestrian world, I recount the highs and the hurdles on my blog, The Sand Arena Ballerina. I'm also passionately working on crafting an equestrian podcast titled Equestrian Pulse.