TREC is coming - we went on a fun trec in the north of England at Eston today. WE had a two hour training session without horses yesterday and a whole day today which was really training but also a small scale competition. Everybody was fantastically friendly, everybody just wanted to enjoy themselves and it was wonderful to see all the native ponies, the older riders, proper field kept horses and ponies behaving well ( mostly) and having a great time. The orienteering was more or less a pleasure ride, the organisers made sure that the canter/walk ( control of gaits) was fairly straightforward for novices, and all the obstacles were easy.
The best thing of all is that you don't have to do what you can't or don't want to! And everybody has fun and helps each other.
I can't wait for the next one in spring. I daresay the very competitive events are much more intense, but there is always a short/fun competition for those who simply want a great day out with friends and a bit more than just a hack or a pleasure ride to test themselves and horses.
Oh and you don't need to plait and brush and spend hours and hours getting stressed about a bit of mud. just get the horse there and enjoy!
Em