United States Eventing Association

How Strong is Your Beginner Novice Game?

Last month, we introduced this series with a look at the Preliminary level. Now, EquiRatings is showing you the key stats from Beginner Novice. How strong have your Beginner Novice results been? What’s a good final score? What’s a good dressage? What scores should you be aiming for if a top finish is your goal? Read on to evaluate your Beginner Novice game.

How are people scoring at Beginner Novice?

These graphs show Beginner Novice performance across the board, from sub-28 to DNF (Did Not Finish). Take a look to see what scores the Beginner Novice crowd has been earning. What scores do you usually get? We give you some of our takeaways to get you started.

The Big Picture at Beginner Novice

Finishing Score Zones

• Sub-28 Zone: Only one in 25 Beginner Novice starters (4%) finish sub-28.
• 60+ Zone: For every one Beginner Novice starter who finishes sub-28 (4%), there are about three starters who finish with 60 penalties or more (13%).
• 32 to 40: Nearly one-third of Beginner Novice starters (30%) finish in the 32 to 40 range.

Per-Phase Zones

• Less than one in 10 Beginner Novice starters (7%) earn a sub-28 dressage score.
• Almost half of Beginner Novice starters (44%) get a dressage score between 31 and 37.
• Over half of Beginner Novice show jumping starters (54%) keep all the poles up and finish within the time. This is the highest percentage of any US national level.
• Over three in five Beginner Novice cross-country starters (61%) finish clear and within the optimum time.

The Target Score for a Win at Beginner Novice

Eventing is about putting all three phases together to finish strong, but what is a strong finish at the Beginner Novice level? What does a top performance look like? The graphs and tables below show you what it takes to win.

TOP FINISHING SCORES

• The majority of Beginner Novice winners (73%) finish sub-32.
• Nearly 2 in 5 Beginner Novice third-place finishers (38%) score between 32 and 36.

Dressage - What Does a Strong Start Look Like at Beginner Novice?

Final Position	Average Dressage Score	Started as Dressage Leader	Started 10 Marks or Less from Dressage Leader	Started More Than 10 Marks From Dressage Leader
Winner	29.1	53.4%	45.6%	1.0%
Third Place	33.4	4.4%	83.5%	12.1%

Using 2017 – 2019 Beginner Novice data.

• Beginner Novice winners average a dressage score of 29.1.
• 99 out of every 100 Beginner Novice winners (99.0%) are no more than 10 marks behind after the first phase.
• Most Beginner Novice third-place finishers (Over 4 in 5, 83.5%) are not the dressage leader but are within 10 marks after the first phase.

Show Jumping - Can You Afford to Knock a Pole at Beginner Novice?

Final Position	0 SJ Penalties	1 to 4 SJ Penalties	5 or More SJ Penalties
Winner	87.7%	10.9%	1.4%
Third Place	74.9%	19.1%	6.0%

Using 2017 – 2019 Beginner Novice data. This table includes show jumping time penalties and jumping penalties.

• A clean show jumping round is critical for a win at Beginner Novice. Almost 9 in 10 winners (87.7%) keep all the rails up and finish under time. This is the highest percentage of any U.S. national level.
• One in four third-place finishers (25.1%) do have show jumping faults but, of these, few have more than a pole.

Cross-Country - Do You Need to be Clear Inside the Time at Beginner Novice?

Final Position	Clear Inside the Time	Average XC Time Penalties
Winner	95%	0.1
Third Place	87%	0.5

Using 2017 – 2019 Beginner Novice data. Clear Inside the Time includes all runs that were clear jumping with no time penalties (whether for going over the optimum time or for going too far under the time).

• A clean jumping cross-country round is critical to success, but it’s also important to get the time right. Almost all Beginner Novice winners (95%) finish clear and without cross-country time penalties.
• Beginner Novice winners have the highest clear inside the time rate (95%) of any U.S. national level.
• Nearly nine in 10 third-place finishers (87%) complete cross-country clear and without time penalties.

What are the 2019 record performances?

Lastly, we have pulled the 2019 record dressage scores and record finishing scores from the Beginner Novice level. Beginner Novice competitors have put forth some very impressive numbers!

How Can You Use These Numbers?

Have these stats been eye-opening? They’re here to help you set goals. But we don’t want you to spend tons of time comparing yourself to everyone else – that takes all the joy out of it! If your main goal is to have fun with your horse and put your game face on every once in a while, that is great. Use these numbers just for fun. If your goal is to be a bit more competitive, now you know what it takes. Maybe we will see your name in the record books soon.