I've been riding for about four years and figured the CHA Level 1 would be straightforward, but I've failed the practical twice now. Both times the evaluator marked me down on posting trot rhythm and emergency dismount technique. My score was 71% the first attempt and 68% the second, and you need 75% to pass.
I'm riding about 3 hours a week at a lesson barn and doing the written portion on my own. The written section isn't the problem — I scored 89% on that part. It's entirely the hands-on evaluation that's killing me. Does anyone know if different evaluators have different standards, or is the rubric pretty consistent across testing sites?
Planning to take it again in 6 weeks and want to make sure I'm not wasting another $85 registration fee. If anyone's been through Level 1 or 2 recently and has advice on what evaluators actually focus on, I'd really appreciate hearing it.
Evaluators are supposed to follow the same rubric but there's some variation in practice. I'd try to observe a testing day before yours if the barn allows it. Seeing what the evaluator stops to write notes on tells you a lot about their priorities.
75% passing threshold for the practical is no joke. Budget at least 5 hours a week of focused practice in the 6 weeks before, not just regular lessons. Do the emergency dismount drill at the start of every single ride.
The emergency dismount is super specific in CHA — they want both feet out of stirrups simultaneously before you swing off. A lot of people do it in sequence and lose points for that. Practice it slowly until the muscle memory kicks in.
I passed Level 1 on my third try too. What helped me was filming my posting trot from the side and comparing it to the CHA manual diagrams. My instructor said I looked fine but the video showed I was consistently posting a half-beat late. Worth doing if you haven't tried it.