Support your local show

[andy]

Before we all crossed over, there was a thread relating to how all the fun seemed to have gone out of the local shows as they now only catered for the serious BSJA crowd.
July 2006 seems so far away, but the time flies when it comes to organising the shows to try and cover what folks are looking for.
I need to give some feedback to the committee I am involved with ( Hanbury Show) when we meet next month to look at how we can improve the show ( get more cash!!) by increasing the support of the riders.
As let's face it, if we don't the local shows will wither & die and that will be the end.
If you had a say -
what would you like to see
what would you change
what would you have more / less of

Many thanks

[Lydia00]

I would definatly like to see more show's that wernt qualifying shows!! That way, the more higher up people probably wouldnt attend and it would give us noraml "beginners" tog et a chance before they loose interst all together ( i already have because im outrun by the HOYS people!lol) so up for that! ermm dnt know what else yet

[ruby]

I agree with Lydia. I'm not really sure of the answer but I know at my local ridign club and show it all seems to have got so big, presumably they wanted this to get more money, but it's now so serious I'm really put off going. the only 'fun' classes are in-hand ones like cheekiest face and pony the judge would most like to take home. We used to be able to go and just have fun and it didn't really matter if you made a fool of yourself!! But maybe thats an attitude thing rather than what classes you put on?? Sorry that probably wasn't much help!

[hayley]

Yes, more classes for novices, make some kind of guidelines that stop the experience people entering - my local show has introduced beginners showjumping, for horses/ponies that havent been placed first in any other sj class which is good. Also some fun classes at the end of the show - e.g. novelty jumping (rider jumps course then jumps on mount and jumps course - jumps only small or pairs jumping, or horse and hound - where rider takes a dog round jumps (on a lead) and then gets on mount and jumps course) or there is chase me charlie, games. For ridden perhaps family pony/horse, local rider. Just adds a bit of fun to the day.

I would like sj for all levels not just size of horse/pony, working hunter - same as sj, style&appearance/tack&turnout, few in-hand classes, fun classes, games

[lovelylace]

I am based in Bucks and we have a lot of more "fun" classes going that are always very full. We also have many classes with restriction, like no affiliated riders/horses, no combination rider/horse to have won nmore than 10 pounds...however there are no control so the same people tend to win every show and then go off bragging about their horse having bsja points and money...so not sure if it is working....but then again it is not about the winning it is about the taking part
I have to say though that we have some shows that you get constructive critism, and points and even if you jump a round and have a pole down you can still beat a clear round cause you rode better more sympathetiq, but I dont know really how they work??

[Lydia00]

ive always wondered how the commitee go about making people PROOVE that they havent won anything over £ or does this only mean at their shows? I know of people who have won say - novice sj and then go back and do it again even though they know that if you've already won it you're supposed to go on to Intermidiate. It really fustrates me!

[lovelylace]

I know and agree, makes you wonder if a rosette is really that important??

[andy]

Well all good stuff so far!
The Royal Show, being in early July, always comes in between 2 of our 3 local shows. You know you are stuffed when you see chaps in bowler hats warming up for the Novice Hunter class- maybe novice at the Royal but may as well be on Mars at local level. Trouble is the show I am involved in has quite a good reputation for Hunter classes so we suffer every 3-4 yrs or so depending on the date.
Show Jumping - we try and cater for all with -
Ring A- Senior BSJA - Foxhunter & Scope Qualifiers
Ring B - 3' Un affiliated + BSJA British - Novice, Discovery, Newcomers
Ring E - Clear Round
Ring F - Novice & Very Novice - starts at 1'6" and goes to 2'6" - split into adults, under 8, 8-10,10-12,12-14, etc

Kids- we have a gymkhana ring as well as the novice jumping, age ranges 6-12
Dressage - novice & intermediate
Showing - full hunter range ( horse & pony), riding club ( horse & pony) M & M,
Took me ages to get them to do novice & clear round as some of the committee are quite stuffy, however when they look at the entry fees they think again. Admit it is quite difficult to monitor the "not to have won more than" issue but short of having a signed declaration for a judge to sign we are relying on peoples integrity (it's in ****** short supply as well !!).
Thanks for the pointers

[beki]

Definately more shows aimed for novices and those who just want to have some fun and bring the odd rossette home.

Things that drive me mad are -

Poor organisation(classes wayyyy over time, bad ring planning i.e overhanging trees to knock riders off)

People who enter classes in different rings and expect the latest class to wait while they finish the other class, and organisors who let them.

And the one that really drove me mad was the m&m class where only 2 entries even looked m&m and they werent even placed, all placed were show pony types, i ask you.

Judges who are obviously biased towards or against a particular breed.

Sorry rant over!!

[Lydia00]

beki i totally undertsand what you mean!! how angry does it make you!!?? gawwwd! i get well stressed which really isnt right, you're supposed to be out there having fun and i dont need to get placed to be happy but when people are being UNFAIRLY placed it gets me so mad! novice shows are definatly a must

[nix]

I wanted to see Iberian classes at my local show, so I've sponsored some!

Unfortunately, even fun shows (rather than qualifying shows) seem to attract "pot hunters". I know sometimes it is necessary to take a horse to a smaller show to "warm up" for the bigger events, but generally the people I see do it just for an extra trophy for their cabinet . I'd like to see more classes with a restriction on them at fun shows, to let the kids and newcomers have a chance before coming up against the "big boys".

Just my thoughts .

[forgotten my login name]

I suspect by the end of this summer I am going to be saying that there are too many local shows as my daughter has just got keen! Round here it seems very relaxed and everyone knows one another. It gets a bit more keen in the showing arenas but then we are all welsh mad and proud of em. I wonder if next year when we aren't total novices I will be moaning about non novices entering novice classes. I think I would feel uncomfortable if I wasn't a novice competing against novices.

[beki]

The other thing I forgot was," local shows for local people, theres nothing for you here!!!!"

When its obvious that even a pig would win a class just because the owner lives next to the judge, and obviously I' m not in the "in " crowd.

My kids want to go to more shows but I get so wound up by the elitism at most of them, I dont have time to get in with the "in" crowd I'm to busy working or looking after horses and kids.

AHHGGGGGGGggggggggg..................

Sorry second rant over.....

[LouiseB]

I came to riding in my early 40's anf haven't gone to shows because I'd feel uncomfortable learning the ropes at my age in front of a crowd that would maybe expect me to be a far more experienced rider. Just don't fancy lining up with the tiny tots and the teenagers doing the clear round jumping etc.

So if there were shows with classes for riders like me then I would have a go

[Emily+Meg]

Restrictions are good, but I wouldnt like a restriction that said no affiliated riders - I would be a bit stuck then taking youngsters in!
The best ones for the little classes are "combination not to have won more than £10" etc. Although I wanted to take Rowan in a 2'3 class in the little ring, and the restriction was never to have been placed, and we have had a couple of 4ths and 5ths - but I needed that class! Although I can jump hors concours - which I did once in a pony class LOL. I was on a 16.2 against lots of 13.2s - I wanted a sticker to say "I know this is the wrong class, Im jumping h/c"