Affiliating for sj at what age...

Queenbee

Queenbee

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Ok so it's just a musing, nothing concrete or even a possible at the moment... It's just something I got to thinking about. I've always seen that the affiliated jumping gets the best ground on the show ground, and the courses are much better thought out. To prove my point in somewhat a drastic manner, there is a lovely local show, but outside of the rings was for years full of rabbit holes... Since filled in, but also the only practice jump was for affiliated riders only, and the unaffilliated course jumpers were expected to go in with no practice and jump a course on as substantial slope. So thinking about Ben and his future I was wondering if it was better to buy him and me a temp 120 day ticket when the time comes for us to start jumping.... How does everyone else do it? I've always just done unaffilliated novice classes with youngsters or novice horses but I really think that the better courses and set ups for babies are now showing to be in the affiliated sector. I'm just not sure what to do :( advice and opinions welcome on this. He is only 31/2 so it's s future musing, he is elligable from jan 1st but wouldn't be contemplating any jumping classes until he's at least a proper 4 yrs old x
 
I usually take young horses to centre that runs both affiliated and unaffiliated, they tend to use the same course builders, we start with clear rounds to get their confidence, then do the first class when they are ready. I would avoid jumping at local unaffiliated shows that get just a local "expert" to build the course, distances and a lack of thought in building a course to encourage real novices can be a disaster for a youngster.
We took a horse to a very local venue, being 10 mins down the road thought it worth trying, the course was awful the turns almost impossible and although the horse jumped clear he lost rather than gained in confidence as he went round, never going back there with a young one, next time out to our favoured venue 1 hour away he got going forward gained confidence as the course flowed even though it was far higher.
 
I'm not sure what age I'd say best to affiliate, my boy was affiliated and jumping 1.20m at 5, not with me I might add and I personally feel that is way to young
 
be positive said:
I usually take young horses to centre that runs both affiliated and unaffiliated, they tend to use the same course builders, we start with clear rounds to get their confidence, then do the first class when they are ready. I would avoid jumping at local unaffiliated shows that get just a local "expert" to build the course, distances and a lack of thought in building a course to encourage real novices can be a disaster for a youngster.
We took a horse to a very local venue, being 10 mins down the road thought it worth trying, the course was awful the turns almost impossible and although the horse jumped clear he lost rather than gained in confidence as he went round, never going back there with a young one, next time out to our favoured venue 1 hour away he got going forward gained confidence as the course flowed even though it was far higher.
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Yeah this is the issue though, lets take rambuck for example, both are run there... Affiliated: practice jump sectioned off and on the flat, course on the flat too, unaffilliated: no warm up arena, no practice jump and the course is on a hill... That's my problem. It's fairly common down here. :(
 
Tinsel Town said:
I'm not sure what age I'd say best to affiliate, my boy was affiliated and jumping 1.20m at 5, not with me I might add and I personally feel that is way to young
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At the earliest it would be towards the end of this summer, and only British novice... And only then at the smallest level, for me it's all about course design, I'd rather jump a well laid out slightly bigger course, than a craply built smaller one with a baby. It's not for me about winning anything, it's about giving him a good start when the time comes, although the best laid plans, I say end of next summer would probably translate into beginning of the following summer:rolleyes::D:p I thought I read that bn starts at something like 80 cm, which should be fine when the time comes, and I just thought, that for a total of £50 for 120 days for both of us, it's something to consider. I know some people swear by doing the unaffilliated bit first but others never even go there.
 
I will be affiliating A next year- she is 5 in April and will only be doing BN from prob June onwards
BN starts at 90cm not 80cm with a 1m jump off :)

I prefer centres that run both aff and unaff too :)
 
Kirsty+Java said:
I will be affiliating A next year- she is 5 in April and will only be doing BN from prob June onwards
BN starts at 90cm not 80cm with a 1m jump off :)

I prefer centres that run both aff and unaff too :)
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Humph... It's just. Finding ones that run GOOD unaffilliated! I'm hoping that my yo can take me to gwennapp this year which is a good unaffilliated, in which case, the need will not be so dire! But yo is bsja, so if I need to affiliate I will. Hopefully she is going to become a member of gwennapp rc and I can smuggle Ben in the trailer towards the end of the season for a few jumping sessions to round off the year. Other than that rc, I'm not a huge fan of unaffilliated, the cues are hrs, long, the courses are craply designed down here even when they have affiliated at the same venue and I am amazed that anyone would put on a show with no facillities for a warm up and practice jump for competitors... But hey this is cornwall and they do, but certainly wouldn't subject Ben to that . Luckily our focus this year is going to be showing so Any jumping is an extra... I suppose I will see what it's like when the time comes, what shows are available to us etc... And decide then, but I did think the idea of paying £50 for 120 days to try it out is a really good idea when the time comes to dip out toe in... Oh and 90cm, gotcha... Thought 80cm was a bit small:rolleyes:
 
Tinsel Town said:
Sounds good then :)
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Does it? I know my trainer will be supportive, but affiliating has never been a world I've looked into, and its been years since I've actually needed to consider this stage... I had ebs 11 years so did all this a long time ago with her! I don't want to over face him, but if he jumps ok, I'd rather as I say do a few well planned courses than some slightly smaller shoddy ones, but I worry that this is me making excuses for affiliating, as I've never done it before. Anyways it probably won't happen this season.... I'll probably have more than enough on my plate! Yo is encouraging me to go to royal cornwall if he's settled enough in the show ring... He has never been in a show ring and I think I'll just collapse at the thought:eek:... Oh the exciting potential of 2013:rolleyes::D
 
I won't jump my young boy unaffliated incase the distances were wrong, and scared him. At least at BS the course is built correctly. I started him over 80cm course BS but he was 5, he 6 this year so will now start to do some bigger classes.
 
Auld Lang Syne said:
I won't jump my young boy unaffliated incase the distances were wrong, and scared him. At least at BS the course is built correctly. I started him over 80cm course BS but he was 5, he 6 this year so will now start to do some bigger classes.
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Ah, so there is an 80cm course then? That's good to know, thank you, your reasoning is the same as mine... The layout, the design, bsja always seem to have the best area of ground at the show and I sometimes see some truly awful unaffilliated courses, which is what has really got me thinking about this. Yes Ben will be 4 next year but as I said, it's really just me thinking about things, I doubt very much that I will get around to jumping until next winter or the following summer, so 4 1/2 - 5. While it may be possible to do it this year, I think I'm going to have enough on my plate with schooling and doing a few shows. I don't want to blow the poor chaps brains! :eek::D
 
Challaborough Christmas Tree said:
How about competing on a ticket for a day?
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Yes I have thought about that, it's actually what got me thinking about prices etc and then I saw this 120 day thing, but you are right, a ticket would be a good way to dip the toe in. Two questions... If you compete on a ticket... I assume you have to have a ticket for you and your horse:confused: is that right?

Also am I correct in assuming, that if we do affiliate, then we can not do unaffilliated courses if a decent one presents itself?

Just want to weigh up the pros and cons etc...
 
Having covered an unaff sj event today... I would either affiliate or go to a centre that does unaff classes before bsja starts (the one I cover throughout the summer for example ;) ) the unaff RC jumping I covered today was truly shocking, wrong distances, bad lines, turns that were verging on dangerous! :(
 
Twizzeltoe and Wine said:
Having covered an unaff sj event today... I would either affiliate or go to a centre that does unaff classes before bsja starts (the one I cover throughout the summer for example ;) ) the unaff RC jumping I covered today was truly shocking, wrong distances, bad lines, turns that were verging on dangerous! :(
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Sorry Hun, only just saw your reply... Yes many of the unaffilliated down here are shocking aren't they... It's really not that hard to get distances right, I really don't get how on earth they can get distances and lines so very wrong down our way! They seem to make a bloody art form of doing dodgy courses :(
 
I'm on my phone so I can't quote, I'm not sure about needing one for you and the horse, I don't think you do need one for the horse though but if you get placed they won't get any points for it. You can still do unaffiliated though I think!
 
You can do the unaff. CSJC classes which are held at Gweallavellan, FJ will know about those, run on the same ground as BS with the same course builders. Colraine also run good unaff most weeks as well as BS Club classes. Personally I wouldn't affiliate till late summer just go to lots of the better unaff.
 
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