BD Regionals or Area Festivals?

[GinaGeo]

It's been mine and my youngster's first season doing BD and we've qualified for Regionals and Area Festivals at Prelim. I understand you can't do both, so I've got to decide which one to do - having done neither in the past I've no idea what either are like and which would be more suitable at this stage.

Reasons for Regionals...
* We've qualified relatively easily and have been obtaining marks between 65% - 71% through the season.
* My trainer wanted me to aim for Regionals.
* It's Regionals and I'm not sure whether I'll have the time or funds to qualify next year.

Against Regionals...

* It's over a two hour long journey and we'll have to travel up on the Friday evening after work, set up camp and sort out stabling.
* It's a long way to go and a lot of money to spend for one class.
* Not sure how competitive we'll be.

Reasons for Area Festivals...
* It's a localish venue, about an hour away, so no need for on site stabling and I won't have to fight with a tent.
* The classes are cheaper to enter.
* We'd be more competitive at Area Festivals.

Against Area Festivals...

* It's not Regionals.
* As it's a venue we go to all the time it might not feel any different to a regular class?

As I said, I'm sat here staring at the Regionals entry form - part of me says that because I've qualified I ought to go. The other part's saying that, I've got a couple of ODE's booked in along with jump training on the build up and that I'm not going to be as prepared as I should be. I enjoy Dressage, but it's not what I want to do, I want to event, this year BD was to set up my youngster's education, qualifying was a bonus not a goal if that makes sense?

 

[pootleperkin]

I have the same dilemma, will watch thread with interest!

 

[Prince33Sp4rkle]

What level are you schooling at? Tbh to be competitive at regionals you need to be schooling high elem easily at home.

 

[MistletoeMegan]

Against Area Festivals...

* It's not Regionals.

You said it! You've qualified, try it - stretch yourself, test yourself, motivate yourself by being there. AFs must be great if you've qualified for them, but you've qualified for the Regionals so why not go? You may not be competitive but equally you could get there and rise up to it in the atmosphere.

You know you want to

 

[Fanatical]

I would say that at Prelim you might be surprised to find that the standard is not that different at either! You will get your above and below average combinations at both.

It sounds like you're doing a good job at BD comis and getting consistently high scores so you might surprise yourself and find that you are competitive at Regionals!

I got the shock of my life to find I'd won a winter regionals class earlier this year when I'd never even considered the possibility!

 

[GinaGeo]

I have the same dilemma, will watch thread with interest!

I'm so unsure, I keep shuffling the entry form around!

What level are you schooling at? Tbh to be competitive at regionals you need to be schooling high elem easily at home.

I've just been off to find what is in an Elementary test - never ridden one! We are pretty much schooling most of that - The Leg yield and Shoulder in is nicely established, but haven't worked so much on the simple changes. He's got a very big canter, and can find it difficult to sort his legs out, so want him to be a bit stronger before we start that. He's very willing, but I haven't pushed for it, as I said; long term I'd like to BE, so I'm not focussing muscle building purely on the flat side. The flat canter is always knocked back a bit after he's been galloped, but I need to gallop him to improve his fitness. I'm sure if he was doing pure dressage we'd be further along

We've been out competing at Novice a couple of times and haven't embarrassed ourselves.

You said it! You've qualified, try it - stretch yourself, test yourself, motivate yourself by being there. AFs must be great if you've qualified for them, but you've qualified for the Regionals so why not go? You may not be competitive but equally you could get there and rise up to it in the atmosphere.

You know you want to

I think you're right, I do want to - I'm just trying to convince myself that Regionals is worth the extra £200

I would say that at Prelim you might be surprised to find that the standard is not that different at either! You will get your above and below average combinations at both.

It sounds like you're doing a good job at BD comis and getting consistently high scores so you might surprise yourself and find that you are competitive at Regionals!

I got the shock of my life to find I'd won a winter regionals class earlier this year when I'd never even considered the possibility!

That's fab! I had considered that those competing would be in a similar boat to me as anybody else would be out of Prelim regardless of their horse.

You've got me tentatively filling in the entry form now

Thank You everybody - lovely to hear from other people - BD is still quite alien to me!

 

[Worried1]

I too can't decide what to do...

I got a wildcard to the Petplan Finals in 2008 with Diva which I really enjoyed, CP and I have qualified with scores between 65 (our first one in March) and our last one 71.

Part of me thinks Area and be competitive and the other thinks Regionals as I've never done a regionals...

 

[carthorse]

Which championship do you want to go to? If you do petplan you can do more than 1. If you do petplan and want to do winter regional you can but if you qual at winter reg. for winter champ you lose petplan champ qual.
Good luck.

 

[Ferdinase514]

Go to the regionals!

Still time to get some sheets for AF at Novice

 

[Prince33Sp4rkle]

You sound more than ready to do regionals in that case!

I did AF last year at adv med and qual for the finals( ended up 10th). He's qual for the adv med regionals this year and we are going, despite knowing we won't be competitive as its his last year at the level so for us the regionals ARE like a champs, if that makes sense

 

[millitiger]

Go for Regionals, it might be tougher competition but you have qualified along with everyone else so you deserve to be there

 

[GinaGeo]

I too can't decide what to do...

I got a wildcard to the Petplan Finals in 2008 with Diva which I really enjoyed, CP and I have qualified with scores between 65 (our first one in March) and our last one 71.

Part of me thinks Area and be competitive and the other thinks Regionals as I've never done a regionals...

I'm also favouring Area Festivals at the moment as there's the warm up class, he normally goes better in the second test. It's an awfully long way to go and do one test!

Which championship do you want to go to? If you do petplan you can do more than 1. If you do petplan and want to do winter regional you can but if you qual at winter reg. for winter champ you lose petplan champ qual.
Good luck.

It'd be Somerford I'm looking at as it's a weekend. My lovely mother, driver, works in a school so can't get midweek off. I'm going to double check my holidays and see if I could shuffle them to do Fry's midweek as that would mean the Friday evening rush would be avoided. I don't fancy trying to bed down and put a tent up at 10pm at night after two hour journey!

Very interested in that I could do more than one Petplan, that might be better. If it all goes very wrong, which it could do as I've only cracked my turn up the centre line melt down this year, it would give us more than one chance. I'm worried that I'll put too much pressure on myself if we travel all that way for one class.

Go to the regionals!

Still time to get some sheets for AF at Novice

That's a very good point - I've already got one I could use.

You sound more than ready to do regionals in that case!

I did AF last year at adv med and qual for the finals( ended up 10th). He's qual for the adv med regionals this year and we are going, despite knowing we won't be competitive as its his last year at the level so for us the regionals ARE like a champs, if that makes sense

It does make sense. And part of me wonders whether perhaps I ought to take that route. BD isn't THAT expensive, might aim for Winter Regionals - possibly both Prelim and Novice. And do Area Festivals this time...

Go for Regionals, it might be tougher competition but you have qualified along with everyone else so you deserve to be there

Very true - I'm my own worst enemy I'm sure the pony is capable and so am I, if don't let my Dressage doubts get the better of me. I joined BD to get me over my Dressage nemesis. It's worked so far, but I don't want the pressure of the distance and one test to bring them all back!


Ahh! Decisions...

 

[Fanatical]

Somerford is a fabulous venue and has amazing stabling facilities. Not sure if that sways you at all.

 

[ihatework]

I would say do the petplans, then if you qualify great and if not you can always get your winter regional qualification. Plenty of time to get novice sheets too

 

[GinaGeo]

Somerford is a fabulous venue and has amazing stabling facilities. Not sure if that sways you at all.

It does look like a phenomenal venue - I've been drooling over their website!

I would say do the petplans, then if you qualify great and if not you can always get your winter regional qualification. Plenty of time to get novice sheets too

This is what I've decided - I'm going to do Area's this time. It means there'll be a little less pressure on both of us, namely me! And we won't have the long evening drive.

Thank You everybody!

 

[luce1]

So I probably cant help that much as I have only qualified for the regionals not the Areas... but what a great predicament to be in!
I have previously evented however through injury my horse just does dressage now and we love it! My aim was always to qualify for the regionals and we have done it. If I was you, I would do the regionals sounds like you have been really competitive! Sparsholt regionals is running warm up classes, well they are down as Winter qualifiers however I think people will be using them as warm ups..
Go on the road trip, stay over and make a weekend of it LOL

 

[little_flea]

I would definitely go to the Regionals, much moe prestigious - and you ARE good enough - you've qualified! Go and enjoy it!

 

[pootleperkin]

Hi OP,

So I have followed your quandary......I think I am going to go for the area festivals this summer.....

G is working well at home, but currently isn't performing at his best when competing, so I'm thinking if I do Prelim and novice areas this summer, then I can hopefully qual again for prelim at regional and get enough sheets to do novice too, and by then he should be more established.

Like you, I fancied heading to Somerford for regionals, but yes, the thought of not having a warm up class doesn't appeal - there are a few others that do have warm ups, Rowallan for example and it seems far better.

Having a couple of shots local finals at this level is preferable I think! G has 19 points at present, so if I'm careful he should get his prelim points to let us qualify for winter regionals without going over his 49 points limit.

 

[GinaGeo]

So I probably cant help that much as I have only qualified for the regionals not the Areas... but what a great predicament to be in!
I have previously evented however through injury my horse just does dressage now and we love it! My aim was always to qualify for the regionals and we have done it. If I was you, I would do the regionals sounds like you have been really competitive! Sparsholt regionals is running warm up classes, well they are down as Winter qualifiers however I think people will be using them as warm ups..
Go on the road trip, stay over and make a weekend of it LOL

If you've qualified for Regionals then you'll have qualified for Areas - you just don't get the letter!

I looked at the other venues but they're all even further away! My lad is fab, but he's not the best traveller and I don't want to overdo him and him decide he doesn't want to travel anymore full stop!

I would definitely go to the Regionals, much moe prestigious - and you ARE good enough - you've qualified! Go and enjoy it!

Thank You - I'm sure we are. Had a fab lesson yesterday, everything was just there and I'm sure if we (namely me!) could keep it together like that we'd be fine. If there was more than one class I'd go, it's just an awfully long way for one chance...

Hi OP,

So I have followed your quandary......I think I am going to go for the area festivals this summer.....

G is working well at home, but currently isn't performing at his best when competing, so I'm thinking if I do Prelim and novice areas this summer, then I can hopefully qual again for prelim at regional and get enough sheets to do novice too, and by then he should be more established.

Like you, I fancied heading to Somerford for regionals, but yes, the thought of not having a warm up class doesn't appeal - there are a few others that do have warm ups, Rowallan for example and it seems far better.

Having a couple of shots local finals at this level is preferable I think! G has 19 points at present, so if I'm careful he should get his prelim points to let us qualify for winter regionals without going over his 49 points limit.

I agree, if there were "warm up" type classes then I wouldn't really have though about it. When I was wanting to qualify I rather thought there would be and I can't say I wasn't disappointed when I realised there weren't.

Thank You everybody once again. Areas here we come