ecrozier
Well-Known Member
Right, with all this lovely metalwork in my leg it looks like I am off serious jumping pretty much for the rest of this year, so once back on my feet and my horse, I am thinking I will use my otherwise now wasted BE membership to get the reduced price BD membership and do that over the winter instead!
So I have three questions - never even been to watch at BD before so will do that at some point, BUT.
1. Turnout. My horse is an arab with full mane, for eventing I usually do a running plait along his crest - would that be Ok for BD as well? And I usually turn out in a hacking jacket with coloured stock, is that ok too or do I need to change that? Not sure whether to try to disguise his breeding with plaiting/black jacket etc or just embrace it! Always going to get judges who like them and judges who hate - arabs being rather like marmite.
2. What level. Do many venues offer Prelim? Last winter we did a fair bit of unaffil dressage and he is consistant in scoring about 65% at Novice, last couple of prelims around the 70% mark, his test last weekend at Tweseldown before the disasterous SJ was a 31 and thats a trickier test than most prelims with the g&r in canter down long side and 1/2 10m circles etc. So would it be reasonable to go out at prelim at beginning of season and try and qualify for something, then move up to novice? I'm guessing competition is MUCH stronger at BD than unaffil but mainly out there to have fun and the odd rosette would be a bonus more than anything!
3 and final - venues. We are in High Wycombe, South Bucks, and I ave on my list BCA, Welllington, Addington, Snowball, Merrist Wood, Windmill Farm, BRC and Widmer - any favourites/others/bad reviews? Would hope to get out once a fortnight through from Sept - whenever the BE thingy ends (Feb?) and then decide whether to extend membership for rest of year - kind of depend if allowed to event!
Anyway, thanks for reading, and thanks in advance for any help! Would love to hear any stories of other people doing BD with non-standard horses (arabs, cobs etc!)
So I have three questions - never even been to watch at BD before so will do that at some point, BUT.
1. Turnout. My horse is an arab with full mane, for eventing I usually do a running plait along his crest - would that be Ok for BD as well? And I usually turn out in a hacking jacket with coloured stock, is that ok too or do I need to change that? Not sure whether to try to disguise his breeding with plaiting/black jacket etc or just embrace it! Always going to get judges who like them and judges who hate - arabs being rather like marmite.
2. What level. Do many venues offer Prelim? Last winter we did a fair bit of unaffil dressage and he is consistant in scoring about 65% at Novice, last couple of prelims around the 70% mark, his test last weekend at Tweseldown before the disasterous SJ was a 31 and thats a trickier test than most prelims with the g&r in canter down long side and 1/2 10m circles etc. So would it be reasonable to go out at prelim at beginning of season and try and qualify for something, then move up to novice? I'm guessing competition is MUCH stronger at BD than unaffil but mainly out there to have fun and the odd rosette would be a bonus more than anything!
3 and final - venues. We are in High Wycombe, South Bucks, and I ave on my list BCA, Welllington, Addington, Snowball, Merrist Wood, Windmill Farm, BRC and Widmer - any favourites/others/bad reviews? Would hope to get out once a fortnight through from Sept - whenever the BE thingy ends (Feb?) and then decide whether to extend membership for rest of year - kind of depend if allowed to event!
Anyway, thanks for reading, and thanks in advance for any help! Would love to hear any stories of other people doing BD with non-standard horses (arabs, cobs etc!)
