BD - what to aim for?

Sprat

Well-Known Member
Joined
10 September 2015
Messages
1,167
Visit site
So I have competed BD Quest this season, with a view to qualify for Regionals. Unfortunately I haven't been able to compete much in the last couple of months due to varying personal reasons and so I've missed out on our Regional qualification which is a shame.

I've decided to up my Club membership to full BD membership when it is due (January), so I'm looking forward to trying to get some points over the winter.

As I am relatively new to BD, can anyone advise on nice champs to aim for? We are currently competing at Novice, I will probably go out and do a few Prelims to test the water with full BD, with a view to then move onto Novice when I feel we are a bit more established.

I can still compete Prelim BD Bronze on my club membership, so I will get out between now and Jan doing that. I had a cursory glance on the BD website earlier but there seems to be so much to choose from. I think I'll be too late for anything Winter champs related?

What is best to aim for, for a BD newbie?
 
You still have plenty of time to qualify for the winter regionals/ champs as the cut of is 30th November. :-)

At Prelim Silver (to qualify for regionals) you need to gain 20 prelim points with a minimum of 66% for the points to count.

For Novice Silver (to qualify for regionals) you need 19 points (10 of which need to come from qualifiers) with a minimum of 67% for the points to count.

Points Table
64.00-65.99% 3 points
66.00-67.99% 4 points
68.00-69.99% 5 points
70.00-71.99% 6 points
72.00-73.99% 7 points
74.00-75.99% 8 points
76.00-77.99% 9 points
78.00-79.99% 10 points
80.00% and above 11 points
 
Last edited:
I am currently in Bronze, so don't think I could qualify for the Winter regionals....

Is there an advantage to moving to Silver?
 
I am currently in Bronze, so don't think I could qualify for the Winter regionals....

Is there an advantage to moving to Silver?

Ah sorry - because you mentioned the regionals in your OP I thought that's what you wanted to aim for - there is no Bronze at Regionals...that is Pet Plans only. Regionals are Silver & Gold so you would need to be in the Silver classes if you wanted to go down the regionals route.

if you want to stay in Bronze then you will have to stick to Pet Plans which they have just announced a new structure for which will mirror the regionals and therefore have two championships a year from next year.

*Edited to add I have since re read your post and realise you meant Team Quest Regionals! Sorry! Monday morning and all that. Ignore my ramblings.
 
To slightly highjack the thread and as a daft question - can you choose to compete in Silver even if you are fully a bronze rider? So if you wanted to try regionals at Prelim, could you just enter as silver? And am I correct in understanding that you can't do petplan and regionals in the same level - so if you went prelim silver, you'd have to choose regional or petplan but not both? And does this mean that you could try to get regionals, and if you don't make it, take part in petplans?
Up till now I've just played in bronze and looked at petplans, but starting to dream about what next...coz we all need to dream right???

OP there are also all the associated champs - which may be worth considering if you have a native, an OTTB, a gypsy cob etc. (obviously no use if you don't have a horse that meets any of the criteria). If I've understood correctly they all run with bronze sections.
 
Feel free to hijack the thread, as yours were very sensible questions! It's all a bit mind boggling really.

Unfortunately we couldn't do the associated champs - Bean is British Warmblood. Not that she acts like one, or even moves like one!
 
To slightly highjack the thread and as a daft question - can you choose to compete in Silver even if you are fully a bronze rider? So if you wanted to try regionals at Prelim, could you just enter as silver? And am I correct in understanding that you can't do petplan and regionals in the same level - so if you went prelim silver, you'd have to choose regional or petplan but not both? And does this mean that you could try to get regionals, and if you don't make it, take part in petplans?
Up till now I've just played in bronze and looked at petplans, but starting to dream about what next...coz we all need to dream right???

OP there are also all the associated champs - which may be worth considering if you have a native, an OTTB, a gypsy cob etc. (obviously no use if you don't have a horse that meets any of the criteria). If I've understood correctly they all run with bronze sections.


BD is incredibly complicated these days!

Yes you can choose to compete at any level/ section you like assuming you are a full member - you can even choose to go in the gold section if you wanted (which some people did when the system was first changed as the numbers were less and people felt like they had a better chance! :-$).

Yes, you will need to gain the prelim points required to qualify in silver sections though - not that this will make it any more difficult as usually the whole class is judged by the same judge, but you have to be in the correct section (and have declared it upon entry) in order to use the points towards qualification.

Correct - you can't do the same level at pet plan and regionals in the same year. It's normal to do the next level up at Pet Plans. So in the same year you could do Prelim Regionals and Novice Pet Plans.

if you try to do regionals you'd need to be in the Sliver section. if you don't attain qualification, yes, you can go to pet Plan instead - but you'd then be in the Silver section at Pet Plans, not bronze.

We definitely all have to dream and have goals to work towards! :-)
 
Top