BE balloting - is anyone addressing it ?

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mrussell

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Im not after a mutiny here but from what folk have said, it seems that the BE ballot system needs addressing.

Should it be right that a "single horse entry" should be balloted when another rider can enter the same balloted class on 2 or more horses and not have any of thier entries in that class scratched?

Is anyone complaining to BE when it happens?
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We do afterall pay the same rider registration regardless of how many horses we enter..
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does depend on whether the person with multiple horses has used their special stickers for them, as they take priority. So if you are an owner of a horse with a professional, no reason your horse should get balloted if you use a special if a single horse rider does not use a specail, if you see what i mean
 
I understand that there is a priority system but it isnt one that works...

take for example the day ticket system.... Folk with a day tickt are well down the pecking order....

Example.
Rider A has 1 horse. They pay £110 to register as a rider but enter te horse on day ticket because they are not sure if this horse is going to do much more that year.

Rider B has 4 horses. All full BE members as they are ridden professionally and paid for by the owner. The rider has paid £110 for themselves.

In the event of a Ballot, rider A is out first...irrespective of the number of horse rider B has.

Yet the riders have paid the same amount to be there. The entry fees will be refunded for the horse but the rider, if he or she cant get in elsewhere has to start scratching around for another suitable event that is within reach of them. This limits the number of events they can get to for their £110pa.

Yes full members get a priority sticker but if they group all the local events together like they have in East Anglia, you have to gamble on which event to enter and would miss th chance to enter others even if you get an upgrade to a Super Special.
 
Very true mrussell. And the professionals can travel much further and much more regullary, don't have to worry about missin 'work' when comps are on week days etc.
 
Also it cost more for a rider with one horse ,as single horse riders only compete about 8 - 10 times a year , so it works out about £11 a time.[ their membership divided by competitions]
Multi horse riders compete about 110 times a year [ not sure of that figure just guessed] which would be £1 each time.
 
I have contacted BE and they are looking into it> if others could it would help> Pm me and I can give you her email. I addressed the fact that I was balloted out of Munstead with a sticker yet other on here wasnt they do look on here and read the posts!

Please if we can all stamp our feet maybe something will get done.
 
I would do but I havent been balloted yet this year so feel I have nothing to moan about as such
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I feel for you all who have though. And if I get stuck in an unfair position due to balloting I will def email too!!
 
I appreciate that it hasnt affected you yet this year but does that mean its a fair sytem ?

We do need to stand up for ourselves every now and then...whether its directly affecting us or not.

Eventing should not be an elitist sport but it is if working-one-horseriders are losing out because of a status system ad poor planning of the BE diary.

If ballottnig is already a issue then BE should be looking at ;
more classes with working riders getting weekend class priorty
better spread of dates across localties
refusal of new memberships if there simply arent enough classes to justify charging someone £110 to sit at home for the majority of the year
automatic refunds for members who are suspended BY BE due to injury
 
I am shocked at how it has been this year as living in SW normally I never even worry if I will get into an event. This year it has gone crazy.

I am wondering whether you should be 15 before doing BE on a horse (14 for ponies) as PC caters very well for members this age.

The other thing I have noticed is that there are an awful lot now with multiple horses after all it really does not cost that much more to take two than one.

As for pros I think the system at the moment is pretty fair with multiple rides. After all you have a choice about putting a sticker on your entry. It is always this time of year that the pros go a bit nuts because the 3 days have not started so the babies are out in force. I guess also it depends on how well they do to whether they get sold or not and its easier to sell in April than September.
 
BE are looking into Munstead. its only Intro and PN. Not too bothered now as doing Tweseldown unaff intro as first run just was fed up to spend £200+ on registering and cant get a run prob till end of May. i could have hung on to my money a bit longer!
 
Day ticket users dont get priority stickers...

so someone with 1 horse and who relies on weekend classes or is restricted with travel may only invest in day tickets for both themselves and thier horse.

A new comer to BE may also do the same...and this gives them no priority at all.

Now ok, I can see that full members should have a perk but it could be made fairer for all by making sure classes arent over subscribed, comps are better spaced and by giving one priority sticker to every rider who enters a BE class...and thats one per year per rider...not just those who can afford to register for a full years competition.

It definately a case of those who can afford to enter and compete the most number of horses gettng the better deal.

(no offence to Pro riders as I appreciate that this is your job...but it needs to be made more accessible to those who are not Pro...crumbs form his masters table and all that
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But at Munstead weren't Intros ballotted but PN's got in.

The organisers are supposed to run equal numbers of sections at Intro, PN and Nov, I think.

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this is true but they have got 6 sections of each on bdwp. it's very likely that they had many more entries in the intro than PN.

i do agree that balloting needs looking into. i know some people who have been balloted at 2/3 events in a row, even with stickers etc..
 
Some of the dates need to be looked into as well. For instance two that I can reach within an hour and a half (Firle and Munstead) are on the same weekend in August, then there is nothing for me in September.
 
I think the thing to remember is that pro riders are not just riding their own horses - not many of them can afford to run lots of horses they own personally. They are competing them for owners, who pay to join BE themselves, and pay for their horse's membership, as well as paying for it to be kept with the professional. So they also feel entitled to see their (often only) horse run as often as a one-horse owner woh competes for fun. Hence the stickers being tied to the horse and not the rider, so all horses get an equal chance to run.
 
Also to point out that the ballot sticker still doesn't ensure an entry - i was balloted from oasby even though i used my ballot sticker, yet there were other riders in my class with multiple horses
 
So, I could fork out over £200, be balloted at my first event (no sticker) be balloted at my second (because I entered before I knew I was balloted from the first and therefore didn't have a super ballot sticker), then say the weather we had last year hits, so lots of cancellations occur, etc. etc. etc. and quite possibly end up paying £500 or thereabouts to actually run in 1 or 2 events? Things HAVE to change.
 
You get your full entry fee refunded if ballotted or cancelled (sometimes keep a bit for admin for cancellation), not that it helps though as entrt is up to 6 weeks in advance so you won't know if you are ballotted early enough.

Ways around it are

1 to help at the event

2 to sponsor

3 have a famous name/owner
 
I was so annoyed when i went to enter Belton and it stated all dressage for Novice to take place day before - ie Friday. I am a one horse owner who works full time with only factory shut down holidays so i cannot compete other than on weekends.

I think the sport is becoming elitest and less accesible to owner/riders, i pray i don't have ballots to worry about as i only enter one month due to the cost of entries now i can't afford more so use sticker each time..... just hope it works!

I was also disgusted at Oasby to get placed (6th) and no prize money! at Novice level... aparently not enough starters?!? but then if people had withdrawn they don't get refunded so they've still had entry money? and all the poor people that got balloted/on waitlist but not enough starters i just don't get it?
 
I personally object more to the fact that people are balloted out of a class, especially an Intro class, and then there are 2 or 3 running as HC.

I really think that HC should only be allowed if there is room.
 
Balloting is frustrating. I have been balloted for my first ever BE event which has really put me off BE.
I don't know if this is the norm, maybe because it's beggining of the season?
I guess I'm lucky that I got on the waiting list, but this means that at the moment I don't have a clue whether I'm going or not.
 
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