BE poll on Downgrading

Hacking

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If you go to the BE web site and look at last years results, for those events that do run OPN and ON. Then click on the top 5 horses that were placed, it is scary how many of them would now be eligable to downgrade.

I looked at lots of JRNs and ON results and found many horses that have been happily doing double clears at Novice level but have not won points as they have too many for novice.

Now everyone is entitled to their opinions but can anyone claim that if a horse that has been consistently double clear at Novice were sold to an intro rider and then went on to win the intro championship at Badmintom next year that this would be
a) fair on other intro riders
b) Good for eventing as a sport
c) encourage other riders with genuine intro horses

But as Popsdosh says, at least all they will be getting is glory and a rosette. If they go on to compete at Novice then they will be getting money. One top 3 placing and they have won back their downgrading fee.

I can count on 1 hand the number of times I have wom money at Novice, if I missed out to a downgraded horse I would be very p*ssed off!
 
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Perhaps a compromise maybe that horses can compete at what ever level they like but be handicapped by their points being added to their score,

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I like that idea
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I would love to ride at the Badminton Championships, fat chance on my boys even at into level.

Hmm thinking who has retired recently, wonder if I should give Jeanette a quick call and see if she fancies loaning me Over to You. Maybe King Solomon could come out of dressage retirement and get me a few rossies at intro........ Saying that we know Silence has been doing the odd pre-novice so perhaps Dan should be the next point of call! Shear L'Eau would be OK but I can't be bothered to keep a grey clean.
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This is certainly a rule change that is getting people talking! I don't see the need for downgrading as long as there are sufficient Open classes. I am perfectly happy (as one of the people who has a horse with points) to compete in Open Intro or OPN classes, and it would be nice to have a championship to aim at. However, what I take issue with and what makes me really angry is the suggestion that horses who have points have no place at the lower levels. To have it suggested that I just do unaffiliated or school because he has points and can't compete at a higher level is rude and ignorant. I love my horse to pieces, he is the only one I own and I spend a lot of time and money trying to do the best by him. He loves his eventing, he relishes cross country and I have spent three years competing at OPN and ON with one 9th place rosette to show for it. He educated me. He helped me from jumping at 70cms to clear XC at Novice. However, as he gets older, he isn't coping so well with the the height, width and speed required for Novice and I feel, after two falls, it is no longer safe for us to compete at that level. I have never been Intermediate as I don't think my riding is up to it even though he had won at intermediate before I had him (I took him on from my brother who went to uni.) I have paid my membership fee, I have paid his registration, I am entitled to compete him. If BE offer classes I can compete in, then compete I will as long as he is happy! If they take away Open intro and OPN, then I won't be paying registration fees to run HC as much as I love competing over BE courses, Its too expensive now to run all year non-competitively and I don't intend to downgrade! I compete in Open Intros and OPN and accept the standard that comes with them. I wouldn't expect to compete PN against those who haven't had the experience my horse has.

Keep the open sections, forget the downgrading and let the older horses and novice riders have something to compete for. We all pay the same money!
 
I can see it from both sides....my horse (in sig) has a point applied earlier this year that she didnt get because someone at BE put it down as time penalties not as a stop!! they wont back down because they are a pain so now my horse has 1 measley point and cannot go back down to a normal PN class and it kind of removes all chance of me ever doing a normal intro class in the future (i'm a wimp!)!

Then again its a bit unfair if the horses have been at say advanced level then can move down maybe they should base it on the number of points at a certain level and they can maybe only move down 1 level no more?

Its a tough one! I agree with Abbie29 if they keep running open sections then its not too bad but if BE bin them off then like her I wouldnt bother paying all the entry fees to end up running H/C with no chance of ever getting prize money!
 
I voted against it. Purely because of the reason others have given - ie. rich people pothunting (yes, some may not be able to ride their schoolmasters but hell a lot will and you're almost guaranteed a clear XC round with an experienced horse!). And also this is what open classes are for.
 
Voted against it, agree with what kirkton and many others said. I have one inexperienced horse, it's nice to think we may occasionally come home with a rosette - many years ago i competed up to OI, and I can't believe anyone who has a horse who has jumped that level or above honestly thinks it is sporting and fair to downgrade to intro level.
 
This will only be a problem at the begining of the year. The horse will be downgraded, it will win all it's classes and then it won't be able to enter them anymore. If it doesn't win maybe it was right that the horse was downgraded. I know that you can't knock yourself out of Intro, but you can PN and Novice.

Everyone keeps on moaning about the standard of riding at lower levels, stick them on a better horse and they will improve - so therefore maybe safety will improve as a side effect.
 
A bit of an update I actually contacted MES at BE and have received email back stating that the rule is under review with the likelyhood that further restrictions to be added.So maybe partial good news.
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