BSJA - does it make sense?

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socks

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Am I right in thinking that BSJA is split Junior/Seniors? And Juniors may only ride 14.2hh ponies and under; Seniors can ride any height and Juniors riding horses must compete at Senior shows?

Does this make sense to anyone?

Should it not be split into Horses/Ponies with separate classes for each, but such as Pony Junior, Pony Senior, Horse Junior, Horse Senior? So ponies don't have to do horse courses that aren't strided for them and so tall under 16s might have a chance with their horses? Opinions on this?

Also, what happens if you are a senior riding a pony, but say your pony can jump maybe 1m/1.10 - maybe manage BN and Disc, but not above that. And you go clear in those, you can't go further - the jumps are too big, anything you qualify for will go above your height limit, and you have no chance in the open 90cm/1m classes? Is this restricting seniors riding ponies - even discouraging them to compete at BSJA?

Just wanted some thoughts on this and feel free to point me wrong where I am, I just can't see the sense in this system.
 
I think it will just end up having too many classes, there are enough of them already. Ponies are not aloud in sinour classes because at the smaller heights they are quicker and nippier, and the fences get too big.
 
I Recently affiliated my new horse , Juniors can ride Horses but they have to compete at senior shows (what im doing) Seniors cant ride ponys at junior shows , a bit odd i no..!

I think what you say in your second paragraph is right and some of the shows should be like that. but then i sapose most of the unafilliated shows arelike that..?

I Do see what you mean but then i sapose isnt that what unafilliated shows are for..? Or Am i wrong there..?
 
Ponies can jump in senior classes but once they have I don't think they can go back to being 'ponies' and jump junior classes. Can't remember the name of the pony, but one of the good juniors re classified her good pony and it's now jumping seniors (it's grey, she won one of the finals either at Blue Chip or the amateurs on it in the senior ranks and it's driving me demented that I can't remember its name - think it jumped on teams). What ponies make up in speed and turns they can lose out on the distances - a smaller pony would struggle with the doubles and related lines but to be fair the full up 14.2hhs would probably cope fine, my old boy who measured about 15.1hh usually coped and some of the proper 14.2's in Scotland seemed bigger than him! You have to be 13 to ride in senior ranks except for children on horses classes which you can be 12 for, we ran one alongside a small open at my area show and I was gutted cos I was 2nd to a 12 year old kid who whipped my ass severely and she got a rug and a sash
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. I was the only senior in the line up, shows how good the quality of YRs will be in the next few years!
The rules seem to pretty much accomodate for the majority of riders and the formats they have just now seem to work, what seems to be complicated actually really simplifies the process, and heights of fences aren't everything anyway - the top ponies jump miles bigger than I could ever dream of doing on my 16.1hh
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Hope this helps x
 
Thanks for your points of view and stuff..

On ponies - if ponies can't compete in senior classes, what about people over the age of 17 year riding ponies? Are they just not allowed to affiliate? Is this not very discouraging? Not everybody wants to ride a horse, and not everybody can afford a horse.

However, looking through the rule book, the only thing I can find slightly relating to it is this:

An animal which does not exceed 148cms may be registered or re- registered on change of
ownership in either the pony or the horse grade appropriate to its total winnings in all grades.
It must then compete in Junior or Adult competitions as appropriate throughout the rest of
the calendar year for which it has been so registered.


Would this mean you could registered a pony as a horse and compete in Senior classes?

The rule book isn't really very clear in terms of the junior/senior separation.


On unaffiliated shows - So okay, a senior can compete on a pony at an unaffiliated show, but most only go up to 3'3"/3'6" and are competing on grass... what if you wanted a bit more competition and wanted to compete on a surface in a more organised professional environment? (I'm just arguing now aren't I?)

Debate away...
 
Think is, where would you put adults on smaller ponies (i.e. smaller than 14.2)?? It's not really fair to put them in with the kids, it's not really fair on the ponies to put them in with the horses because the striding are not suitable and if they had a class of their own, it would probably get about 2 in it!!
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ponies have to measure 144cm before they can reg as a horse.

in all honesty any one wishing to compete a pony in senior classes would make damed sure that their pony is able to make the distances etc. i for one know i would before shelling out the fees i already do for me and my horses.

as regards height limits i.e. your mount wont jump past a certain height, this something which someone with a horse would need to consider as well as those with ponies. that is the very reason (amongst others) that the am/open classes are for.
 
ponies can jump as horses but must stay there for a year once reg as a horse and i believe they can go back to being a pony the following year but they can not change ever again.

TBH you dont see many ponies in the seniors, there was one on my local circuit (sachak you prob know it) that used to jump all the opens upto 1m and used to whip arse but give it anything bigger and it just couldnt make the striding.

Juniors can compete in the seniors on horses and it's becom more popular to the point they now have special classes called juniors on horses (we won gold at the last europeans)
 
And it would be totally unfair on the adults!!!! Don't think i'd have a hope in hell now in juniors having watched them fly round at scope last year!!!
 
Your suggestions wouldn't work as there are not enough seniors on ponies to warrant a class. A show centre would never run that classes as they won't make any money.

A good pony will always beat a horse in a Jump Off - I would think up to 1.20. There are plenty of open classes that a pony could jump once it is out of BN/Disco.

As for ponies jumping seniors - what about Stroller - he won individual Olympic Silver medal in Mexico.
 
I am a bsja show secretary.
Next year from April 1st junior members will be renamed pony members and junior associates will become pony associate members.
From a business point of view not worth running a pony class for seniors at senior show as probably only get 2 or 3 competitors in it.
It is a very very limited market for seniors jumping ponies. Most of the ponies can't make the distances in doubles etc.
In our area, most of the unaffiliated shows are run in exactly the same arenas, over the same jumps and judged by bsja judges.
 
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