BSJA rules

[mega spoilt ponies]

Please forgive my ignorance regarding BSJA rules...

I may be purchasing a horse who is currently competing in discovery classes and has, i think less than 300 points?

I would want to start competing at british novice - would i have to do this on a ticket until im confident enough to do discovery?

I wasnt sure if you can compete a horse at a lower level - i assume not?

Also, say i start at BN, are you forced to go up a level if you win/gain points?

Just nervous about being forced to go up in height etc before im ready 😮

 

[ellie_e]

You can jump the BN/90cm open classes

 

[mega spoilt ponies]

Hhhmmm the plot thickens , what is an 'open class' please?

Im going to go and try to find a rule book so i dont bore you all with more questions!

Its very confusing!

 

[bounce]

The rule book is available on this page http://www.britishshowjumping.co.uk/membership/Member-Handbook-And-Rule-Amendments

You will sometimes find that venues offer an open section alongside the BN for horses with too many points. You could check with your local venues to see if they do.

British Novice is not to have won 125 points
Discovery is not to have won 225 points
Newcomers is not have to won 335 points

You really need to know how many points the horse has won exactly as it will limit what classes you can do. If you have too many points then you will have to jump in open sections if they have them. You can jump HC in classes you are not eligible for but you can't win anything and are effectively just doing a clear round and you don't get to do the jump off either if it is a two round class.

 

[dixie]

There are also the amateur classes that might suit you. There are 85cm and 95cm open amateur classes that you will be able to enter if your venue holds them and which are ideal for people in your situation. You can compete competitively in these.

a BN/Open 90cm class would be open to you. If there are enough entries they run it as one class but split the prizes (ie have two sets of prizes) between the BN eligible horses and the "open" horses that are not eligible to be BN horses. If there are not enough entries then the prizes aren't split - which imo is unfair to the BN horses.

 

[merlinsquest]

Open classes mean that they are open to everyone, so if you jump out of BN you can then compete at 90cm in the open section, but you will then be competing against people with Grade A's bombing round, & agree with the poster above. If they don't split the prizes then the BN horses who will be lots of 4 year olds lose out.