BSJA V Unaffiliated

[Ashf]

We went to Allens Hill in Pershore at the weekend with my daughter and her friend so they could do some unaffiliated showjumping. We bumped into some regulars there and got into a conversation with one of the mothers. She said her daughter had been jumping affiliated for a couple of years now in the Juniors but was looking to come out of it because they claimed there was just no competition with just 3 or 4 in each affiliated class. She claimed there was much more of a challenge in the unaffiliated, it cost a fraction of tha affiliated competition and that is why they were there.

Is this an experience shared by others here doing both as we have never affiliated ours ?

 

[Rambo]

Junior BS is very poorly supported in the south-east generally...but then tbh, so are the 'bigger' unaffiliated classes above about 80cms in both horses and ponies. There seems to be a bit of a hole between higher level unaff and entry level aff...which i guess is what BS are trying to fill with their new Club category of membership ?

 

[measles]

That's certainly not our experience - junior BS classes were hotly contested from 80cms up. Perhaps it is a regional thing and if they travelled a bit further they would find more competition? Clearly not ideal as more expense and time

 

[PucciNPoni]

Sorry, not BS so can't help you there, but I kind of wondered if there was much benefitting in going BD rather than showing unaff dressage. I went to a mixed show where the sections were judged by the same judge at teh same time, but awards and scores were divided in to aff and unaff. I noticed far more unaff in the classes, and the scores were distinctly HIGHER in the uanff?! So assuming the judge doesn't know the difference on the entries who is aff and who is unaff, I'm sort of left wondering what the benefit of going BD would be if one could go to the same venue for a fraction of the price, under the same judge etc....

 

[tinap]

Daughter does junior BS in yorkshire. It's a bit odd really - last year classes were quiet small so everywhere in area started to cancel junior shows, now there are only a few that run without having to travel miles & they are usually very busy. Tbh we did start to do more unaffil as there were tons of shows that were local but now we are struggling to find ones that do over 1m so are just doing the odd BS when they are on!! Am sick of complaining to BS about lack of junior shows!! I can understand that venues won't run them if poor entries but how can we support local shows if there aren't any??!!! I'll be glad when she's onto horses !!!

 

[soulfull]

Sorry, not BS so can't help you there, but I kind of wondered if there was much benefitting in going BD rather than showing unaff dressage. I went to a mixed show where the sections were judged by the same judge at teh same time, but awards and scores were divided in to aff and unaff. I noticed far more unaff in the classes, and the scores were distinctly HIGHER in the uanff?! So assuming the judge doesn't know the difference on the entries who is aff and who is unaff, I'm sort of left wondering what the benefit of going BD would be if one could go to the same venue for a fraction of the price, under the same judge etc....

Interesting, maybe judge did know the difference??

Local to here there aren't many venues that go higher than Novice with the occasional elementary at unaffil so when I get there will do BD

 

[Ashf]

Daughter does junior BS in yorkshire. It's a bit odd really - last year classes were quiet small so everywhere in area started to cancel junior shows, now there are only a few that run without having to travel miles & they are usually very busy. Tbh we did start to do more unaffil as there were tons of shows that were local but now we are struggling to find ones that do over 1m so are just doing the odd BS when they are on!! Am sick of complaining to BS about lack of junior shows!! I can understand that venues won't run them if poor entries but how can we support local shows if there aren't any??!!! I'll be glad when she's onto horses !!!

Would these local shows be jumpingon a surface, or on grass because I can understand people not wanting to push their horses over the bigger stuff if the ground is hard ?

 

[tinap]

Surface's - there's only 1 or 2 local show on grass in the year & the main one they cancelled the juniors but kept the senior schedule