Competing at university

[Annie.m29]

Hi, i am looking for advice on how experienced a rider you need to be to compete at BUCS Competitions? I go to the university of Glasgow and i have recently started riding again when i moved home due to COVID (Crieff hydro stables) and been told that i will hopefully be back to learning to jump in a few weeks. What are the average requirements / experience you need to compete for university clubs? Thanks, Annie

 

[L&M]

It may have changed, but back in my day (1990's!!!), we had to ride a decent standard dressage test and sj a course of 80/90 cm in the team comps.....I was at Dundee.

 

[kirstyfk]

Glasgow Uni is fairly competitive. This is going back a few years but my sister had competed at 2* and only made the C team! However, the riding club is more than just competitions. There are weekly lessons and a good social side so i would definitely still join the club no matter what level you are at.

 

[SEL]

It may have changed, but back in my day (1990's!!!), we had to ride a decent standard dressage test and sj a course of 80/90 cm in the team comps.....I was at Dundee.

Also 90s - the main challenge was it would be on a strange horse that you'd only get to warm up briefly. I'm convinced I was added to the team because I'm short so I used to get all the ponies!

 

[SEL]

OP even if Glasgow is really competitive it's worth joining the riding club. In my first year at Warwick I got decked in the team trials so obviously didn't get selected for the team. I did act as warm up rider for the home competitions and we did a lot of fun competitions too.

 

[ihatework]

I think it will vary between the set up of each university. Most should welcome most level of rider to the clubs but to compete at BUCS you will need to be a reasonably competent rider. I was captain of our A team many many years ago. The riders we had that were competitive in BUCS all had a a few years of horse ownership/competing under their belts. We had 2 international and one BYRDS rider in our team plus me (I was the weaker link experience wise with just PC experience)

But definitely join, most clubs will have inter-club and friendly comps to take part in.

ETA - but interestingly there were a small handful of people who tried out for teams who had significant private competition experience. But they were used to riding nice well made competition horses. When faced with riding centre horses some of them couldn’t get them going. It was quite interesting. So only having ridden RS horses wouldn’t completely rule you out if you make a good job of it!

 

[Bernster]

They had riding at university?! How did I never know this ?. I went to Warwick uni too. Ah well, I’m a late starter and got back onto riding properly a few years back now.

 

[Ambers Echo]

I also went to Warwick and had no idea. I was in the climbing/mountaineering club though and had an amazing time doing that.

 

[PapaverFollis]

I remember outriding several people at the trials who got selected but I didn't. They had their own horses and experience in competition and I didn't. So I guess the selector thought that my being able to get the horse that noone else could get over a jump, over a jump and winning the combined training competition was a fluke. ?‍?

Hashing not still bitter 20 years later honest. ?

 

[greenbean10]

They had riding at university?! How did I never know this ?. I went to Warwick uni too. Ah well, I’m a late starter and got back onto riding properly a few years back now.

They had riding at my uni and the only reason I didn't join was because I thought it would be too bitchy ?

 

[TGM]

Agree that a lot of the BUCS teams are very competitive to get onto. My daughter did the teams at Uni and the majority of people on the A and B teams were riding at BE Novice and above. But as said above, competing at a certain level is no inidcator of suitability for the higher teams as some people can ride their own horses well but not necessarily others. One year due to a last minute change of venue one of the competitions was run on dealer's horses rather than riding school horses. Now that was a real test as some of them were youngsters fresh off the boat from Ireland!

 

[L&M]

Also 90s - the main challenge was it would be on a strange horse that you'd only get to warm up briefly. I'm convinced I was added to the team because I'm short so I used to get all the ponies!

Totally agreed - was like a lottery!!! Uni competing days left me mentally scarred for life.......!

 

[L&M]

They had riding at my uni and the only reason I didn't join was because I thought it would be too bitchy ?

Ours was mainly about the after lesson drinking session in the pub next door to the riding centre - they even let us run the pub one night for a lock in - those were the days!

 

[greenbean10]

Ours was mainly about the after lesson drinking session in the pub next door to the riding centre - they even let us run the pub one night for a lock in - those were the days!

That sounds like my kind of riding club!

 

[kirstyfk]

I went to Glasgow Caledonian and managed to get on to the team in first year as it was the first time the uni was in BUCS. The other 3 girls ran the club and I was the only other person who wanted to compete! I then captained the team in my 3rd and 4th year. We normally came last but occasionally we would get an individual placing and we won once. We normally competed against Glasgow, Strathclyde and Edinburgh. With some very good riders. In first year Charlotte Agnew was competing for Edinburgh.

 

[SEL]

So only having ridden RS horses wouldn’t completely rule you out if you make a good job of it!

Ha! One of my greatest moments was getting a RS cob around the jumps who'd managed to get the top scoring dressage rider eliminated. Pony club kicks I could do ??

But also being completely over horsed on a gorgeous warmblood who just spent the whole test doing flying changes. The next rider up was a Dutch post grad student who wrapped his legs around it and showed me how it should be ridden. Better to leave me on the fat ponies!

 

[Gamebird]

Glasgow Uni is fairly competitive. This is going back a few years but my sister had competed at 2* and only made the C team! However, the riding club is more than just competitions. There are weekly lessons and a good social side so i would definitely still join the club no matter what level you are at.

I was Captain of the Glasgow Uni club many years ago!

I had never owned a horse and my riding experience was almost entirely non-competitive, but I had the advantage of having worked at riding schools and for dealers and had ridden a lot of different types. I once won the jumping section of the Scottish Uni Championships. I'm still not sure how!!

I think you do need to be confident enough to get on a variety of riding school type horses and get a good tune out of them - or a better tune than the other 3 people riding them that day. I'd echo what others have said - sometimes the people who are best at this aren't the people who have high level competition experience.

Join the club anyway. Even if you're not at the stage to get on teams you can have a lot of fun. The highlight of our year was always a trip to the south west Highlands to do a day long ride over the hills and galloping/swimming on the beach, with a stop for a pub lunch. That was more fun than any of the comps.