Competitons - Discussion

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LadyRascasse

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what are your opinions on people competing at levels that they and they horses are above? for example same horse/rider combo repetitively doing w/t dressage or 2ft jumping classes and regularly being placed but with no intention on going up a level as its easy rosettes?

For me i want to progress my horses as fast as they can cope with and if i find they are struggling i will put them back down a level to get there confidence back. however i wouldn't keep entering the same class time after time. so do you feel there should be rules against the same horse/rider combo entering something they have already been placed in the top 2 or 3?

just to clarify i do only mean the same horse/rider not an experience horse taking a novice rider or vice versa.

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I think it's a little sad TBH....and I know who you are talking about!!! There is no acheivement in gaining 70% + in a W&T test - yet they won't have a crack at prelim - I am trying to work out a system at the club to prevent this sort of pot hunting...
 
This annoys the hell out of me. The local Rc even make up classes so the committee members daughters win something. I know several people who pot hunt and compete at W&T, prelim and novice dressage or ignore rules about which classes you aren't allowed to enter and enter then boast about winning. It's very unfair to the people who should be entering the lower level classes.
 
Yep, incredibly annoying!!!

Although I suppose each have their reasons for doing it.

It's more annoying when they enter every class and win them all, week after week after week without any comment from the organisers.
 
I agree on this... This winter I am doing the walk/trot tests in our in-house dressage series with Genie because our Prelims are... let's say 'interesting' (read 'hairy the second canter is involved as we cannot stop and do things very very VERY quickly'). However by the next series they will be more consistent so I won't do the walk/trot anymore as I feel it would not be fair. At riding club events however I have seen riders that get good marks in Novice tests doing the walk/trot which just seems like pot-hunting.

I have also seen the same happen in showing... at a local show the Novice Combination specified that either half of the combination could not have been placed 1st to 3rd in any showing class. A girl I'd seen winning on her pony all season and shows at County entered and won it. A number of people put their money down and put in official complaints.
 
I hate when people do this - it happens in all disciplines and is really unfair on people competing at a lower level. Personally I've seen a lot of people do it showjumping - I do larger tracks but if I need to drop down a level on my good horse, for confidence reasons or maybe because he's had time off etc., I will ALWAYS do a smaller/unaffiliated class H/C as I don't believe it's fair to be 'competitive' against people who are maybe working their way up or just starting at that lower level - does nothing for their confidence, or for sportsmanship.

Obviously it's different in BSJA as once you have a certain amount of money you can't do certain classes, so it's easier to regulate (although even in those circumstances there are people who will re-register the horse under a different name so they can keep doing BN/Disc classes - obviously this is very much against the rules and if found out people are suspended/banned etc., but it does still happen).

If doing a lower level (and I'm talking here about people who have won at 3'6 competing at 2'6 or lower in the same season, stuff like that) to regain confidence of horse and/or rider then I don't see why people don't do it h/c - if it's truly about confidence then there shouldn't be an issue with not getting the prize/rosette.

I realise it's slightly different in dressage as there are different criteria - my RC has rules in place for SJ so that you can't do certain classes if you've got money BSJA, or won a class at a certain height etc., but there seem to be less strict guidelines for unaff. dressage (aside from having a restricted and open section).

It would be nice to think that people would have a bit of common sense/decency when selecting their classes so they suit the horse and it's all fair on other, possibly less experienced combinations.

The only thing I could possibly argue from the other side (although this is tenuous at best) is that some horses/riders do have a limit and it is good sense, and safer, to keep at a level where you are comfortable, if going up a level would mean both horse and rider losing confidence or having a nasty accident (and again I'm talking more SJ/Eventing here). But as OP says, the question is about people competing at a level where they have shown they can far exceed it, so I guess this argument doesn't count!
 
I find it hard to understand.I have just started walk and trot tests because thats where we are at the moment, BUT I am hoping that within 6 to 12 months we will be doing prelim.Want to go as high as we can.
 
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