Disgusted with brc!! Following on from spur thread

Tiarella

Tiarella

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Having read rules there is nothing that states swan neck spurs are not allowed, they still point downwards after they go up and they're very blunt. So I ran up and enquired and said no they're not allowed and asked why and what my issue was. Got told I was clearly under horsed and should get a new one and I would get brought up at the competitions for being to big for my
Pony?!?! I'm 5ft4, ride a 14hh pony and I'm 7 stone!! She was so so rude and nearly had me in tears :( unfortunately not all of us can afford a nice big expensive warmblood and some of us have to work with whatever we have, I'm lucky enough to even have a pony let alone a horse! :( I'm beyond gutted as I just can't give the right aids to my pony without my swan necks - he gets confused and lazy and it's just all a disaster. That's me out of brc competitions then! :(
 
You could write a formal complaint which will not change anything.

Did you take their name? Its clearly not very good customer service.
 
No I'm def not too big, he is a very horsey pony and rides big too!

Yeah I have the name but there is no point as will not achieve anything.

They're not in the slightest bit cruel, yet brc allow rowl spurs etc?!

I really wanted to achieve something this year with my little man and we aren't good enough for BD so guess it'll be unaff little comps for us then :(
 
I have written a complaint before to BRC (about a riding test judge) and they did follow it up and replied to me and it was very positive. I think its worth writing a letter, just stating the facts (with as little emotion as possible) as this is meant to be an organisation to encourage the amataur rider, on whatever steed they have. Making judgements about whether someone is underhorsed on the phone is not sensible.

It also seems from your previous thread as to there being some confusion over whether swan necked spurs are allowed or not, so I would email BRC head office to get the truth on this (particularly as BD state they are allowed in their rules) - if only so they can make their own rules on spurs less ambiguous.
 
You have a look at trying some trailblazer dressage its unaffliated but a bit more to aim for. Might need a double check with them too about the spurs but i'm sure they generally run them under BD rules.
 
Miabella - do you have address/number I could contact them through? I rang the head office in stoneleigh.

Yes ossy I'm doing trailblazers this year, qualified for 2nd rounds which are in April :) just wanted to do as many things with my boy this year as poss as bought my own transport in sep 2012 and still can't get over it :D
 
It sounds as though you were treated with completely unacceptable rudeness - plus complete ignorance, always a particularly unedifying combination. A letter of complaint might well be in order.

However, with regard to the original issue I really wouldn't make the assumption you absolutely MUST wear swan-necked spurs to connect with your pony. The proportions of your legs on your pony are only similar to a tall-ish man on a mid-sized horse, and plenty of riders manage this with great success without swan-necks. Also, in Pony FEI competition, many (most) of the riders are taller than you, and pony riders are only allowed to wear straight, ball-end spurs, and they manage. This isn't meant as a criticism, but as an indication that there may well be something you can do in terms of changing your leg position slightly, changing the way you apply your leg aid slightly, or maybe even prioritising the way that your pony moves off your leg in schooling, which will help you get the results without the s-n spurs. I am 5'2" so only a little shorter than you, and long-legged for my height :p, and I ride a lot of ponies, and I've never used them fwiw...

Personally, I would try to view it as a challenge not an obstacle :) Best of luck, I've been quietly admiring your HWB :D
 
They seemed to have changed the website (I found an address to write to, as wanted to post sheet and video of test). However they do have these contacts on there - I would email them with the question about the spurs - and you could ask one of them who to write a letter of complaint to.
Contact
If you would like any further information on BRC Competitions, please contact Rachael Hollely at r.hollely@bhs.org.uk or call her on 02476 840597.

Alternatively, contact Lyndsay Wager at l.wager@bhs.org.uk or call her on 02476 840593.
 
The comment that you would be pulled up at competitions for being too big for your pony is ridiculous!

This rider is definitely much taller than 5'4", rides a 14hh pony, and has been an individual winner in several national BRC championships:

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And my daughter is 5'7" and was 3rd in the national BRC combined training championships this year on her 14hh pony with no comment at all about her size on the pony.
 
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The BRC rules state 4cm from the back of the boot to the point of the spur, and that spurs must point downwards. Most swan necks if measured from the back of the boot along the shank would be in excess of 4cm, & some do point upwards, rather than the neck pointing downwards. My interpretation that the 4cm measurement should be taken from the back of the boot at a 90 degree angle to the point of the spur is obviously not shared universally hence some discussion is needed to formulate a standardised view.

Spurs are a very emotive subject - often even more so than whips- just pop in to the NL & have a look. The BRC rules are designed with horse welfare as their ultimate goal, & the aim is to prevent spur abuse (not that I am suggesting at all that the OP is abusing her pony) but it is something that we all are very concious of.
 
Wow! That sounds very rude!

I was at the RC Champs at Lincoln last year and there was LOADS of adults on ponies, especially for the dressage! The New Forest (I think!) team win everything and doubt any of them are over 14hh!

I'd try emailing/calling again and asking for another answer. Try your team manager as well to see if they can get an answer or at least pass it on to your area rep (our area rep is really good so just assuming yours would be too! :D )
 
I know nothing about BRC and its rules and regulations, but I do know rudeness. Make sure you write a letter of complaint and follow it up. Dont accept being fobbed off.

Good luck and sorry to hear about it.
 
Surely there are better methods than using sharp spurs ?? would lots of work using the back up of a schooling whip to re-inforce leg aids not be a better idea?

Scrumdoddy said:
Hello, Rachael.

Secondly, you don't need swan neck spurs - you need sharp spurs and to work on his reaction to your leg without the spurs (by which I mean, ask him with a light aid and no spur first, then follow it up immediately with a sharp jab with the spur, if he doesn't respond. Reward and repeat). The jab needs to be very uncomfortable for him, which is why sharp spurs are better than blunt ones.

I would suggest spurs with rowels (either smooth or jagged ones). The aim being that you can get him to respond to your calf because he learns that if he doesn't, he will get a sharp, uncomfortable jab from your spur.

It doesn't matter if you need to move your heel up to use the spur in this way - it doesn't matter what you look like while you teach him this message - because your whole aim is to teach him to be more reactive to your normal leg aid.
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Showpony - Lise is my dr trainer and has worked wonders with doug and is the only reason I'm out competing him now, she knows him inside out so is offering me personal advice as she knows him well :)

Thankyou Lise! I was actually going to text you this week
And ask about it!
 
I have had several issues with BRC rules over the years....poor Zebedee has had her virtual ear bent about pretty much everything and has been fab!

Although I still think that some BRC rules are mental, they have actually always been very good when I have contacted them to complain :D! Their customer relations are very good and even if I didnt get my way I was pleased with the response that I got...so if you really feel that you were treated in an unacceptable way, (and from what you have said it sounds like it) I would definately write to complain. Their rules may be random but they are very friendly and will want to know about people not being treated properly!
 
No comment about the spurs as I can't offer anything helpful. However the manner of said person on the phone was completely unacceptable. I would fire off a letter, naming said woman and an outline of the conversation. Do not become emotive, stick to the facts as that is a strong enough story anyway and finish by saying you look forward to receiving a letter stating what their action has been to remedy this from happening to another customer.
 
avthechav said:
I have had several issues with BRC rules over the years....poor Zebedee has had her virtual ear bent about pretty much everything and has been fab!
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Hahaha - Thank you. It's always a pleasure, so bend my virtual ear as often as you like:)

In this instance it would seem that there is a degree of interpretation (in what is measured & from where) that can be applied to the rules, & that is what BRC do try & avoid. I have allowed them in the past both locally & at championships, but until such time as the wording of the rule has been discussed and changes (if indeed any are agreed) have been implemented will from here on in not allow them at any level.
 
Op nothing aboutBRC as I don't have a clue but I am way taller at 5ft8, but I use roller ball spurs if required on my 14 hander but usually use nothing at all. Even on my 13.1 I wouldn't choose to use swan necks,
 
If there isn't any specific ruling in the BRCbook then don't BRC automatically defer to the national discipline rules? So in this case in the absence of BRC clarity then you would refer to BD rules, where they are allowed.
 
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