Do I just aim for HOYS? Dilemma, Dilemma...

[Dotilas]

Right, here goes...

Me and my mum have had our boy for 3 years now, and he had done absolutely nothing before we got him, and now we do pretty much everything with him.

He is pretty awesome at showing, always winning inhand, but not ridden due to his greenness, but we're sorting it out now, and he's begun to take up the contact when you pick up the reins in a snaffle, and works well from behind. He is also coming out of the "baby slowness" and is becoming more forward going and willing - we're starting to get a bit of an extension when I ask for it.

Now's the dilemma: People keep on saying we should try for HOYS as they think he is a good stamp and would do very well at the top level, however I've never done anything like this before! I've found as many photos/videos as I can of the ridden native coloureds at HOYS/Olympia, and I'm looking my horse critically, and do think that with some work, we could easily look that good.

Here's some pictures of my boy:

(Two years ago)

(Recently, but in the middle of a jumping lesson, god knows what i'm doing!

)

Confo:

What would you recommend I do?

Do we carry on as we are, hacking, trashing the competition at local level or do we REALLY go for it, just to see what happens?

If we did go for it, we'd get the Padster much more muscly with lots of schooling, CHAPS register him and us, and just enter as many county shows as we can, and try and qualify for HOYS and Olympia?

Or.. There is the Search for a Star route, but I don't know...


DILEMMA Over, I think...

What do you guys think?

Mini rolls if you got this far?

 

[Taffster]

The cuddy in hand classes are very very strong, I would affilate to chaps and try your hand at some affiliated showing. Nothing stopping you doing hoys qualifiers but they are expensive, you can see if your still trashing the competition by going to the bigger affiliated/agricultural shows in and around your area.
For ridden it needs to be absolutely perfect and as you said your not quite ready yet, however a year on the circuit and next year you will know exactly what direction your heading

 

[serena2005]

if you've got the money id say go for it

 

[natalia]

Have some fun and go for it! The CHAPS shows all have HOYS qaulifiers so do them there, but as said before your looking at about £50 a class. You can also do the RIHS classes through the bspa, hich is what we are aiming for this year.

 

[AmyMay]

Go for it. Choose your shows carefully - so you don't spend huge amounts of money on classes that are not qualifiers - and give it a try.

What fun you'll have. He's a lovely boy.

 

[winchester]

Go for it!!! You've got to be in it to win it!!! I've been on ponies all my life but not doing 'horse classes'. We went out as a 4yo and realised after a few outings we were not ready and still too green and babyfied and needed another year to grow up! We still done the odd CHAPS/BSPA coloured class throughout the year but not much as just left him to mature!!

He has done a fair few shows since Christmas and looks/goes/and is placed well so have our first qualifier at the weekend!!! Going to see how he comes and if he is not ready i know not to enter it again until he is!!

Just enter one and go see how you get on!!!!!

 

[BigRed]

If you enjoy your showing, and it sounds like you do, it is a natural progression to go from local competitions to affiliated county level. It is much more expensive and the standard will be a lot higher. Enjoy yourself and enter, but watch what the people at the top of the line are doing and wearing. Presentation is key for showing.

 

[jhoward]

i agree with the others.. theres a lot of other shows to contend for that are an inbetween. ive just started my boy in Affliated in hand classes (hes done very well) and will then do some of the county shows. if hes good enough he will qualify and it hasnt cost me 100s to get there. so far ive not travelled out of my county.

if he qualifies for the bigger and better shows then fab, its not like its goign to be all the biggies so the odd one wont break the bank but will be so worth it, even if its for the experiance.

 

[chelljacobs]

Reg him with CHAPS and maybe BSPA (if you want to end up at RIHS to). Just go to some of the shows, i never thought i'd get into showing, i brought my boy for eventing when he grows up. But he loooves it. Go for it. The bigger the shows the better, great fun. BSPA Chamsp this weekend...argh! Hehe!

Get out and enjoy them, we decided if we kept winning at local, we had to go higher!

 

[Theresa_F]

I am doing the same with my little hairy monster - the first year when he was rising 4 and very green, we did some local shows under saddle to get experience - he was already very experienced at in hand and had been and done well at the BSPA WCC championships two years running.

This year, he is rising 5 and in December I started doing under saddle at affiliated level - so far he has done well and got experience at being ridden in the larger indoor and outdoor rings. I have also had lessons with a showing professional (who has had hairies at HOYS) to get my turnout, individual show and the way of going round in the ring correct for his type.

This weekend is going to be the first real test - we are doing second round Trailblazers and BSPA winter champs finals - novice and large hairy finals. I plan this year to stick at this type of level, and am also doing one or two county shows and depending on how we do may have a go at RIHS next year.

He been allowed to grow slowly and mature and is still filling out so we have a long way to go.

If yours is 14.2 or under, he can do the pony class at HOYS, over 14.2 then he is in the horse class. To do HOYS you must be with CHAPS.

For RIHS you need to be with the BSPA. You can go up to 15 hands for pony classes. At the moment pony classes are larger than the horse classes as the trads are often smaller than larger.

The standards of hairies is improving all the time and now you need more than an average hairy to get anywhere. To get anywhere now, he needs to be well put together, move very well and have excellent manners and schooling.

Why not try a few CHAPS or BSPA classes - you don't have to be a member to enter, but you and the horse must be registered with the appropriate qualification card if you want to.

He looks nice, but if you want me to be brutal, he is a bit long in the back - I have the same problem with my chap - he has a dash of TB which gives him longer legs and back. The good side of this is he give a lovely ride and has a fantastic light movement which puts him up in the ridden classes, but the longer lanky look puts him down in the inhand classes. With the correct saddle and how it is placed, you can make it less obvious.

You need to review your tack and turnout to get the best out of him - I am not trying to sound rude, just have seen and experience what you need to do well and the now very competitive world of hairy showing.

PM me if you want and I will try to help or direct you to someone who can show you how to get him just right for hairy showing and can show you some pics of my chap - I am getting there on getting him turned out as he should be.

I hope I don't sound negative, but the hairy world is now very tough - why not have a go and see how you do, if you don't try, you wont' know.