Estimated costs of taking part in Badminton Grassroots Champs??

[Hels_Bells]

I was recently talking to a friend who had been unable to make it to a 1* 3DE due to a health problems and she figured that she might have sunk close to £1000 in costs associated with it, which has got me thinking....

We are basically eventing on a student budget/shoestring etc and find it pretty hard work to muster up the cash to take part in regular BE ODEs. We have 2 Regional Final Qualifications under our belts from last season's BE100s but so far have been fairly focussed on getting ourselves established at Novice level this season. I'm really enjoying competing at Novice and we probably only have another 4, max 5 events left this season and I'm just basically trying to weigh up how realistic it is for us to aim for RFs/Grass Roots Champs...

This is all a bit hypothetical as it's very tough to qualify anyway, but if we were to "exchange" one or two of our planned Novice events to take part in RF's I would be so upset if we qualified but couldn't justify the costs of taking part in "the holy grail". We would also potentially be taking a place from someone else who could afford to go!!

We live a good 5 hours drive e/way from Badminton so would have to factor in both horse and human accommodation and fuel costs, as well as food, entry fees etc etc. Maybe by next May we'll be considerably better off and it will be more feasible... but something tells me it could well be a push financially!??

So just wondering what folks think are the costs associated with doing this? I realise we haven't even taken part in an RF yet and that G/roots is not a 3 day, but I expect there are extra costs that you wouldn't probably think of compared to regular BE events!

I'd probably only go and forget the horse or something vital anyway!!...

 

[DarkHorseB]

I think realistically you have to decide which is your main goal - to go to Badminton or continue your progress at Novice.
The Regionals are very competitive and pretty much comes down to having an excellent dressage. If you look at the Aske Regional Final last autumn the lowest qualifier finished on dressage of 30.5.
I would love to go to the final but have decided it will not be a main focus from now on - we will concentrate on the level we want to compete at as main goal and if we happen to get a qualification on the way fair enough.
You also may find you exclude yourself as if you got a point at Novice before your regional pretty sure you would not be able to start in a RF.

 

[SpruceRI]

Really, it should cost no more than any other 'away' event, especially if you're prepared to camp.... but if you decide to stay for the whole Badminton week and stay in a B&B, I should think it would be pretty expensive.

A friend of mine did it last year, hired a lorry so her and her friends would have somewhere to sleep on site, room for all the gear etc, and reckons it cost her £1k all in.

Same as you, she's qualified for the Regionals again, but has decided not to do them and to move on up.

Personally, I think I'd give it a go though, because it's your one and only chance.... hope to qualify, and then 'rough it' when you get there!!

 

[ArcticFox]

I would think it would cost £1k all in, approx £250 in diesel, stabling would be over £100, entry fee, food for you etc. It might cost a bit less if you stayed onsite but I'd budget £1k.

Just out of interest does it say on your horses record if you have qualified for the RF? not that I have been placed high enough at an event so far but how do you know? do they write to you to tell you or do you have to work it out?

Cx

 

[DarkHorseB]

Just out of interest does it say on your horses record if you have qualified for the RF? not that I have been placed high enough at an event so far but how do you know? do they write to you to tell you or do you have to work it out?

Cx

Yes it does appear on your horses BE record online. You click on the name and it shows online. However last year it took AGES! You also get an email but for my qualification in August last year neither confirmation came till about April this year. Qualifications for the same years regionals are confirmed much quicker I believe so if you qualified between March and June this year it would have been confirmed pretty quickly.

The top 10% qualify and they round up or down to nearest whole number - if 34 there would be 3 places if 36 there would be 4. Qualification does not pass down the line so if the top 3 or 4 places were all ineligible pro riders (could not happen at BE90) then no one would qualify. It is based on dressage starters and excludes any HC entries.