Go straight in at Newcomers level for my first BSJA?

[c.h.i.a.r.a]

Looking at your photo's you're at Wickstead in the 2nd one.. .they tend to build up to height but the oxers won't be square as in height and width and also front poles are usually lower so slightly kinder. In a newcomers they would all be square IYSWIM for a first go BS I would tend to drop down a height from where I've been jumping Unaff and go from there.

yeah it was at wickstead. So would not all of the oxers be square in a lower class?? Thanks

 

[Lanky Loll]

They would be but overall height would be lower so less imposing ☺

 

[c.h.i.a.r.a]

They would be but overall height would be lower so less imposing ☺

okay might do the discovery and 1m5 open then

 

[star]

Even 1.05m Opens can get up to 1m15 in the second phase and the oxers are as wide as they are tall. I have definitely found the width of the oxers the scariest bit about stepping up a level BSJA. I found at unaffiliated even at 1m10 they barely put any width on the oxers but at BSJA they certainly do! Also BSJA much more technical than unaffiliated with doglegs, turnbacks and related distances all over the place. I'd go 1m and 1.05m for a first outing - can always step up next time but better to find it easy than ruin confidence.

 

[c.h.i.a.r.a]

Even 1.05m Opens can get up to 1m15 in the second phase and the oxers are as wide as they are tall. I have definitely found the width of the oxers the scariest bit about stepping up a level BSJA. I found at unaffiliated even at 1m10 they barely put any width on the oxers but at BSJA they certainly do! Also BSJA much more technical than unaffiliated with doglegs, turnbacks and related distances all over the place. I'd go 1m and 1.05m for a first outing - can always step up next time but better to find it easy than ruin confidence.

yeah he's been going so well the last thing I want to do is take a step backwards. Thanks

 

[dieseldog]

Kings Sedgemoor is a really nice venue, it is outside. They build nice courses, it would be one of the easier venues to jump a NC, have normal jumps, nothing super spooky or scary. You enter on the day. If you haven't been there before the entrance is a bit odd, it looks like you are driving into a private house and the lane is down the left hand side of it, there aren't massive signs on the road.

 

[c.h.i.a.r.a]

Kings Sedgemoor is a really nice venue, it is outside. They build nice courses, it would be one of the easier venues to jump a NC, have normal jumps, nothing super spooky or scary. You enter on the day. If you haven't been there before the entrance is a bit odd, it looks like you are driving into a private house and the lane is down the left hand side of it, there aren't massive signs on the road.

okay thanks for letting me know about the entrance, knowing me I'd probably get lost xD It's nice to hear from someone who knows the venue, I've watched loads of youtube videos of people's rounds there and that's what I thought. Jumps have some little fillers but nothing scary and I didn't see any water trays (although my horse doesn't mind them anyways). Was watching people's NC rounds going, would I feel comfortable jumping that? and my answer seemed to be yes at every fence but I really don't want to regret anything. If I do the 1m I'm obviously not going to do the NC after, I'd have to do the 1m5 and I refuse to send my horse in there three times so that rules out even thinking about the NC. What I think i'm going to do is jump the 1m 5 open, if he goes really well then I'll have a look at the NC course, but won't jump it unless I'm 100%. It's just not worth knocking our confidence, still have plenty of time before my BE season starts to do a NC

 

[c.h.i.a.r.a]

Thanks everyone for your replies, will be sure to let you know how I did One last question: because you pay on the day, how do they give you a time slot? Is it like UA where you write your number on a board or...?

 

[PorkChop]

Thanks everyone for your replies, will be sure to let you know how I did One last question: because you pay on the day, how do they give you a time slot? Is it like UA where you write your number on a board or...?

Some venues are entry in advance and then you usually have a time slot.

However most venues I have been to have been entries on the day, and you put your number on a board in the warm up.

Good luck

 

[c.h.i.a.r.a]

Some venues are entry in advance and then you usually have a time slot.

However most venues I have been to have been entries on the day, and you put your number on a board in the warm up.

Good luck

okay thanks!

 

[c.h.i.a.r.a]

Hi I just thought I'd let anyone who was interested to know know how I did today! It was quite a mixed day, didn't start too well got really lost so when we came we were too late to do the discovery so that took away having to make a decision anyways haha! Did the 1m5 open, he jumped super a really annoying pole on the smallest fence of the course! Since the course stayed pretty much the same I decided to go for it and do the newcomers! My horse isn't the most forgiving and after having some dodgy strides to a massive oxer in the warmup (due to a horse galloping straight in front of the jump even though I shouted 'oxer' and due to me being an idiot and seeing a ridiculous stride!) when it was our turn he was rearing back and didn't even want to go in the ring. Was so close to pulling out and I'm kicking myself that I didn't! I bought him in late autumn and he didn't really have an eventing season all last year so we've been going out this winter gaining some competition experience. He's been out a lot lately and I think he was just fed up! Jumped the first few fences fine and then stopped at the second part of a simple one stride double, not a particularly scary fence or anything. Concerto rarely stops and I knew it wasn't the jump, had one more go and he stopped at the first part. Since I'm a BSJA newbie I thought that it was three jumps to an elimination, I would have retired after the second anyways. It was a long long day with lots of waiting in the lorry, he's been competing a lot, there was a horse that reared up and landed on it's rider when she fell 1m away from him he got a bit freaked out and I think all of those little things added up. Took him over an upright in the warm up after I came out of the ring and got a lovely shot at it. Took him back to the lorry, gave him lots of pats and pony nuts, he really isn't a mean, stroppy horse so he was obviously just fed up and I didn't listen when he said he was ready to go home. Feel really bad as I would always prefer for them to leaving with plenty of energy left buzzing to go out again, but he was so so fresh in the first round and so I thought it would be a good thing if he was a bit more tired so I actually had some breaks but then we ended up with the other extreme. I think he needs a little break for competing, I don't want him to lose his spark. So even though it may not sound it it was a good experience overall! Pleased I did it and despite everything that happened in the NC it showed me that we were capable the biggest mistake was my poor judgement. It was just one of those things, like I said popped a little fence in the warm up after he seems completely unphased I just feel a bit bad for not retiring him as soon as I could tell he was off, so like I said nothing to do with the height but still, Lesson learnt!

 

[c.h.i.a.r.a]

 

[smja]

That's a lovely picture - glad the first class went well. We all learn with hindsight, I'm afraid!

My experience of BS is that there's almost always someone who wants to go earlier, and someone who wants more time - if you get unsettled, perhaps ask if anyone wants to go ahead of you?
My horse hates other horses he doesn't know and he kicks, so I try to get in and out sharpish. I end up hanging around outside the warmup and if someone wants another minute or two I'm straight in there, volunteering to swap with them!

 

[c.h.i.a.r.a]

That's a lovely picture - glad the first class went well. We all learn with hindsight, I'm afraid!

My experience of BS is that there's almost always someone who wants to go earlier, and someone who wants more time - if you get unsettled, perhaps ask if anyone wants to go ahead of you?
My horse hates other horses he doesn't know and he kicks, so I try to get in and out sharpish. I end up hanging around outside the warmup and if someone wants another minute or two I'm straight in there, volunteering to swap with them!

Thank you yeah I could have done that but I don't think it would have helped because I think he'd already made up his mind and was past the point of being convinced otherwise. If it was his first class for the day and he just got spooked or phased by something then I would and probably will do that next time! But he kept chipping in a super short stride in front of a big oxer and then had to make a massive effort to get over and wasn't having it anymore so even if I had let someone else go ahead I would not have wanted to jump him over any more warm up fences, I did jump the oxer once right before going in and he jumped it really well so preferred to just go in then. Think what he needs is a break from competition don't want him getting sour!