Is this trophy chasing? Should I go HC?

Trophy hunting is where someone enters classes below the standard they ARE at purely for the pleasure of gaining a high position/rosette. If you and your horse aren't at a higher stage than the class, then there's no issue. If you are, then you really should enter non competitively if it is purely for confidence/experience only. :-)
 
Don't go HC just because it's pony club please!
I would be happy for an adult to ride in the same class as my 8 year old if it was an open class and the pairing fit the entry criteria. I would think that while going HC or trotting a jump off due to the fact there was a high child entry was a sweet thing to do I would also rather you didn't, teaches my child nothing and worse could lead her to think that children should always be allowed to win and that the first visual impression of a pairing is the be all and end all.
What isn't fair is as another poster said, the children with the over qualified ponies who make the most of any or all technocalities to ride in and clear the table before heading off to HOYS (or wherever!) the next week leaving the kids (and adults in an open class) who the class is really aimed at feeling demoralised, disenchanted and out of luck!
Go, compete, have fun and educated your horse!
 
When we run ode's at our pc we get loads of adults riding horses in our pre novice/novice classes! Thats what those classes are for, young inexperienced horses! Go ahead & enjoy xx
 
I'd do it, and I'm a PC mum! No, seriously, its an open class so no one can take issue. The only show I ever got a chance to take my youngster to was a PC show, she came second in a large class and no one complained....but I did check with the secretary first and put a green ribbon on her tail just to make sure, it might be worth doing the same?
 
Kokopelli said:
Its not so much the kids I worry about but the pony club mums, they are pretty terrifying :p

If it wasn't a walk trot dressage test I wouldn't feel too bad either.
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Well you are a PC member!! Definitely wouldn't go HC - do you think any of the pro eventers go HC in a BE100 open class?? Damn right they don't! The horse is green as grass and it's his first outing, you have every right to be there and not HC either!
 
Once was lost said:
Don't go HC just because it's pony club please!
I would be happy for an adult to ride in the same class as my 8 year old if it was an open class and the pairing fit the entry criteria. I would think that while going HC or trotting a jump off due to the fact there was a high child entry was a sweet thing to do I would also rather you didn't, teaches my child nothing and worse could lead her to think that children should always be allowed to win and that the first visual impression of a pairing is the be all and end all.
What isn't fair is as another poster said, the children with the over qualified ponies who make the most of any or all technocalities to ride in and clear the table before heading off to HOYS (or wherever!) the next week leaving the kids (and adults in an open class) who the class is really aimed at feeling demoralised, disenchanted and out of luck!
Go, compete, have fun and educated your horse!
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^^^^
This!

My DD is 9. We don't compete much at the moment for various reasons, but she's competed against adults in showing and dressage classes since she was 6. (She refused to go on LR after her 5th birthday and decided FR was boring after one season because there was no group canter or individual gallop, so preferred to do open classes.) She doesn't often win, but absolutely loves it when she does beat a teenager or adult. When she does win, she always checks that I think she deserved her win, and would hate to win because an older person let her. It doesn't hurt her self esteem at all to be beaten - she has learned that you have to try really hard and do your best at all times, and if she does that, she knows I'm proud as proud can be of her for not taking the easy route, and for going and giving it a go...

Re jump heights, this is part of your horse's education - it's important that both you and your horse are jumping within your comfort zone in your first competition. DD has recently been getting into jumping and now comfortably jumping 2'3- 2'6 on her pony at home. I took them for their first outing at the weekend, just a clear round event, and we started really low at about 12" because I wanted the jumps to be really easy - plenty to worry about with strange jumps in a strange environment without having to worry about the size of the jumps too. We did increase the jump height in subsequent rounds, but not beyond 2' as we wanted both pony and jockey to find the whole experience enjoyable and fun. Plenty of time for stretching and going outside the comfort zone in the future when both are more experienced.

So go, compete and have fun! Good luck!
 
Nicnac said:
If it's a PC Open event then it's an Open event. Is it an Open event Kokopelli?

If you want to see kids competing against adults go to any BE80 event - yesterday I saw some real diddy ones absolutely trouncing the adults ;)
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This ^^^
Up to you (and only you) whether you go competitive or not but I have a very smart looking girlie who I am retraining from a showjumper. I did a first unaffiliated event (2ft 6in) on her a few weeks ago and I heard one mother say to her child whilst looking at my posh girl in the warm up "look darling you are only little so don't worry about all these older people on their posh horses pot hunting"...she then had to laugh as my smart looking pony did an excellent giraffe impression as we trotted over to the dr arena! The only good thing to say about the test was at the end the judge was laughing as much as me! My point being looks are not everything and people will make judgements anyway but only you know what is best for you and your horse. You should go for yourself and ignore everyone else's views. Take a deep breath and think "will it bother me if (and only if ) people do make snide comments?". It didn't bother me because I knew my mare would be uncompetitive in dressage (it was only her second ever and first on grass). But it also didn't bother me doing BE80 on a horse that had been successful at 100 with another rider because I was unconfident at a higher level. No-one knows your horse like you, and ultimately all events (whether HC or not) are for you to develop your partnership in a "real" competitive atmosphere. A nice confident run is more important than anything else. Good luck and ENJOY!
 
Go for it, don't go HC! Half the ponies in their are absolute schoolmasters who will know both the test and course better than the rider, and do it all- pretty sure half of them tack themselves up!

PC is for everyone. About time people started using for the babies and home-produced, I'm fed up of seeing the FEI ponies skipping round 90cm a year after going to Pony Euros or similar...
 
Our local rc run two types of walk and trot test. Restricted and regular. Restricted is for horses and riders new to dressage that season, both novice. The regular class is for more experienced riders on green horses, so you would go into that class. It means that nobody feels anyone is pot hunting.
 
Ponyclub is far too much fun to be left only for the kids. Anyway ,even the younger kid understand that horses and ponys are a great leveler. And if you manage to get a place,you will have earnt it .
 
Crikey, if the horse has never done an ODE before it is hardly trophy chasing! I too am one of those who often ends up competing against children...it seems inevitable. And at PC events they can be so well-mounted and game, and I am usually beaten by lots of them. I am about to enter a 60cm (Level 1) PC event in a few weeks because the next class up at that venue is 75cm and big! If there was a 70cm I'd do that, but there isn't and I don't want to overface myself and pony. I would rather do a smaller course nicely than have an erratic XC. Will I win? Hardly!! Do I hope they will split into adults and children's sections? Of course, but if they don't, I've paid my entrance fee and will give it my best shot.
 
Kokopelli said:
It is open yes :) and it did say it may be split adults and children dependent on entries. I think if it splits I'll go normal but if not I'll go HC.

I went to a show on saturday and felt like people were not happy with us doing the small classes. I trotted around the jump off in the first class and came last (only 4 got into JO) and withdrew from JO in second class and would rather go HC then feel like that again.

ETA: I am a pc member but 20 so not your typical one :p
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I wouldnt worry i was in the PC section at the first event me and my horse did together - didnt know it would split and they asked for PC on the entry form so put it on and eneded up the PC section - i am obviously a PC member but at 25 i did feel a bit bad competing against 10 year olds! I felt even worse when we won, but i really had no thoughts that we would get past the dressage :o
 
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