Local Unafill Shows

Kayfm

Kayfm

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I have been attending a few local shows lateley to spectate. I cant believe the attendace at the ones I have been to. Yesterday there were about four of five people in a jumping class and in some ridden classes only 2 or 3 people. What shocked me more was one of the riding classes I was watching. Neither of the horses could canter on the right lead , not even when ridden by the judge, and I was told that one of the horses was county level (well whats it doing there anyway) When i used to compete as a youngster, when you won a class you really did win. The attendance was massive. I can remember being in some showing classes with 30 plus horses !!!!! The list for the jumping classes were never ending. Still maybe the weather has kept a few people away ?
 
I guess it's probably the weather. I went to dressage at a friend's yard yesterday but the weather was so awful, I wouldn't have gone if it had been anyone else's show.

Around here there are so many little local shows on now that you could do something both days of every weekend, so I guess that means attendance to each one will be lower.
 
We didn't have that problem yesterday, weather didn't put people off. Infact I think there where more people there than normal!

The RC's round here seem to be getting a better standard of combo's and more people attending - about time I say!
 
I have had a couple of years off from competing (only ever done unaff) and have been to a couple of shows recently and I am also surprised at the lack of entries. It surely can't be the weather as one of the comps I went to was indoors. There was 6 in the first class I did (2'-2'3, embarrassing, I know!) My horse and I have not been in the ring for 2 years, and although I thought I would get placed as I knew we would not be eliminated, I didn't expect to win. The next class was 2'3-2'6 and had about 8 in it, won that too! I felt silly for entering small classes (they were open to all BTW!) and winning so easily but looking at the centre website later on, a few of the classes at previous comps had only 2 in them. When I was competing regularly, it was common to have 70 in a class.
 
Where are these shows????? I may stand a chance of getting somewhere with my NF if I'm not up against novice eventers out for a day to play at dressage.
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dressage is very popular,
showing is generally very popular, both the indoor and outdoor shows we run are very full
the showjumping rings are much quieter than they ever used to be and seem to be again this year, which I put down to several things, and the standard has dropped, clears are hard to come by however nice I build a course:

polyjumps, for kids on ponies hopefully they have come across them in pony club but I believe some of the designs are a bit OTT to have in a 2'6 class when they take up most of the jump. I know that mine is much better with more poles on top so he locks on to the filler less. In his formative years there were no polyjumps and he has had to learn to like them!

Its a bit depressing though if you get eliminated time and time again so I think people give up, we run to BRC rules so allow 3 stops not just 2.

Rubbish courses built at unaff level. Some of what I rode last year was ridiculous so much so I refused to go back last year, I assist at running some BSJA so coursebuild for our show but lots of it elsewhere was
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Pony club camp.- we often clash with at least one camp!

ground conditions, I think people at lower levels are more worried about the ground than they ever used to be and won't go if it is too hard/too wet etc. In fact I see this more at unaff than affiliated on grass.

Lack of prize money? no one gives prize money anymore

scared, people are either up for jumping and do it at a higher level or like to keep their feet on the ground.

Funnily enough though the winter indoor SJ circuit is heaving!
 
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