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emiliaa

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As NSEA champs have just finished (might still be happening not too sure) I was wondering if I could ask for peoples experiences at NSEA shows. I find them completely different and so much more competitive compared to regular unaff shows. I think they're such a good experience if you want to try out a bigger/more competitive show and represent your school but after my last one I have decided to stop doing them as I have just had too many bad experiences at them. At my last one one of my team mates got shouted at by one of the mums for jumping in the warmup she literally said "you can't jump here" and wouldn't let her jump. When she asked why she said this was because we didn't have anyone on the ground (which we did) but that shouldn't matter anyway because we weren't knocking them. Everything about NSEA is mostly fine it's just the mothers that ruin it for me, they are so overly competitive and bitchy and try so hard to pull others down (not all obviously) I also had a team coach push past me at a gate and a lot of rude children. The riding also upsets me. Almost all of them are wearing spurs and get very frustrated when something goes wrong and tends to take it out on the poor ponies and nothing is done about it. I know I seem like I am rambling on but this has all built up and never had many issues at other shows to the point where I no longer want to do them. Don't get me wrong I have met some amazing and kind people at NSEA shows too but I just find the mums a bit much....
Anyone else had anything similar?
 
I must admit I have seen some unsightly riding, and yes it does seem to be majorly competitive. Whether it has been any worse than other unaff events, I am not sure.

My daughters have enjoyed the few events they have done though.

What about trying PC or RC events instead - is there much in your area?
 
Nope I loved every minute of my NSEA Champs experience and can honestly say I have never been to such an encouraging and welcoming event. The standard of horsemanship was much higher than your average BSJA show too.

The warm up was well controlled which I liked too. Only 8 were allowed in at a time and with rounds only lasting a minute or so, you could only start your warmup 10 minutes or so before jumping. Most people respected that and stayed in the 'pre warm up' ring but some kids were coming up far too early and had to be stopped at the gate. Usually by the ring stewards but when they were busy, by other parents. I was very pleased that was being managed so well as I loathe out of control warm up rings with far too many kids flying all over the place.

I am sorry you had a bad experience but I can't say I saw anything myself that put me off. And I am quite easily put off. I do accept it was very competitive. But it's the national championship. How could it not be?
 
The only NSEA experience I have is judging the dressage phase of the horse trials, which I have done quite a lot of. I don’t watch any of the jumping or the warm ups.

My general impression is that the standard is high. A good proportion of the tests have clearly received plenty of training and many are very well mounted. An equivalent standard to what I would expect to see at BE for at least 50% of the field.
 
It's a competition. Competitions are competitive. And yes, competitivity does bring out the worst in some people. It's something that happens at all sorts of equestrian events and you just have to accept it and handle it the best you can. Personally I just concentrate on my own riding/horses/clients and leave everyone else to do their own thing.
 
My daughter did some NSEA competitions and yes they are immensely competitive. I think more so than Pony Club because some of the independent schools have a vested interest in the teams doing well to promote the equestrian side of their schools. Some of the mums were lovely but some were not! Daughter qualified for the championship one year and her and her team did really well - daughter was placed individually in everything she did and her team won the open showjumping. We never really felt part of the team though as we stayed overnight in the horsebox whereas all the others stayed in a posh hotel up the road. But what really took the biscuit was that one of the mums sent out press releases to publicise the team winning the open showjumping and she omitted my daughter's name from the press release despite the fact she jumped clear and within the time and contributed as much to the win as everyone else! Obviously our face didn't fit!
 
I am not familiar with the NSEA events, but there have always been over competitive horsey parents about. My late mum was secretary of our local PC branch in the 1960s and 70s, and the infamous Pony Club Mother was around even back then. Though my mum took no truck with them, there was no snobby ill feeling on her watch :eek::D!

I may have learned some of her ways of dealing with such types, which is quite a useful life lesson...
 
Ambers Echo said:
Nope I loved every minute of my NSEA Champs experience and can honestly say I have never been to such an encouraging and welcoming event. The standard of horsemanship was much higher than your average BSJA show too.

The warm up was well controlled which I liked too. Only 8 were allowed in at a time and with rounds only lasting a minute or so, you could only start your warmup 10 minutes or so before jumping. Most people respected that and stayed in the 'pre warm up' ring but some kids were coming up far too early and had to be stopped at the gate. Usually by the ring stewards but when they were busy, by other parents. I was very pleased that was being managed so well as I loathe out of control warm up rings with far too many kids flying all over the place.

I am sorry you had a bad experience but I can't say I saw anything myself that put me off. And I am quite easily put off. I do accept it was very competitive. But it's the national championship. How could it not be?
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I’m not saying competitiveness is a bad thing, I think it’s really good I just think that many of the mums there are very unkind towards other children due to this.
 
TGM said:
My daughter did some NSEA competitions and yes they are immensely competitive. I think more so than Pony Club because some of the independent schools have a vested interest in the teams doing well to promote the equestrian side of their schools. Some of the mums were lovely but some were not! Daughter qualified for the championship one year and her and her team did really well - daughter was placed individually in everything she did and her team won the open showjumping. We never really felt part of the team though as we stayed overnight in the horsebox whereas all the others stayed in a posh hotel up the road. But what really took the biscuit was that one of the mums sent out press releases to publicise the team winning the open showjumping and she omitted my daughter's name from the press release despite the fact she jumped clear and within the time and contributed as much to the win as everyone else! Obviously our face didn't fit!
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Forgot to mention in my original post how nasty i’ve heard the mums are on other teams 😱😱😱 Just general bitchiness towards other mums and kids in the team tbh.. I have been lucky with a pretty supportive team. I’m so sorry that has happened to you I would’ve been so upset what an unkind thing to do 😪
 
TGM said:
But what really took the biscuit was that one of the mums sent out press releases to publicise the team winning the open showjumping and she omitted my daughter's name from the press release despite the fact she jumped clear and within the time and contributed as much to the win as everyone else! Obviously our face didn't fit!
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OMG that;s appalling! Our team is very supportive. Even though I am NSEA team manager of a rival school as my daughter's go to different schools. There were lots of people watching and all clears or examples of good riding were clapped for everyone in all teams. I saw healthy competition but did not see horrendous behaviour. From watching mt son, triathlon parents are worse. And football parents worst of all!
 
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