Opps, always read the rules !

AdorableAlice

AdorableAlice

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No spurs allowed under British Riding Club rules for cob showing. Eliminated, that will teach us to read the rules.

With Adorable Alice remaining on sick leave, her brother also in possession of a sick note and Ted The Twit not fitting into any classes we decided to go to the local and very low key riding club for a final bit of fun this morning with the pocket rocket cob.

We cannot make a silk purse out of a pigs ear, however she was polished, plucked and scrubbed to the best of our ability. The judge and steward went into a huddle as the ring opened and had a good look at the cob as it passed them, they then consulted some written paperwork. Initially I thought they were going to question her height, she is only 15.2 and the class was mixed to include maxi, but she does look a lot bigger than she measures. Nothing was said and the class was judged. The cob had won it easily and stood top. Rosettes came out and the judge then sent the cob to the bottom of the line as she handed the second placed horse first prize. Once at the bottom we were told we had broken the rules and spurs are not allowed.

I had no idea turnout rules were different for riding club compared to county level. Live and learn, read the rules ! I would have thought the judge would have commented on the Patey if she didn't like spurs, but nothing was said. Anyway the bacon sandwiches were excellent and we supported our local riding club with the entry fee. I have downloaded the BRC rules but lost the will by page 4.
 
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AdorableAlice said:
No spurs allowed under British Riding Club rules for cob showing. Eliminated, that will teach us to read the rules.

With Adorable Alice remaining on sick leave, her brother also in possession of a sick note and Ted The Twit not fitting into any classes we decided to go to the local and very low key riding club for a final bit of fun this morning with the pocket rocket cob.

We cannot make a silk purse out of a pigs ear, however she was polished, plucked and scrubbed to the best of our ability. The judge and steward went into a huddle as the ring opened and had a good look at the cob as it passed them, they then consulted some written paperwork. Initially I thought they were going to question her height, she is only 15.2 and the class was mixed to include maxi, but she does look a lot bigger than she measures. Nothing was said and the class was judged. The cob had won it easily and stood top. Rosettes came out and the judge then sent the cob to the bottom of the line as she handed the second placed horse first prize. Once at the bottom we were told we had broken the rules and spurs are not allowed.

I had no idea turnout rules were different for riding club compared to county level. Live and learn, read the rules ! I would have thought the judge would have commented on the Patey if she didn't like spurs, but nothing was said. Anyway the bacon sandwiches were excellent and we supported our local riding club with the entry fee. I have downloaded the BRC rules but lost the will by page 4.
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I am surprised, really. I would have expected the steward to remind you of the rules as you went into the ring. It was perfectly possible that you had just been in a different class, where spurs were allowed, or that you had hacked along the road and felt that spurs were a useful aid.

Even in BSPS classes the stewards usually remind entrants of the rules as they enter the ring, if necessary.

I have always thought, whether judging or stewarding, that RC classes are intended to be a learning experience for participants.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
I am surprised, really. I would have expected the steward to remind you of the rules as you went into the ring. It was perfectly possible that you had just been in a different class, where spurs were allowed, or that you had hacked along the road and felt that spurs were a useful aid.

Even in BSPS classes the stewards usually remind entrants of the rules as they enter the ring, if necessary.

I have always thought, whether judging or stewarding, that RC classes are intended to be a learning experience for participants.
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Much as we thought too. They did have ample time to tell us, there was a lame horse in the ring but that was not noticed. We are not members of the club and had never been before other than to hack youngsters around the lorry park. To be fair I should have read the rules and not just relied on vast past experience of county showing. The cob is common and only capable of local level showing but she was turned out nicely. I think they should have either sent us out immediately or advised us to remove spurs and then judged us rather than allowing the class to complete.
 
Well I have quickly run through the whole rulebook and as far as I could see there were NO rules on showing, cobs or anything else, much as I expected because RC's do not run shows in the way they do the other disciplines which are well covered by numerous rules, like you I would turn out as I would for any show and spurs are correct for adults on horses except in veterans, the Patey however may have been against the rules if it does not have a harness that is acceptable.

The RC may have their own rules but they should be clearly set out in the schedule.
 
I’m glad to hear that the pocket rocket (one of my HHO favourite horses) is out of purdah now and did not end up as a burger in a bun after the recent incident at AA towers.

Is there really a rule prohibiting spurs in RC showing? Can anyone find it? The patey, well that would be a disallowed item as at RC only properly approved hats are permitted for any/all activities, but spurs?
 
At riding club I thought you would have been sent out to find a strapped hat rather than spurs! They should also have said as soon as you entered the ring to givr you the chance to take them off. Its not really fair to do the whole class then eliminate you!

It probably wont be in standard riding club rules but do you still have the show schedule and rules handy?
 
Pearlsasinger said:
I would ring the Secretary and ask for clarification!
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I did start to walk towards the secretaries, but wasn't comfortable in challenging the judges decision. I judge and wouldn't like to be challenged unless I had made a blatant mistake or wrong decision. Plus it would sound awful to say - I have had horses at a high level and know how to turn one out, when the show itself was low key grass roots level.

These grass root levels are run by volunteers giving up their weekends for the fun of other people.
 
I volunteer a lot for my Riding Club. We also don't allow spurs in showing classes at our annual, but we're told each year to let competitors know/remind them. We always give an opportunity to remove spurs, and on the odd accasion that spurs have arrived in front of the judge, the judge has always given the competitor an opportunity to remove them. I did have a raging argument with a dressage rider at the BRC Horse Trials qualifier who refused to accept she couldn't do her dressage in a 3-ring Waterford. Errrrrrr ..... Hmmmm. Elimination, then!
 
EKW said:
At riding club I thought you would have been sent out to find a strapped hat rather than spurs! They should also have said as soon as you entered the ring to givr you the chance to take them off. Its not really fair to do the whole class then eliminate you!

It probably wont be in standard riding club rules but do you still have the show schedule and rules handy?
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Just looked and yes it is in the riding clubs own rules. No spurs in any class other than ridden hunter and working hunter. Still can't defend myself for not reading the rules, but at least we now know it is not a British Riding Club rule, it is an individual rule for the club show I went to.
 
AdorableAlice said:
I did start to walk towards the secretaries, but wasn't comfortable in challenging the judges decision. I judge and wouldn't like to be challenged unless I had made a blatant mistake or wrong decision. Plus it would sound awful to say - I have had horses at a high level and know how to turn one out, when the show itself was low key grass roots level.

These grass root levels are run by volunteers giving up their weekends for the fun of other people.
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Your view is very commendable AA but it was only RC level, why the heck didn't they just tell the rider to unbuckle them and throw them out of the ring?!?!?

.
 
AdorableAlice said:
I did start to walk towards the secretaries, but wasn't comfortable in challenging the judges decision. I judge and wouldn't like to be challenged unless I had made a blatant mistake or wrong decision. Plus it would sound awful to say - I have had horses at a high level and know how to turn one out, when the show itself was low key grass roots level.

These grass root levels are run by volunteers giving up their weekends for the fun of other people.
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Great attitude, I wish more people were like you! You know the "common cob" was the best in the class and you were out for a nice day, which I bet you had regardless. It wasn't handled as well as it could have been but you behaved immaculately!
 
Red-1 said:
I am so glad that the bacon sandwiches were good and a good time was had by all.

I am also glad that you were gracious to the judges, especially as it was later to be found written in the rules.

*BUT* a post like this is no post at all without a PICTURE!!!!
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I don't know how to anymore. I started with photobucket but that got removed and then tinypics but that is gone too now.
 
AdorableAlice said:
I don't know how to anymore. I started with photobucket but that got removed and then tinypics but that is gone too now.
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If it is a small file the new HHO site allows you to upload directly :D

There is a bar above the text box when you post, click the picture icon and a box comes up where you can click to upload the photo and choose one from your computer.
 
Aw, bless. At least she got her moment of glory at the top of the line.

I am not sure what you mean by a secure way of putting up a picture? It is direct through HHO, but obviously as with any post, once it is up, it is up. Sometimes mine get put up twice too, if that happens you can edit and remove one of them.
 
Aww, she looks well, and so shiny.

It is definitely a bit odd for a show at RC level that your rider wasn’t prompted beforehand to remove her spurs and to swap her hat for an approved one. But as someone says, these shows are run by volunteers, and some of the helpers (and judges) are not very experienced, so weird things can happen.
 
It is exceptionally unkind/unthinking to judge the entire class, place you top and then eliminate you if they had ascertained at the start that your spurs were against the rules. An odd rule in the first place but an even odder way of handling it. Even at a top show, I'd expect the elimination to take place on spotting the breach of the rules ie ask you to leave the ring at the beginning, not after they had placed you first! Some people would have been really upset at that turn events so they were setting themselves up for an unpleasant scene also, and of course depriving the actual winner of a true "winning moment" to boot. V odd for a local show which should be encouraging participation.
 
Nowt more odd than unaff riding club! Even weirder to pull you in first then put you bottom of line, I’d have expected either ‘please leave the ring’ or ‘please take off your spurs’ either would have been appropriate in line with the rules.

But what I’m more amazed about was this was over spurs rather than the hat without a harness which is the biggest ‘no’ going for riding club.
 
sorry to hear you got eliminated, but I have to say you look very well turned out!

I don't understand why there wasn't a tack check before you were eliminated though..
 
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