Please explain BSJA

[lcharles]

Hi All!

I have always competed unaff in showjumping, not sure why i have never affiliated, other than my mare went lame just before, but now my gelding is doing quite well unaff and i think it's time I moved on a bit.

We compete at 3ft, 3ft 3 at the moment over BSJA courses. What height does BSJA start at? Am i right to think the course size varies as it goes on?

How much is it to register as a BSJA rider and my horse? What level would i need to be at before affiliating do you think?

What are the advantages of BSJA?

Down sides are that classes seem to be double the price but courses are up to height, better built and better run. It also means i won't have to compete against wizzy ponies!! x

 

[Javabb94]

BS starts at 90cm British Novice which is 3ft and progresses in 10cm increments.
So 3ft 3 would be 1m which is discovery.

Biggest difference for me personally between unaff and BS is the width of the oxers which can be quite wide! I was a little worried for my first BS but managed ok in the end!

Yes the classes are more expensive however the shows cost more to run I think.

I have a 6 month membership as an associate (not full membership) which for me and horse was £100 however if you are an RC/PC member it's cheaper.

If you don't want to start at British Novice there are intro shows which near me start at 80cm open as remember the jump off goes up by up to 10cm I think!

The advantages are you can win money

Only disadvantage for me was that there are hardly any shows within reasonable distance to me! I have to wait until end of September until the next one!

 

[ellie_e]

Have you looked into the club shows? classes start from 70-1m its £30 to register and classes are capped at £10

 

[minniem]

Hi All!
It also means i won't have to compete against wizzy ponies!! x

Sadly not true, I BS a 14.2 very successfully at senior levels as do a fair few in my area

 

[lcharles]

Thanks x So in a 1m class, are all the jumps 1m, or is the second round bigger? Vaguely remember someone saying the jumps in a 1m 20 can end up nearer 1m40!! Obv not at that level but is that the same throughout all classes?

Ellie, i have seen our local centre doing those but it wont be big enough and dont think it would be moving up a level? x

Think i'm a bit put off by everything being recorded on his record as he's bound to screw up once i affiliate haha x

 

[lcharles]

Haha thanks minnim, my 17.1hh actually beat all the wizzy, wing spinning ponies last week with a time 5 seconds quicker than anyone else as his long legs made up ground and his turns were perfect x Was soo pleased with him! I mean more the little 12.2 that nearly whizz under his legs in the warm up and cut you up x I was tempted to buy a wing spinner myself haha, still got my 14.2 wizzer but shes retired now! x

 

[Nightmare before Christmas]

Thanks x So in a 1m class, are all the jumps 1m, or is the second round bigger? Vaguely remember someone saying the jumps in a 1m 20 can end up nearer 1m40!! Obv not at that level but is that the same throughout all classes?

Ellie, i have seen our local centre doing those but it wont be big enough and dont think it would be moving up a level? x

Think i'm a bit put off by everything being recorded on his record as he's bound to screw up once i affiliate haha x

I think only double clears and placings are recorded. As far as I know we havnt followed Ireland yet and it doesnt show eliminations ect

 

[lcharles]

Oh really, thats good to know!! x Think its just taking the step into it!x Some people compete youngsters straight away, always thought it was a bit brave but if it doesnt show up on te recond then maybe thats why!! x

Can i still do unaff as well then as a girl i know used to! x Think that if she won then people would complain but she said she always did better affiliated? x

 

[charlimouse]

In BS only double clears or classes where you win prize money go on your record. So if you have a bad day it wont be on record for all to see, so fear not! I have found the jumps go up between 5 to 10cm for the jump off, so a discovery class (1m) would have a 105 - 110 jump off.

 

[Javabb94]

In a 1m jump off is nearer 1.10 and you do 2 separate rounds if it's table A7 ( like a normal unaff class)

If it's 2 phase the second half of the course is higher by about 10cm and you only jump this if clear first half

Single phase is the same although you jump bigger second half regardless of whether your clear
So sometimes the class gets bigger second half schedule will say what table/phase

Hope that makes sense! Someone correct me if I'm wrong!

 

[lcharles]

Thank you x I shall do a couple more 3ft 3 and 3ft 6 classes then and ill affiliate!!

Feel better knowing my naughty horses record wont be tarnished everytime he's a muppet!! x

Would you say i'd have to be winning 3ft 6's before affilaiting? x

 

[Javabb94]

Not really I was just got comfortable jumping 1m classes (although the unaff I was jumping was somewhat higher than the 1m stated!) and then went straight in at discovery as it was being held at my yard - horse didn't find height/width problem - just the fillers

 

[DarkHorseB]

They are also allowed a tolerance of 5cm that fences can be overheight by - so you may find in a 1.10m some are 1.15m. Guidelines also say that 80% of the course should be at maximum height - so usually all but the first couple of fences

 

[tinap]

You could always jump on a ticket first to see what you & horse think to the height & course. The main difference we found was that the courses are better built & more technical & they can also get very wide!

As far as I remember you can still compete unaffil as long as prize money does not exceed £10. Some places put a "no BS registered horses" clause on their schedules too xx

 

[MagicMelon]

BSJA starts at british novice (90cm) but there are smaller classes at intro shows. I normally go BSJA when my horse is popping happily round 1.05m unaffiliated courses (just because BSJA courses are always up to height), and then go in at BN and Discovery level. Then move up the classes as you win too much money, or if you dont want to keep going higher - you can do open classes instead.

The courses are far better built than unaffiliated IMO and yes it is expensive, but as long as your horse is consistent and is a regular clear-rounder and half decent in jump offs then you should end up getting prize money.

As others have said - you can still compete unaffiliated if your a BSJA member, just check their rules. The thing about prize money I personally would ignore, its none of the BSJA's business if you do unaffiliated and win money at that! It drives me crazy this rule, how dare they and really how would they ever know!

 

[lcharles]

Thats fab x At the moment, i compete at two local centres that run unaffiliated shows under BSJA rules so jumps are up to height not like local pony club shows where jumps are wonky, smaller and rubbish lines to the jumps!

I go and walk a course next Saturday to see how the course compares to my usual ones and go from there x It seems so daunting with so many rules!

Looked at a schedule and it says it progressive/advanced? What does that mean? x

Can you end up not being able to jump certain classes once you've won a few times? What if i'm not ready to move up a level? x

 

[lcharles]

And on a ticket, you cant win any prizes can you? X I'll probably try it to see how we get on before registering! x

 

[Llanali]

Progressive/advanced is the kInd of show, that's all an indicate the classes- so these will be your national classes such as British novice, discovery etc.

You need to win quite a bit to come out of a class- sure someone else will know how much it is for British novice etc!

By the time you win out I'm sure you will be able to mOve up, but if not jump the amateur or open classes as these start at 80/90cm, are often titled amateur/intro shows and horses can have any prize money.

 

[herring]

Thanks for all the info: there must be loads of us mystified by all this stuff which has changed so much since I was last competing! Can anyone tell me about the "club " membership? What are benefits/disadvantages compared to associate/full & what are limitations of competing on a ticket? Is there a limit to no. of comps you can do on a ticket? Also there don't seem to be hardly any shows on in mid/west Wales at all: or is it that I am not aware of em? The BS area website doesnt seem to get updated very much... any info much appreciated.

 

[lcharles]

I think you can compete on a ticket for as long as you want but its £6 extra on top of class fees i think and i dont think you can win anything?

Next saturday, im going to either walk around the course or do the first class on a ticket and see what happens! x

I was speaking to a girl from Monmouth at the show last week and said there was nothing by her so she came to Summerhouse and Hartpury college alot x Dont know where you are but only thing i can think of is David Broome centre but dont think they do much there? x

 

[peanut]

So 3ft 3 would be 1m which is discovery.

Just out of interest, what are the other levels called? I think foxhunter is another one.

 

[lcharles]

BN =90cm
Discovery = 1.00mtr
Newcomers = 1.10mtr
Foxhunters = 1.20 mtr

I just dont get the rules!! lol x