Search for a Star or Rising Star?

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Dun and Dusted

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Hello! I ride a lovely 7yo 17hh Irish Draught who I started showing last year with fairly good success at a local level. I was looking at some of the non-professional showing series and it seems Search for a Star and Rising Star are the two main ones. Does anyone have experience with the difference between these? Is one more friendly or more popular etc.? Hope this doesn't sound like too silly a question! (this would be for show hunter if that helps!) Thanks
 
I would say do both - SFAS is generally pretty friendly and the judges will give you feedback if you ask. In previous years the qualifiers have been at separate SFAS shows but this year they are not stand alone shows so imagine the atmosphere will be fairly similar to the LIHS rising star ones at those shows. There are though LIHS rising star ones at non-county shows so does depend on how your horse is with what is going on around him (or her). I think to start off with some of the rising star ones had very small entries (I saw classes with only a couple in them) but I think that has changed now. I have only done SFAS - unfortunately the rising stars has come a bit late in the day for horse and me.
 
I will take a different view and opinion and say if you have a nice type I would not bother with the various amateur societies. The fees are very expensive and if you qualify (doesn't take a lot of doing) the finals are eye wateringly expensive. My big issue with these series is the fact that the judges don't ride in many of the classes. How on earth do you judge hunters without riding them ? it is utter nonsense.

The classes are also nonsense with differing types and weights being mixed into one class. I have felt, right from the get go, of these new societies that they are making a lot of money from novice owners for very little in return.

Just get your big lad registered as a hunter and do the novice/age classes before going open. School him to be a beautiful mannered ride and let the judges ride him, it will educate him and you will find out if he is a show horse.
 
AdorableAlice said:
I will take a different view and opinion and say if you have a nice type I would not bother with the various amateur societies. The fees are very expensive and if you qualify (doesn't take a lot of doing) the finals are eye wateringly expensive. My big issue with these series is the fact that the judges don't ride in many of the classes. How on earth do you judge hunters without riding them ? it is utter nonsense.

The classes are also nonsense with differing types and weights being mixed into one class. I have felt, right from the get go, of these new societies that they are making a lot of money from novice owners for very little in return.

Just get your big lad registered as a hunter and do the novice/age classes before going open. School him to be a beautiful mannered ride and let the judges ride him, it will educate him and you will find out if he is a show horse.
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I was having a similar conversation with someone the other day about ex racehorses and how a lot stick to RoR classes when the horses would do very well in open non racehorse classes.

In Search for a Star the judge does ride in the qualifiers and the final, whereas I think in Rising Star they don't ride in the qualifiers. My take on it would be whether one preferred to try to qualify for HOYS or LIHS - think LIHS is the eye wateringly expensive one but then most things are eye wateringly expensive! You don't pay any membership fee with SFAS, no idea about LIHS, think you may have to join BSHA - as I say we are both now at the veteran competition stage so not so up to date with who needs what other than veterans.
 
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