Taking a young horse unaffiliated dressage when you are a BD member...

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I am thinking about booking my 4 year old mare into some unaffiliated dressage competitions (just Prelims) when I get back from my hols to get her out a few times before our attempt at a young horse class. Due to complications when I first got her, we have left it a bit late to do some of the young horse classes, but I would like a go at one if not two.

However, I feel a bit uncomfortable about taking her out at unaffiliated when I have competed BD up to Medium, so it was suggested I go HC.

Is this the 'done' thing for riders who have a BD record when taking babies out unaffiliated?
 
If the rules state you are eligable to enter then just enter!
My horse competes at BD elem but sometimes ( as he is a spooky monkey) I take him out to unaff prelim and novice, there is nothing in the rules to say I can't.
 
it should be the done thing if the horse your riding has already competed affiliated, if it hasn't it totally personal choice unless the class rules exclude BD members.

I often see BD members taking out their horses to unaffiliated shows especially their babies and competing competitively.

Personally I would have no qualms with you not riding HC as the your horse isn't affiliated yet, and everyone has to start somewhere. To be honest though if like most unaffiliated comps all your going to win is a rosette for piece of mind I personally would prob go HC anyway as not like your missing out and then no one can complain. ;)
 
I think it depends on the standard of the unaffiliated, to be honest. I know some RC dressage competitions are quite a high standard where it wouldn't be a problem, but if it was just a quiet affair for people just starting out in dressage then you might look like a bit of a pot hunter. If you are not sure, why not enter then assess the situation on the day and decide whether to go H/C.
 
Honestly, I wouldnt worry yourself about it. :) It's not like you are going out on a medium horse to do unaff prelims, and (no offence meant!) when babies go out the first few times, it is unlikely you are going to be hugely competitive?! We have 4* eventers regularly taking their babies out unaff round here, and no-one bats an eye :)
 
For their first outing or two it wouldn't bother me in the slightest about going unaff.

However if you are aiming at YH classes why not just take her aff prelims, at least that way you are slightly more likely to have some constructive judge feedback
 
if it really bothers you then go HC.. but as others have said, you are on a baby horse and eligable so why not enter normally?!
 
Agree with IHW - do affiliated prelims instead to ensure judging that will be in accordance with the scales of training (one hopes). Not to say that unaffiliated judging isn't good, it is just that the quality can't be guaranteed and you will want feedback you can build on in preparation for the 4yr old classes.
 
Im not really sure of ettiquete (sp?) but as an unaffilliated and low level affililiated competitior I would not expect you to go HC for your baby girls first few times out.. after all shes a youngster with no points or anything.
 
Thanks for the input... the reason I was thinking unaffil is because the affil prelims can get REALLY busy in this area (it is quite common to have 25 plus horses in the class) and I wanted something really quiet and subdued. Also, there are a lot of people I know competing affiliated and as I suffer from nerves quite a lot I would like to take her somewhere that does not have as many 'eyes' so to speak (silly I know...)

She will certainly not be competitive at all... we have an out of control canter and she is a rather sensitive and diva like mare, so more than likely she will be in the lower marks anyway :D

Plus the unaffil ones are usually in the evening, which would make it easier for me as I work flexi time so get in work early and finish early... The weekend competitions are always very busy which is why I was looking for something mid week for her.
 
I think it is absolutely fine – it is another horse than the one you competed at a higher BD level on. I mean, I wouldn't maybe love it if Carl Hester turned up in an unaff Prelim on a youngster but for most people it is absolutely fine.

My sister who has BD points (though only Novice) competed a new ride for her (a horse that also has BD Novice points) in a few unaffiliated Novices this weekend as they are a new combination together - totally fair, I think.

As for judging - completely depends on the competition centre, but we had a list 3a judge for our unaff at the weekend, and never have anything less than list 5 at our local centre. From Prelim upwards they don't tend to judge at all kinder than they do affiliated as people qualify for stuff such as Trailblazers and the judging needs to be consistent.
 
I'd just take her to whatever comp you feel you want her to do then.

If when you arrive / have done your test and if it looks like you will be taking a red rosette away from a hairy RS pony then maybe do the honourable thing and ask the secretary to amend you to HC. If however it is a mix of relatively capable RC'ers then the rosettes are fair game in my book!
 
Agree with IHWs last post, I would just enter - not being funny but if you were an international standard/advanced level rider with a string of horses I might give you a funny look but many people round us have one horse that they are competing at a higher level and another they will bring out as a youngster etc at local unaffil. It does depend on the competition - if its very low key and you are miles ahead score-wise it might be nice to amend and go HC and you will know for next time, but many unaffil prelims are of a decent standard especially if qualifiers - I went out yesterday to qualify my older lad for the CTR champs and he was second with 70+% - not far off what he would be at an affil class at same level usually.
As long as the rules don't exclude you I would go for it!
 
Thank you... I didn't realise you could change it to HC, so that is useful to know. I thought you had to declare HC at the beginning of the class.

The standard is pretty good at unaffils around here.

Just have to find one to go to now :D
 
wench... you would be right to feel like that :D

Seriously though, the standard at our unaffils in the area is very good. I went with a friend last year (she was taking her youngster out for the first time) and there were some riders and their horses who really stood out. I still remember these two stunning Fresians who wowed me!
 
Oh - it might be worth checking the rules for the unaffiliated you are entering as competition venues can have their own rules – for example, at our local one, riders with BD Elementary points not allowed to do Walk & Trot classes, horses with more than 150 BD points not allowed to do unaffiliated Elementary etc.
 
in fact if you were on a youngster goggling all over the place I would probably be thinking great, I might not come last for a change!
 
wench said:
in fact if you were on a youngster goggling all over the place I would probably be thinking great, I might not come last for a change!
Click to expand...

Ha ha... in that case, I might just go to give everyone a boost in their confidence :D

The question is more whether I will actually get around the test rather than will I do well!
 
I'm sure that a few people might give you the odd look if she is going really beautifully but what I would do is make a point of the fact that she is a baby! Green ribbon in tail and stirrup leather round neck should do the trick! Thats what I did the other day for my youngster who is miles less well schooled than yours I'm sure, but he does 'look' the part being a big sports horse type up against all sorts of different ones at a local walk trot test! But everyone was fairly aware he was a baby when he spent the whole time goggling at EVERYTHING.
I'm sure they would let you go HC at the last minute if you explained that you were withing the 'rules' to enter but that you didn't want to deprive someone of a red rosette as it was a schooling outing for your youngster!
 
I compete affiliated on my older horse but am taking baby horse out unaff prelim, she is not BD registered yet and has her second comp at the end of this month, she is not yet ready for the hurly burly of aff prelim. The downside is that the judging can be a little ??? and other competitors are not as warmup savvy :confused:
 
I discovered a bonus of going HC last year - horse wasn't eligible as he has novice evented (the particular rules of this RC meant he couldn't do their novice dressage) but he needed an outing so we went HC. I went wrong in the test twice and had a generally bad score but on the online results it just HC - so no one saw how badly we had done - bonus.

In answer to your question, I would go with the flow as the others have said and not worry about it unless the standard is really low and you feel you should be HC.
 
Uno's first test, quiet unaffiliated with a rider placed at the Nationals at Advanced Medium. I had no qualms about it, after all it was for the benefit of my youngster and there is no rule against it. Didn't know how he was going to behave, so we didn't feel he had an advantage.

Listed judge too, so nice indication of how he might do out affiliated.
 
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