The Ponies first BD (well first dressage!)

[MHSporthorses]

On Sunday I took a pony which came to me 4 weeks ago to be backed to a BD competition, not something I would normallly do as I am awful at dressage and just cant seem to do it!!! Anyway a friend entered me so I went.
Little pony went nicely I thought a little confused at arena and everything as she has never seen one, but by the time I started my test she settled and was working properly. She acted very grown up I thought especially after only being broken 3 weeks ago but she is that sort...she wants to do something and is ready in her head!
OK so I felt it was a pleasing test except she jumped over a board that was out of alingnment but nothing too terrible!
I go back to look at the scores when she was happy on the box to find that we had been given 65.4% which put us into second overall at that point and i said out loud " I dont believe it" i was chuffed!! Imagine my suprise when in response to my comment a fellow competitor says yes we dont believe it either and began to talk at me telling me how bad my test was and how it didnt deserve the score. In fact he even had my sheet re added up.
So that was my first introduction to BD...... and do I want to go again.... on a "pony"...... would you??
The Judges were very nice and gave very fair constructive criticism but the attitude of the other competitors really shocked me. I was given "looks" as soon as i entered the warm up, and then the rudness of the other competitor totally ruined the day!

So does anyone else have BD problems if you have a pony.... especially a "common native"?

 

[abb123]

I have a little arab but to be honest I have never had any problems with other competitors looking down their noses at us. If anything I have actually been made to feel more welcome than I thought I would be ! Although it may be the area I am in (cheshire) as there seems to be a few native type ponies who BD and are usually very well placed ! I think you were unlucky and shame on that person for being such a poor loser ! Well done and don't let it put you off going again!

 

[MHSporthorses]

Thank you for your advice, I may well try again in the future as i was very pleased with how nice and polite the judges comments were. I felt that i have something to work on and what she wrote made sense. It really was that competitor in particular that ruined it.

 

[Jo C]

No I compete regularly at BD on a Connemara and have never come across those attitudes well apart from one woman but I don't think it would have mattered what I had been riding to her. She went out of her way to be awkward and stood her horse in the arena entrance thoughout my test but it was ok cos we beat her anyway!

Don't let it put you off - go out there and show them just what natives can do!

 

[gummybear]

Sounds like a case of severe sour grapes to me! Bet you beat the person who said those comments and had your score recalculated. Some people jsut arent happy unless they have come 1st. I have been doing BD for 2 years now, and have never come across anyone's attitude - if anything the complete opposite. Was somewhere the other day, where, granted, I won my class, but there was a stunning pony in at the end, who I was sure would beat me, but got a fairly low score. When I saw the % I actually said "I thought that would have got much higher" - the rider was actually next to me (I didnt realise!) and said thank you, and that she was disappointed, but congratulated me on my win.

 

[jacksmum]

I'd of kicked him very hard in the nether regions! Rude little toss. Well done, you obviously deserved your score, don't let 'sour grapes' people get to you. Go out and enjoy yourself

 

[star]

my welshie got 81 points BD and went to the regionals 3 times and was 4th at the area festival finals. we used to get the odd funny look when we hacked into the venue covered in fluorescent gear, but it soon stopped when they saw him move and most people were really nice and often commented how lovely it was to see a native doing well. got a new welshie now and he'll be doing BD pretty soon.