Veteran Horse Society Showing-Olympia Qualifiers & Championships

silvershadow81

silvershadow81

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I joined this year, having moved to a new area and wanting to get my 25yo out to events still. Thought it would be ideal.

I've now done two events affiliated to the VHS and in both cases my horse has done well (although last time out I was the only one in the ridden, and the judge didn't even ask for a show- just handed me a rosette, not what I wanted after paying the entry fees!)

ANYWAY... in both cases, I've made it through to the championships, and in both cases, the winners of the 15yo- 19yo class win.

I just wondered if anyone had ever been in a class where the winner of a vet plus (25+) had made the championships over the younger ones? I have spoken with a friend who has been doing these classes for years and she has said it is always the younger ones in her experience who get the Championships?

The reasoning for my post is that I am considering heading to Barleyfields for the direct qualifier for Olympia. To qualify, you need to win the championships...

I know you need to be in it to win it, but I'm finding it hard to consider forking out the high entry fees when past experience has stated i'm not going to get anywhere!

Would love to hear others thoughts and experiences!
 
Haven't done any recently but a horse i used to compete against won at Olympia and he was late twenties if not 30. That was though several years ago and looking at results more recently it does seem to be the younger veterans winning. There are a number of seriously decent show horses doing the classes now.
 
I wouldn't bother to be honest! The Olympia Qualifiers are picked when membership is sent in. You will get one, two at the very very most every other year that are at Olympia on merit but in my experience you do the qualifiers, you pay to go the champs but it must be on the understanding that the best you will be placed is 4th if you have truly fantastic horse.

Veteran Showing at the most corrupt of them all. Save your money.
 
Thanks for your responses, very interesting and sort of confirms what I was feeling.

The ones in my most recent show were of a very high standard, clearly show horses all there lives, and just turning 15, and it was only Area qualifiers, so guess at a bigger qualifier there would be even stiffer competition.

My girl has evented all her life, at 15 she was still eventing & BSJA (as it was then) at a high level so I feel she looks great still considering the mileage she has (but I appreciate I will be bias!)- I doubt she will be considered 'truly fantastic' by a judge.

This was her at her latest class:

Really want to go, if I knew it would be judged fair, but considering I am not alone in my thoughts here, I may just stick to the local riding club veteran classes.......
 
My horse is 25yrs young and has only done 1 regional final, where she was 2nd in a very strong class. Turn out of both horse and rider is very important, and something as simple as not having a lipstrap with a pelham, self coloured strap on your hat (instead of a leather strap) could lose you points. You are allowed to see your marks after the class, so worth checking to see where you have lost marks, so gives you an idea on the areas to work on.
 
I did the qualifyers with Lucy. we got through the first round and went through to the next to try to qualify for olympia. I hired a lorry and paid my entry fee which wasn't far off £40.
I did the inhand class and the judge didn't even look at Lucy and we came stone dead last. (I wasn't to worried as I knew we sucked at inhand anyway) I went into the ridden class and it was full of posh show horses and ponies and ones who had done dressage to a high standered. I didn't think Lucy and I had a chance but I wanted to give it a good go anyway. we did the inishel go round and Lucy was a star despite afew competitors using us as breaks! The judge pulled in her lineup and said things like the grey hunter, the bay riding horse, the welsh and we were pulled in last. She pointed to us and said "Oh yes and the chestnut thing" My heart sank at that moment. :( Then before they started the inderviduel judging the judges came over to me and told me Lucy was lame and I shouldn't be riding her. I told them she wasn't lame and they just didn't want me in the ring as she wasn't posh enough. (Sounds abit bratty but it was true and neither judge could look me in the eye after I said it) I left the ring much to everyone's surprise. As I left the organiser came over and asked me what was going on. I told her the judges had told me my pony was lame. She asked me if I thought Lucy was lame. I said no. She gave me my money back without any argument.
I know for a fact Lucy wan't lame she had been endurance riding the day before and passed the vet. I took her hunting the very next day.
Lucy just wasn't posh enough pure and simple. I Will realy have to think hard when my boys are old enough. Maybe it'll be diffrent then but I dought it.
At local events Lucy always did well after all at 20 she was still hunting every week and doing endurance rides of upto and including 80km in the summer. She hadn't just spent her life ponsing round a show ring she was a working veteran :D
 
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Showing is just so expensive. To hire a lorry, and pay the entry fees, every show sets me back around £200. My horse hasn't been a show horse, she's just been a happy hacker, and a much loved member of our family. She doesn't do very well inhand (unless ridden first) as is much too naughty. She does do better in the ridden classes, but as she's prone to being very strong (despite being 25) I don't ride her, lucky a young friend of mine rides for me.
 
The 25+ classes ive seen tbf they havent deserved to be champions because they havent been good enough our bos 24 atm and if you put him next to these 25yr olds that weve seen out youd think theres a 10yr not ayear difference

The judging is very fickle thoug considering manners are most important weve seen wrong logs bucks etc getting placed up the line
 
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Hi I did the qualifiers in 2008 and won a regional at Arena uk so qualified for Olympia. My horse was 21 and had evented to Advanced. He also had a road accident that left him with three broken vertebrae so for us it was the most emotional journey and one we could never have imagined possible. We were 6th at the final and yes I totally agree the judging was done before we arrived but for us it didn't matter, it was getting there that made it so amazing. We don't think our boy will make it through another winter so we will shortly say goodbye, Olympia was our swan song and I still think about it now so I would say go. You never know what may happen.
 
i am a member this year but won't rejoin next year, I have found the opposite to most of you in that I don't stand a chance as my horse is a preveteran, I have been thoroughly beaten by older stuff really looking its age, people have been making comments at side of ring as to why my horse hasn't been placed (not people we know -just bystanders) and at the unaffiliated shows my helper has been stood next to people discussing that they have added a few years on to there horses age.
Problem is I am an true amatuer and for some people those rosettes are very very precious. I am afraid its like much of horse showing.
Having said all that there are some lovely lovely veterans about and it must be difficult to judge all types against one another.
I think I will go back to no veteran stuff and just say he is 10 - you wouldn't actually know any different unless you looked at his teeth.
 
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