When is a win or place, not actually so?

[Holly88]

Some of my favourite rosettes are 5ths and 6ths because they we were won during a really big show or big class.

Same here! I'd rather come 5th or 6th out of 20+ than come 1st out of 2 any day. Some of my rosettes when I've come 3rd out of 3 etc are not my proudest ones and don't go up on the board.

I do have a couple of those kind that I am proud of though. My horse and I don't 'do' dressage. We try, we always fail, and it's usually quite embarrassing. One rosette that I really love is a 5th (out of 6) for dressage, and it was the first time we'd been to this particular show to do dressage and not come last. She actually did quite a nice test (by our standards) so I was really proud of her.

 

[Tnavas]

When mine have won in small classes - of couorse its nice to be the best out of them all but sometimes I've had more of a buzz for a third place in a class of 20. Remember grinning ear to ear when my two year old got a third in a very big class at an A & P show (County Show)

I've know judges not award a first place in small classes if they feel that the horse brought in first is not truly up to scratch. This is often done in qualifying classes to ensure that only the best go through to HOY.

 

[VoR]

Got a 6th out of 6 once in dressage, can't say I got that much satisfaction from it The other day got (I think) 7th out of 26 in a small Dressage event and seeing the people I was up against (i.e. they had all ridden for a hell of a lot longer than I!) felt much more of an achievement.