Who's going to save us at Dublin NC?

Of course regular success means those names will attract owners to place good horses with them. Geoff is generally considered witty! Not all national riders want to jump at big international shows where they may not receive much money as the competition is a lot stiffer than at home. They need to prove themselves to be going consistently well at 1.50 level to earn the chance of selection for the 2nd division of Nations Cups, Peter is of course a returning rider for GB after several years representing Ireland. Will chose (understandably) to take a very good offer for Billy Birr, the horse which might well have been in the team for Windsor.
Lots of people have suggested BSJA acquiring horses and/or consortiums. Can you imagine the arguments that would ensue over which talented rider would get the ride/s?
 
Geoff is generally considered witty! [ QUOTE ]


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Sometimes there is a fine line to be drawn between being witty and the village idiot. If I hear that nudist over a barbed wire fence joke one more time
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yawn

I suppose this whole subject could be debated for years but the only thing we can surely say for definate is that the current methods aren't currently successful. If anything positive could come from the NC debate is that failure usually necessitates change and hopefully the reversal of the sports fortunes.
 
Sorry correct me if i'm wrong but I don't understand why Peter Charles is select on Pom d'ami and not Pall Mall H.One has discard score on 24/9 in NC Hickstead, later wins King George. Sorry no brainer for me.
 
I was wondering what happened to Rubert R. I see he is on the list but does he have any form at all?? I have not seen or heard anything from him in aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaages?? Shame they have not hit the form he had with his previous rider because he is a TOP horse.

I would like to believe Dublin will go well but I fear that we will be relegated and the sport will suffer big style. And to go as bad as we did on home ground is awful....
 
I promise you I have no inside info. I would expect them to go for whichever horse is going best on the first 2 days of the show. Pom d'Ami's Hickstead performance was not his usual, and I've no idea whether that was due solely or partly to the ground conditions. Could have been that he was coming back after a break (he didn't go to Aachen) and was not match-fit. Rubert has not done as much with Peter as I'd expected when he was bought. Pall Mall H has been impressive this season.
 
The reason these horses gravitate to the "names" is really quite simple. BSJA have always looked after the old boys club, this means that if an owner has a good horse & wants to place it with a rider he has very little choice of which rider. As in recent posts it has been discussed why up & coming riders are not put on even small NC teams. For me the answer is simple. To get to a lot of the bigger better shows offering good prize money you have to be ranked very high up in the British ranks & more so the FEI rankings. If only the very few top boys are ever selected, ask yourself where would you place your horse? With someone that does not get the opportunities to go to the best shows, or with some one that has so many strings of horses (which inevitably boost the winnings & keep the rider in the top ranks) They get to go to any show they wish. I believe the answer can be fitted on a postcard. It actually just might do us some good to be relegated for a year or two. It's about the only way we will see any change in this sport.
 
"It actually just might do us some good to be relegated for a year or two. It's about the only way we will see any change in this sport."

That had crossed my mind previously but I keep knocking it back. Glad someone else has said it. It's just a shame for the show jumping fans this country has left really... that the BSJA are such a huge letdown.
 
Trust me it certainly is not something I say lightly. I love or should I say loved the sport all my life. But now getting a bit bored with the same old system year after year. I was brought up with a couple of good old fashioned sayings.
If it aint broke dont try & mend it
&
If you dont try anything different dont be suprised that nothing changes. LOL
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And some people in the Top10, rarely get a look in anyway. Or only asked to do the NC that no-one else wants to/or refuses to do. Quite a few arguments over Rotterdam I believe.
 
You don't need to be with a big name rider. Of course it helps but with hard work, belief, ambition, persistence and a very very good horse you can break through.
 
I don't know the other's but through Facebook I've found out Tim and Corlato are in the team; team probably won't be announced until Monday or Tuesday by previous experience.
 
The full team was announced on the BSJA website 2 days ago ;-)

Tim Stockdale
Ben Maher
Peter Charles
Geoff Billington
 
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Please do tell who has ever made it into the big time spots without such back up. I am seriously interested.

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Depends on your definition of big time spots but if it includes Aachen, Philip and Romanov came in as last minute replacements and did themselves proud, followed up by a solid performance in Falsterbo. Last year Charlotte and Paulien were a resounding success at Hickstead and best of the Brits in the final in Barcelona. To the best of my knowledge both have brought these horses through from novices, so it can be done - not easy I agree and not enough to get overly excited about but they must both be great examples for others outside the top 20 as to what can be achieved.
 
Someone I've wondered why has never come to the fore is Philip Miller, he is always there or there abouts in the ribbons on the national circuit and must have huge horsepower at his disposal under the umbrella of the Cornish stables.

It might be that he produces the horses to a level that RS then takes over but I've ofter wondered that one.
 
I think one of the other issues with producing the novices is that they are often sold before they hit the big time, as soon as there is a hint of great things to come you either need to own the horse yourself to make the decisions or have an extremely loyal owner who is not worried about recouping their previous costs and a possibly life changing sum and just wants the opportunity to see how far their horse gets.

I agree it can be done but its rare and the very fact that you still have the usual ' old boys' clan on the teams after so many years shows how hard it is.

Hard to keep the horse sane and sound long enough and
hard to resist the temptation of a big offer.
 
Ben Maher

He went abroad to learn and when I first spoke to him a few months after he won Hickstead he said after that result he expected to get loads of offers, but he didn't. Ask anyone who was around him a few years ago how frustrated he was, how he would get a call up at the last minute to go to shows and how close he was to chucking it in. Perseverence, a determination to win and skill has got him where he is today and that is why he is a success and nothing else. He has what it takes and that is why he is an elite sportsperson.
 
Well on that basis like you said one was pulled in last minute! Charlotte I believe was also brought in due to the Bejing Olympics, & she did one hell of a job. Why have we not seen more of her? My point is that 2 riders for what ever reason have been given a chance & without doubt did well. It doesnt change anything though. They are still not given other opportunities on a regular basis. I also have to say that even Charlotte "probably" would not have got her opportunity at Hickstead if she did not have Corrinne Bracken has her trainer & friend for many years. & that should not be the case.
 
I agree Ben was ready to chuck it all in. Ben also had much more help than the majority of the younger riders. (& he deserves it) However, that is not good enough reason for the sport to continue as it is. He could so easily been lost & probably to a yard abroad. One success story out of 100's. mainly due to a financially supportive family & a bloody good sponsor that finally put him where he is today. Come on Andy, we have had these conversations on a regular basis.
 
As far as I know Charlotte's horse wasn't right in La Baule, which is why Guy Williams jumped in her place, and hasn't been around since.
 
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