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Discuss horse riding and ownership on our Horse forum.

Dd Joining BSJA

8 replies

mumontherun14 · 26/03/2021 21:41

Hi looking for a bit of advice on where to start with BSJA if anyone can help. My knowledge is very limited. My DD super keen. She’s been competing in our area at unaffiliated level 70/80’s and doing well always placed in big classes. We were about to join BSJA when lockdown hit & everything stopped. I spoke to one other BSJA mum in the juniors who was helpful & also phoned them. Her horse (ISH) is ex eventer & had some points already from competing previously but needs to be registered again I think. She is hopefully going to a coaching academy when they start again. She is 14 but her horse is 15 2 so she won’t be able to be in the juniors she’ll compete against the seniors but can join a junior academy. Does anybody have experience of BSJA ? It’s all new to me & her teacher is an eventer so more familiar with BE rather than BSJA. Once she joins can we just sign up to local shows & then are her points all tracked ? Thanks xxx

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lastqueenofscotland · 26/03/2021 21:47

I used to jump BSJA on a horse as a teenager (sometime around the Norman conquests of 1066)

It’s pretty straightforward but you need to register her, her horse and if you are registered as the horses owner you also need to register.
There are some fiddly rules as to kit ie if she carries a stick it needs to be a racing style bat rather than a traditional crop.
Apart from that once your signed up you just enter BSJA shows and they keep track of everything.

A word to the wise would be that I find affiliated won’t build taller than unaff but they build wide! So practice over overs a lot especially in combinations.

lastqueenofscotland · 26/03/2021 21:48

Over oxers that should be

mumontherun14 · 26/03/2021 21:53

@lastqueenofscotland thank you! I said to her to have a look and see if she sees any coming up as shows are starting again here for u18s (Scotland). I think she can go on a ticket (?) even if she’s not a full member. I’ll give them a call again just reluctant to pay all the joining fee till it’s all fully started again x

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lastqueenofscotland · 26/03/2021 22:31

As I say I’ve not been a member since roughly the time of William the conqueror but I have seen on some groups that the ticket rules have changed slightly due to covid?
There is an excellent BSJA page on Facebook with some very very knowledgeable members

notquiteruralbliss · 29/03/2021 11:35

If your DD is a PC (or I think riding club) member she can get massively reduced BS membership for her plus one horse

EasterIsComing · 29/03/2021 13:16

I am not experienced at bsja but a quick google throws up the starting course height for horses to be 90cm. This will generally be a fuller height course than an unaffiliated 90cm with more challenging lines and combinations.
I would want her comfortable competing at an unaffiliated 1m before she goes affiliated 90cm. The competition will also be more fierce, so only worth it if she is super competitive and ready for the challenge.
I don’t mean to be off putting just saying it isn’t for everyone.
If she does pony club or NSEA they offer similar leagues where she can build up points over a season or qualify for championships.

maxelly · 29/03/2021 17:45

@EasterIsComing

I am not experienced at bsja but a quick google throws up the starting course height for horses to be 90cm. This will generally be a fuller height course than an unaffiliated 90cm with more challenging lines and combinations. I would want her comfortable competing at an unaffiliated 1m before she goes affiliated 90cm. The competition will also be more fierce, so only worth it if she is super competitive and ready for the challenge. I don’t mean to be off putting just saying it isn’t for everyone. If she does pony club or NSEA they offer similar leagues where she can build up points over a season or qualify for championships.
This is true, also what LastQueen says about the oxers, I'm too wussy and don't have the horses to BS these days myself but when I and teen children were members it def always used to be the case (and I'm sure it still is) that each BS course would have at least one oxer using the max allowance height and spread which would be pretty intimidating! Remember that the striding will also not be that 'kind', and may be set up for big horse strides so if her 15.2 is more of a 'pony' type in stride (as many good first horses for a child coming off ponies are) she may need to get used to that and accept he may sometimes struggle with the distances. And finally also the courses as well as being technical and up to height are usually very much 'dressed' with fancy painted fillers, plants, sponsor logos etc which can be off putting, and the venues will (in normal times) be busy, noisy places again with spook hazards like banners, spectator galleries and music playing over the PA - it can be a whole other experience to a low key local unaffiliated. We had the odd (very expensive!) outing to a BS end in total damp squib when horse took an immediate dislike to the arena and just wasn't having any of it which tried our patience (and bank balance) somewhat! Also do practice/psych yourself up to not being intimidated by people who seem 'fancier', on the SE circuit at least (maybe different elsewhere) you'll see a lot of people with all the bling, huge fancy lorries, massive strings of high powered horses (some of them clearly children of uber-rich parents, some more adult pros with sponsors etc). The thing to remember is in showjumping it really doesn't matter if you turn up looking scruffy with just the one horse of unknown breeding and a muddy tail, if you jump the fastest double clear you will beat all the shiny WBs and fancy jackets in the class, it's all down to performance at the end of the day... and there will be plenty of other amateurs/PC types just there for fun and the day out if you look for them, they just stand out less than the blingier ones!

I don't say all this to put you off, she should absolutely go for it, just so you can manage expectations and don't let her be disappointed if she has a few stops or poles her first time(s) out, I know plenty of teens put a lot of pressure on themselves and want to always win or at least place but BS is hard work and it's a good life lesson that success takes time and effort and doesn't tend to just fall in your lap (or so I always told mine anyway!)...

mumontherun14 · 29/03/2021 18:12

@maxelly thanks! It is all a bit intimidating & no one on the yard goes at the moment so thought I’d ask here! She got a BSJA coach lined up as her teacher is a BE eventer so less familiar with BSJA. I think we’ll just pitch up & give it a go. She will be competing against adults as her horse too big for the juniors but he is a nippy steady wee soul so hoping the fillers & stuff won’t phase him too much though he did spook at a Xmas tree at the local Xmas show so who knows! She’s quite level headed so I’ll chat to her about just gaining experience & hopefully that will help Xxx

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