BSJA for Dummies!

[ThriftyQueen]

Morning all. 

I have a 12 year old daughter who is desperate to do BS. 

She is currently in PC and also competes unaffiliated and is jumping successfully at around 90cm. 

Her pony already has a good BS record (not with us) and I believe that will dictate which classes she is able to do but other than that I have no clue where to start… 

If I’m honest I’ve put her off for the last 18 months due to how much more complicated the class qualifications are, especially with pony she has and fear of the unknown. 

She is very competitive and is placing consistently atm and I have tried to tell her that she will be moving into a much bigger pool of talented kids (with more money for training, horse etc than us!) but it hasn’t put her off, if anything, made her more determined!! 😅

Can anyone give me a dummy guide to BS, where do we start, how will her current ponies record effect the classes she can do and also very open for people telling me that it would be an easy transition from our lovely inclusive PC. 

[twistyizzy]

Best thing is to download and read the BS rulebook

[maxelly]

I totally feel you, of all the horsey disciplines and governing bodies I find British Showjumping the most impenetrable for some reason. I think the website makes it seem a lot harder than it needs to be with lots of jargon and needing to cross reference all the terms and class names with the rulebook rather than things being simply laid out like they would be for a local show (e.g. rather than saying 'Novice Class 128 and below/60cm, for combination to have won less than £100 or whatever it will say 'British Novice Class, Bronze and Silver League, restrictions apply' which is gobbledegook basically until you know what all that means.

You might want to start off with a few visits to BS shows 'on a ticket', as you can a jump a limited number of classes per year on essentially a guest membership without paying all the registration and membership fees etc which might be worth it to see if she likes it, although any winnings won't count towards leagues and qualifications etc. Then if you do want to register the basic steps are:

1. Register - you need to register the pony, rider and parent/guardian (for under 18s) separately. The pony hopefully has a measurement cert. already if he's previously done BS, if not you may need this. Registering the pony should bring up his past record under previous owners and tell you how many points he has. In terms of your membership the website makes it seem complicated but if you're sure you want to go for it properly looking for qualifications for the big national and regional shows etc. then it's full national membership you want (there is also something called club membership which I think is designed as more of an entry level for new combinations with more local 'club' leagues but I am not sure how many classes there are available).
2. Look for a show - search using their show finder
3. Enter classes - the pony's previous points are not likely to be a huge issue, most BSJA riders compete on experienced ponies. It's possible depending on exactly how many points the pony has they may need to go into higher level leagues or not be eligible for certain finals but AFAIK you should be able to enter most classes locally - do the aforementioned cross check with the members handbook available online and always ask the show secretary if unsure though.

In terms of competitiveness, BS/BSJA is usually a step up from local shows, not just in terms of the competition being higher but the courses themselves being meatier and more technical, so you say they're competing at 90 at the moment, but unaffliated the course builder would usually be a bit kinder in terms of the lines, the spreads not all being at maximum, not every jump fully dressed with nasty fillers etc and the jump off might be more like 95 than the full extra allowed. Plus of course busier venues and no nice clear round class to calm the nerves at the start! I'd start them off at the lowest height you can enter, if all goes well then by all means step up. Does she have an instructor experienced with BS you can ask, they're probably in the best place to do a bit of demystifying for you!

[ThriftyQueen]

@maxelly thank you, this is all really helpful (but as I thought still very complicated!! 😅)

I will do some reading up this afternoon and see if I can get my head around it. I know two venues near us that do both BS affiliated/unaffiliated and club so might be a good place to start.

We do a mixture of unaffiliated and PC with her competing and placing at things such at PC champs/Spring Festival so she thankfully has been exposed to quite meaty course but I would likely be more inclined to take them down as step if I decide to give into BS.

[CaptainClover]

If she's been OK at spring festival and the PC champs, she will be fine at BS.
Just go along to a BS show and watch the classes first, then you'll see the standard of riding and course building, which will give you a good idea of what classes to aim for.
The BS website show calendar lets you see the shows in your area which are coming up and the schedules.
You don't say how big your pony is? There are classes open to all ie discovery, newcomers etc. but also height classes and these are also according to age ie 128s are for 12&u, 138s 14&u, 148s 16&u your age being the birthday you have that year.
BS, juniors and seniors used to be a step up, juniors used to start at 90 and seniors 1m but they run classes from pretty small nowadays.

[ThriftyQueen]

Thank you @CaptainClover

The pony is 14.1 and she is 13 in June, which I guess would put her at 148’s 16&u

[Pleasedontdothat]

My dd much prefers doing BS to unaffiliated - with BS the jumps are definitely up to height (and width) but the courses are built to a proper standard so you don’t have some of the bizarre striding you can get at unaffiliated shows. It’s a good idea to do a couple of shows on a ticket to get the hang of how things are run without the pressure of the results going on her record. And be prepared to get as much sheepskin and bling on the pony as feasibly possible 😉

[ThriftyQueen]

@Pleasedontdothat love it, DD loves a bit of bling so will definitely ride to that challenge!!

[Deliaskis]

We're in a similar position with DD, and I agree it's not made easy in BS resources/online etc. I am still in a bit of a dilemma really, not sure if it's right for us or not. A bit fear of the unknown as you say, and a bit of fear of sort of getting on a merry go round and sort of regretting it.

We were looking at affiliating her last season on her last pony but decided not to as didn't want to switch things up in the last season and potentially have a stressy time rather than enjoying their time together, as the pony was 12.2 and would only ever have been clutching the bottom end of the coat tails of BS doing well around say 70 and 80.

What I did learn from going to a few BS shows is that...well....it's sort of less 'fun' than unaffiliated. People tend to show up and jump and go home, there is less of an atmosphere and it feels more like a day at work than a day out at a show (and we go to some pretty competitive unaffiliated). I might be being unfair but I went to two different ones near where I live and that's kind of how it felt. It doesn't mean I wouldn't do it, but it's a factor to consider. DD and current pony are jumping well and could definitely affiliate, but although she is very competitive, she also likes to ride with friends and I do feel it could be a bit of a lonely existence travelling further to compete with people she doesn't know.

So I'm still in a dilemma. DD says she wants to event with new pony really, but as she hasn't made any effort to work on her dressage over winter then we'll have to see! I suspect we'll end up having a season of having a bit of a go at everything (first season with new pony), including maybe jumping BS on a ticket and make some decisions next autumn, but would be interested to hear how you get on OP!

[ThriftyQueen]

@Deliaskis Ooo good to know I wasn’t the only one in two minds…

I’m not sure where you are located but we have done a few BS camp (dont need to be a member to attend) and DD really enjoyed. We camped too and while she didn’t know anyone, most of the other children knew each other and were really friendly and inclusive, lots of non pony activities and a big disco on the Saturday night, it definitely spurred DD on more to join BS and make friends, would recommend.

I have bitten the bullet and registered DD and pony this afternoon, I say that like it was easy, it the most complicated registration process I’ve ever done and spent most of the afternoon at it, including 3 phone calls to their centre for help with forms! 😅

As I suspected Pony has already for an extensive record (500 points +) so DD is exempt from any Newcomers or Discovery (?!) classes so tonight’s job is to find out what she can do…

Any help with this from anyone in the know would be much appreciated!

[CaptainClover]

Most Disco/newcomers/fox will be split into an open section as well, so don't worry about that. ie class4 is discovery class 4a is an open 1m/90cm for ponies. Same class with results split.
Well, around here anyway that's how it's normally run.

[ThriftyQueen]

@CaptainClover can I ask (if you know 😅) what we would be able to do at s lower height, 70/80 as I’d like to go in gently if I can?

[CaptainClover]

Pony British novice is 80cm, that is the started class for actual BS. Lower classes are the club ones. Discovery is 90, newcomers is 1m.
Maybe get some lessons with a SJ coach, most kids that are going to BS will be doing that.
A decent jockey, on a 14.1 pony that has won 500 points, will be fine at 80/90.
Good luck :)

[XelaM]

Honestly it's not that big of a deal. It sounds a lot more complicated and fancy than it is. We're a completely clueless (and definitely not wealthy) non-horsey family with a very horsey teen. If we can do it - literally anyone can 😀

Here are a few tips:

1. British Showjumping is super helpful over the phone. You can call them up and they will help you with pretty much anything.
2. The class levels go from: British Novice (ca. 80cm); Discovery (ca. 90cm), Newcomers (ca. 1.05cm), Foxhunters (ca. 1.10cm) and above. There is also always usually a warm up class (70-75cm). You can always jump in the warm up class but will get no BSJA points for winning or placing.
3. Find out how many points the pony has. If you call up BSJA they will tell you. If it's over 150 points - they will be out of British Novice, which basically means that you can still compete in British Novice but only as an "open" (ie. you cannot qualify for any championships or second rounds [will explain what second rounds means below]). In order to qualify for any championships or second rounds you then have to jump in the higher classes (Discovery etc). Depending on how many points the pony has, they could be out of Discovery classes too.
4. If your daughter gets 4 double clears in the same class (at 4 shows) she will qualify for second rounds. Second rounds shows are held around April-May and if you place in second rounds, you can qualify to compete at the National Championships in August.
5. Some shows are "Blue Chip qualifiers". Blue Chip is a big championship held in April and it's a lot of fun and quite prestigious. You qualify by placing top 8 at the Blue Chip qualifiers (you can find the schedule of all qualifiers on the BSJA website). You can still go to Blue Chip even if not qualified, but will only be able to jump in warm up classes.
6. All shows get booked through myridinglife.
7. Every result gets recorded on the pony's and your daughter's record on the BSJA website and if they place - both the pony and the rider get points.
8. All members of BSJA are automatically members of the BS Academy and you can participate in your local academy's training days and shows and jump on their teams at BS Academy shows and at Nationals.
9. The level of riders in BSJA is a bit higher but honestly nothing scary-different to u/a riders. My daughter has been winning at u/a shows before going affiliated and it's not been a shock to the system at all. In fact, she's been doing just as well affiliated. Sometimes there are very few double clears.

Happy to answer any questions. It's honestly not as scary as it sounds.

[XelaM]

Oops sorry, I should have read the whole thread before replying 🥶

Just saw that the pony has 500+ points. That's a lot. Your daughter can still enter and jump the lower heights - it just won't count for anything. On myridinglife there is the option to enter as the classes as "Open" rather than "Novice" or "Discovery". She is still allowed to do that.

[Deliaskis]

@XelaM I am screenshotting your post and saving it because that is SO useful and a much clearer explanation than I have found anywhere else! Also reassuring that the standard at Novice and Discovery isn't so intimidating, for people frequently/easily doing well/winning at unaffiliated. One of the challenges we have with u/a now is that there are not that many juniors competing at those heights at some venues, so sometimes there are just very small classes and it doesn't feel like much of a competition at all. I don't want to get complacent about that! We are relatively confident of double clears at u/a, and jump BS courses at a couple of venues near here that run both BS and u/a (so have proper courses!). DD far prefers them and loves jumping at Trailblazers for the same reason. Often at u/a you sort of end up with a series of figures of eights and a loop around the edge at some point, they're not that imaginative, and sometimes if you compete at the same venue frequently they don't change it every time.

I've gone off topic a bit here but wanted to post you a thank you @XelaM for your very useful post!

[XelaM]

@Deliaskis Aw so glad you could decipher what I was talking about 😃

[galaxywipple]

I was at an event on Sunday and was really confused when the commentator said "double clear" when the horse/rider had just done one round in the class...what's that all about please?

[Deliaskis]

So if it's single phase, it will mean the rider was clear in both the first part and the second part. Single phase essentially runs round 1 and then a jump off all in one round, so you jump the first part of the course and if you're clear, then you are ahead of anybody with jumping faults in that part, and you are timed in the second part to place. So you could have two riders, both with 4 faults, but the rider who has them in the 'jump off' part, the second part of the course will place above the rider who has them in the first part of the course. It's also why you will often see riders going steadily until about fence 7 or 8 then going like the clappers after that!

Another reason could be if the venue runs a league of some kind over several events and you need 2 clears to ride in the championship at the end of the series, they sometimes call that a double clear.

[galaxywipple]

Ahhhh! Thank you, I was completely baffled

[ThriftyQueen]

Just catching up on here..

many thanks @XelaM that’s all really helpful.

Having just had ponies records open to us (think the old owner and agree to sale on website) on the BS website I can see she is a Bronze JA pony with 504 points..

She is unfortunately a bit older and I had said to DD (before I knew the competition structure) that I’d prefer to keep her to the smaller classes for now to see how we got on but I think we are exempt.

(Sorry I’m probably repeating some of this…just trying to get my head round it)

Previous owner (BS experienced) did say she was absolutely sure we could do the 70 open and have just seen one of our local venues list a class

Pony Intro 70 open
Pony Intro 75 open

But that seems to contradict what I’ve read previously?

[XelaM]

As far as I know you can always do the Open because it doesn't count for anything, i.e you get no points and it's open to everyone.