WHY?!

[mandmgirl0164]

Neddies - In all competitive spheres, there are different levels of attainment - in the showing world, HOYS and Olympia represent the highest level of achievement. They are difficult to qualify for, that's what makes it rewarding/satisfying - to have worked up the levels, seen the level above where you are and striving to improve, however long it takes.

If you're not interested in qualifying, fine, if you just want to stay at the same level indefinitely, that's fine also. There are lots of things that you can do that don't involve 'competing' at all.

[Hayche.]

Sept 12, 2008 13:30:31 GMT @Get real said:

To whoever said that once they've qualified for HOYS/Olympia there is nothing but the HOYS/Olympia classes to do, you are a complete moron .

There are pleanty of other classes that you are eligible for, the Bob templeton, kingsford, bsps open as well as plenty of workers classes and then many other disciplines etc etc.

If all you and your pony can do is walk, trot and canter around an enclosed ring all year then you and your pony are pretty talentless , a horse shouldn't just do showing when there is so much more on offer!!!

Ohh my actual god ... wtaf
you are chatttin sh*t there matey seriously!
workers wtf so you go qualify hoys nd olympia go do worker nd pee up the ponys legs so theres no point in goin to hoys nd olympia cuz you ant gonna get a good confermation mark with splints ect.
and for all the other classes bin there qualified that. and have actually qualified for every flat championship goin.
We have worker ponies at HOYS this yr aswell so we know whats out there nd what classes there are to do i mean only bin doin it 35yrs includin top eventing!
i take it that you havent got anything through to hoys with your multitalented ponies?

[dun4u]

hayche - did you mean you have been competing for 35 years? Yes, I agree - workers could ruin a qualified pony's legs so it would be a bit risky.

[Hayche.]

well my mum has cuz lyk im only 14 Lol.
shes mainly been on myn doin it cuz she ant got an account.

[dun4u]

Oct 1, 2008 18:48:35 GMT Hayche. said:

well my mum has cuz lyk im only 14 Lol.
shes mainly been on myn doin it cuz she ant got an account.

Hi, hayche,

Could you please keep your text-speak to the Junior Lounge? Thanks.

The likes of myself, reeeeeally old, cannot understand text-speak so we would prefer you to use 'proper English' on all the other sections!!! You never know, with a bit of practice you may find it reads back much better. Don't forget you'll need to use 'proper English' when you have written exams, so get some practice in, eh?

Cheers!!

[halfpass]

Ohh my actual god ... wtaf
you are chatttin sh*t there matey seriously!
workers wtf so you go qualify hoys nd olympia go do worker nd pee up the ponys legs so theres no point in goin to hoys nd olympia cuz you ant gonna get a good confermation mark with splints ect.
and for all the other classes bin there qualified that. and have actually qualified for every flat championship goin.
We have worker ponies at HOYS this yr aswell so we know whats out there nd what classes there are to do i mean only bin doin it 35yrs includin top eventing!
i take it that you havent got anything through to hoys with your multitalented ponies?

[/quote]

I have never tried to read so much twaddle in my life, I agree if you try to take a overweight unfit animal around a set of fences then yes you are asking for trouble, but if it is conditioned right and is fit then why would you throw up splints, we have a twelve year old TB who has raced over hurdles and fences since the age of four and his leg's are clean, my eventer competed for 5 years and retired clean limbed, all our ponies show in the summer and hunt during the winter, that is what keeps them fresh and interested in there job even the dressage horses have a couple of days hunting or go for a school around the local cross country course for a jolly, but then for our horses showing is just for education and HOYS and OLYMPIA are not the Holy Grail

[sarahp]

Hayche - my first Olympia qualified pony got there at 11yo in her first totally dedicated showing season after having had a life before that of being hacked, dressaged and shown on the flat by me and PC SJ and evented by my daughter. I won an Olympia class on her, and qualified her for the PUK Kingsford as well. In her showing year she was RWAS Ridden Ch and 6th in the Kingsford Final too - there were no flat HOYS classes then. Then she was retired to stud - sadly I only got four offspring from her before having to retire her from breeding but what stunners! Not trying to blow my own trumpet just illustrating the fact that they can do things and then show to the highest level as well.

[ponymum]

My friend (you know who you are!!) started showing her RH at 13, he competed in flat classes for 7yrs, qualifying for hoys well into his teens....before he had done cc, workers etc, this gave him the experience needed to go in the ring , perform and behave ( well apart from the year we met the brass band about to go through the collecting ring at Royal lancs ) and get on with his job..... oh and win a few prestigious classes on the way

[deejay]

I think Hayche was just angry because Get real had called people who do flat HOYS and Olympia classes 'morons'. Hayche please keep your text speak for the junior lounge. Oldies like us can only ge the gist of what you are trying to say. to translate - I know your mum has been showing for 35 years, including eventing and showjumping not just flat showing and you have been riding since before you could walk and have competed at HOYS yourself twice. Your mum is competing at HOYS next week again and will be going to Olympia for the 6th time. Also your Auntie will be competing in the M&M WHP on Thursday.

I don't think that a family taking three ponies to HOYS can be classed as 'complete morons'

[caroline1278]

Sept 15, 2008 19:27:57 GMT neddies said:

Sept 15, 2008 18:06:23 GMT @i agree said:

I kind of agree with get real, albeit in a less aggrressive way but it is that sort out to do only every HOYS/OLYMPIA class available attitude that ruins higher level showing.

Diane perhaps you are a little laid back about the state of showing, the amount of people who have given up showing due to predictability of it is ridiculous .

HOYS, OLYMPIA...HOYS OLYMPIA, HOYS OLYMPIA, I GET SICK OF HEARING ABOUT THESE SHOW, ARE THEY THE BEE ALL AND END ALL OF SHOWING, IN FACT, I THINK THEY HAVE SPOILED WHAT SHOWING IS ALL ABOUT ......

Have to agree with this, the showing world today is all about what you have qualified for in a said season. It's not about winning anymore its about what the qualifier was. As for competing after you have qualified, its simple, once a combination has qualified it doesn't compete in any more qualifiers, entered or not and therefore lets others have a fairer chance.

[titch]

The only thing is alot of entries are pre paid. Therefore if you can't go in any more qualifiers once qualified would you get your entries back and if not then what a waste of money!!!! Silly i say! If you aren't good enough to beat these people at the qualifiers what chance do you have at Hoys??? Qualify amongst the best then at least you know you are in with a chance at Hoys.

I am going to start doing the qualifiers next year and am fine about competing against those already qualified.

[halfpass]

well said my sentiments exactly

[leo]

I've noticed the pattern for repeat qualifiers more this year than in any other (m&ms only) which is odd considering the fuel prices etc.
I think doing shows like the Royal, RW etc. is totally acceptable as they are such prestigious shows and also the atmosphere at those is pretty buzzy, so good practice for hoys.
However i also saw someone at hickstead, despite the fact they'd already qualified both their ponies. This struck me as odd as few people would compete in the riverlawn ring out of choice!

But i think perhaps the trend is moving more like the horse world - ie. winning lots to get your face seen, or just competing at the big shows because you enjoy them, and less about just 'chasing the qualifiers'.

[nikki]

To my mind I think that competitors should be allowed to compete /enter (whether they have qualified 10x or not at all) wherever they want to compete and no restrictions placed on them (and this includes people frowing upon the practice). It is almost tantamount to saying that if you don't have a chance of qualifying then you shouldn't compete/enter either (usually someone like me!). If you want to qualify then it is best to do in good company because if you are successful then you are only going to meet them at the final. It just boils down to letting people go to the shows they want to (not adding endless restrictive rules) and if you can enjoy the bonus of being able to relax and just pick and mix your shows because you are already qualified then well done you! And if it keeps out someone further down the line from qualifying then maybe, jsut maybe, that person/pony is not quite ready for the final anyway.

[dun4u]

I agree with nikki, I quote:- "And if it keeps out someone further down the line from qualifying then maybe, jsut maybe, that person/pony is not quite ready for the final anyway."

Yes, this might sound hard or even selfish to a lot of people but you have to look at it realistically - there's always next year.

[merlod]

The main issue, as always, is MONEY. A pony that has qualified for an event such as HOYS will command a better price and more interest (although, at the moment there doesn't seem to be much interest in anything on the market!) Also, you've got a better chance of qualifing and even perhaps being placed if you can afford to put your animal with a top producer! So win the lottery & you're made!

[caroline1278]

Oct 6, 2008 15:33:27 GMT merlod said:

The main issue, as always, is MONEY. A pony that has qualified for an event such as HOYS will command a better price and more interest (although, at the moment there doesn't seem to be much interest in anything on the market!) Also, you've got a better chance of qualifing and even perhaps being placed if you can afford to put your animal with a top producer! So win the lottery & you're made!

Well said that person!!

[sarahp]

One sector everybody seems to forget are the breeders who actually breed the horses you compete. Many of us love to see our homebreds competing but are too long in the tooth to do it ourselves, so the only avenue is to get someone else to do it for us. It's not always a question of money! If we are forced out of top competition will we bother breeding ponies for you all to ride?

[Mollydog]

Oct 6, 2008 22:12:18 GMT @overbent said:

i can't disagree with merlod or caroline. Yes, money to be able to afford to buy a top horse, and then money to put that horse with a top producer, and then more money to afford sponsorship,entry fees & fuel, yes of course, that makes a terrific difference, and you would be asking a big question paying that sort of money and not getting results. What i tried to say, i havn't got that sort of money, and it is possible to achieve, it just means so much more to me, and any other individual with limited funds, with a good horse, determination, and some talent, it can be done, not often, but when it happens, money can't buy that feeling,

Have to agree with all the above. The majority of people qualified for HOYs and Olympia this year are not professionals.

You must beleive in yourself that is half the battle, if you go in the ring thinking you dont stand a chance, you most probably wont. At least think positive to start off with and you are half way there and if you do win well what could be better than that.

[dun4u]

Oct 7, 2008 6:33:38 GMT sarahp said:

One sector everybody seems to forget are the breeders who actually breed the horses you compete. Many of us love to see our homebreds competing but are too long in the tooth to do it ourselves, so the only avenue is to get someone else to do it for us. It's not always a question of money! If we are forced out of top competition will we bother breeding ponies for you all to ride?

My sentiments, sarahp.

I bred the dun pony which is featured in my avatar on the left here. In fact, I bred her grand-sire and grand-dam but by the time this one arrived I was, as you say, too long in the tooth and sent her to a local producer who showed her in-hand until she was rising 4. She was then sold on to some people by the name of Durr from Kent and have since heard that she was sold on again, which was rather sad.

I neither had the time (I ran a busy B&B to pay for the ponies) nor the energy to produce her myself and sending her to a producer was the next best thing. She qualified for P(UK) twice and then went on to qualify for the Royal International which was where this piccy was taken.

[lucretia]

I just competed for fun but with a home produced hunter to stand in the top 3 in a HOYS qualifier (at my "local" county show) was the biggest thrill. The fact that the judge thought she was as good as that and the pleasure I had as we operate on a tihgt budget was undescribable. This gives us confidence to attend the shows and classes we enjoyed and could afford, wherever we were placed. Showing should be fun, anything else a bonus unless it is your livelihood. I also beleive ponies should have a fun life and not restrict their activities too much to save knocks etc. Mine stayed laid back because of this and woukld not go crazy when turned out or need loads of working in. Yes there were one or two lumps and bumps but nothing serious and very happy horses.

[lucynlizzysmum]

Oct 7, 2008 20:03:41 GMT lucretia said:

I just competed for fun but with a home produced hunter to stand in the top 3 in a HOYS qualifier (at my "local" county show) was the biggest thrill. The fact that the judge thought she was as good as that and the pleasure I had as we operate on a tihgt budget was undescribable. This gives us confidence to attend the shows and classes we enjoyed and could afford, wherever we were placed. Showing should be fun, anything else a bonus unless it is your livelihood. I also beleive ponies should have a fun life and not restrict their activities too much to save knocks etc. Mine stayed laid back because of this and woukld not go crazy when turned out or need loads of working in. Yes there were one or two lumps and bumps but nothing serious and very happy horses.

Hi - felt I had to comment on here - like you the pleasure we have had out of our fantastic mare has been immeasurable. The day she qualified for the RI was a testament to the hard work her jockey had put in, and yes as a Mum I shed a few tears! Showing IS fun and that's how it should be. We never mind where we stand in a class, and even when we had qual'd for the RI we still did the few classes we had entered for for the experience - didn't do well at RI this year, but having been bitten once we will be back. We will try for HOYS too as an open 133 WH. We may not get there, but we've got as much chance as anyone else. It is not the be all and end all to us but it does give us something to aim at. Workers are fun, and the day they cease to be is the day we'll stop! But while I rave about her, we also have a great deal of pleasure out of our Section A. Some days she wins, some days she doesn't - all depends on the judge and what type of pony they like - but it really doesn't matter to us - we have a great deal of pleasure. Not only that, they both hunt, do PC, hack out, give cuddles and most of all accept us warts and all! We do it all on a tight budget....but I s'pose that's life!