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Alfie
12 Jan 2009 20:38
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Is it worth affiliating if your horse doesn't have good paces, by that I mean paces that would get an 8 sometimes? Are you likely to qualify for the Regionals if not? I have a nice horse but his paces aren't flashy and I don't think he would get many 7's. Should I just be happy to do unaffiliated?
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Fiona Price
12 Jan 2009 21:34
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If you can afford it, I think affiliation gives you the chance of more experience and satisfaction. My horse is a TB so not your usual dressage material (and I normally event) but doing affiliated dressage has certainly improved us. I am also more interested in dressage, as a result, and would like to aim to do some medium tests soon. We get the odd placing as we are improving an while paces are clearly necessary (plus everything else that it takes) to get to the top, I think accuracy, engagement, correctness, softness, harmony etc, etc, at the lower levels can certainly leave you well placed with the occassional win!
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Alfie
13 Jan 2009 07:46
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It's a difficult one because the warmblood is bred to do the job and other types sometimes find doing the work in an elaborate and extra loose way more difficult. Hence lower scores. I had an ex racehorse that I started dressage on many moons ago. Took me for ever to just get him to work on the bit rather than have his head stuck in the air like a giraffe - I thought that was a real achievement let alone anything else! Tee hee!
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Earl
18 Jan 2009 20:44
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I think its worth it just to help in training and progression. I am just starting out affiliated Prelim - aiming Novice for August - with a 6 year old Welsh Sec D - though a really big one - and he can get 7s and the odd 8 when on song, though unlikely to ever get more than a 7 for paces - that is ok. I just want him to go the best he can and I like BD events so I do it anyway even if we come last....and we have!
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DollyBirdz
18 Jan 2009 21:22
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This is something that would never have entered my head, that it might not be worth affiliating if my horse isnt a wow warmblood! Not ALL horses doing affiliated dressage are wow warmbloods and I for one would love to see different types/breeds doing well at the sport. If you aspire to get to the top then unfortunately I feel it would be necessary to 'follow the trend', but if you want to do it for your own achievement and improvement anyone can have a go, with any type of horse. Many people in many sports have been told for one reason or another that they wont 'make it' and have later proved everyone wrong! Go for it I say, lets break the mould!
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Alfie
27 Jan 2009 12:37
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I'm not convinced that affiliation is rewarding if there is little chance of qualifying for at least one championship but then again I am competitive. These days it seems unaffiliated competition offers the same venues and facilities at lesser cost. I think affiliation can be rewarding for non trendy combinations that just want to join in and take part but have few aspirations.
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Lightgate
12 Feb 2009 14:46
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Couldn't agree more with DollyBirdz. I used to work for Carol Parsons and her last 2 top horses (out at GP) were not warmbloods but TB x shire!
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Alfie
14 Feb 2009 15:34
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I agree with Dollybirdz myself to a degree because of course anyone can affiliate as there are no obvious exclusions. Ordinaryness isn't relative to breeding, it's relative to paces. Therefore, occasionally horses without specific breeding can score well if by fluke or fate they have good paces, just as there are some that although supposedly bred specifically fall short of having good paces. Competitive dressage is fundamentally, in my view, about the paces the horse has and then the training that is put into them. I am not saying that I agree with this state of affairs, indeed, far from it but I think, unfortunately, if to get 7's easily and above the horse must at least track up in all phases of the trot gait then to spend copious amounts of money training a horse with anything less is fool hardy as I know - if you want to be competitive that is!
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suegal01
10 Jul 2009 12:35
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Having just affiliated for the first time I would say yes it it worth it. You get better venues on consistent surfaces, you get more consistent judging and if you have a bit of luck you can qualify even with an ordinairy horse albeit at lower levels but you can also do the area festivals without massive percentages.
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loopylilo
23 Jul 2009 15:30
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It doesn't matter what horse you are riding, if it is correctly trained, obedient, calm and supple you can do well! I have qualified for the regionals (they are next weekend...eek)on my 15.2hh thoroughbred ex-racehorse, quite the opposite from a 17.2hh flashy warmblood! All I can say is me and my boy are proof that you don't need to spend thousands on posh horses to do well at dressage!
Affiliated dressage allows you more opportunities (ie. training, teams, area festivals, regionals, nationals, byrds etc) than unaffiliated and despite the competition being much tougher, the organisation of shows and the general atmosphere is far more professional at an affiliated event. In my opinion.....go for it!
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24 Jul 2009 19:34
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You can qualify for the area festivals from prelim to elem with 2 tests of over 63% which, as long as the basics are correct and you ride accurately, is easy.
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happy_talk
03 Aug 2009 20:47
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You could do some tasters on a ticket. Or, just recieved the British Riding Club magazine today and seen they are now offering 6mth BD membership for £30 to BRC members. My club only costs £20 for the year. Might be a useful way of getting a 6mth membership (horse is £30 extra to register). It means you can get points that you wouldn't get on a ticket.
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Kim
04 Aug 2009 09:07
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Yes it is worth affiliating and Yes you can qualify.
I affiliated my very ordinary 14.2 cob (croup high and long back so not ideal conformation).
Realistically we will not get higher than a 7 for paces (6 for trot as no real moment of suspension) BUT we can ride an accurate test and don't LET the judges take away marks!!
We qualified for the regionals in only 3 outings (shocked me) and then turned up and were not last (despite me riding like a muppet and not working at our best) in fact beat some warmbloods and a couple who were also in the next class up. Also chosen to represent region for inter-regional competition (and found our way into BD magazine). Others have also metioned the Area Festivals. So lots of opportunities to be competitive.
You can be competitive. You have better surfaces, judging and some really good comaradery. I have had a great year.
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Daiquiri
04 Aug 2009 15:52
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""This is something that would never have entered my head, that it might not be worth affiliating if my horse isnt a wow warmblood! Not ALL horses doing affiliated dressage are wow warmbloods and I for one would love to see different types/breeds doing well at the sport. If you aspire to get to the top then unfortunately I feel it would be necessary to 'follow the trend', but if you want to do it for your own achievement and improvement anyone can have a go, with any type of horse. Many people in many sports have been told for one reason or another that they wont 'make it' and have later proved everyone wrong! Go for it I say, lets break the mould!"
Couldn't agree more. I used to work for Carol Parsons and her last 2 top horses (out at GP) were not warmbloods but TB x shire!"
Techcnically that is a warm blood.... ie a cold blood x thorough bred... exactly where the German breeding started, look back at the old stallions and mares and then see where they imported the thoroughbred blood from... YES! England!!!!!.. now very much refined.
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TinkerBell
04 Aug 2009 20:02
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I still think that the dressage horse does not have to be warmblood to do well. Balagur is a trotter, Galopin de Font is Lusitanien, Invasor is Spanish pure bread. All breeds can be good in dressage, the difference who makes it to the top I think is lying only current fashion and lead by major dressage nations.
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Emma_Jane
06 Sep 2009 21:10
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Hi - this is my first post here and thought I had to comment on this discussion to try to give you some hope for your horse!! My horse is a 15.1 16year Connemara x TB and is going to his first Area Festival on thursday this week in the novice restricted and he is so far from a 'dressage horse'!! I was at Talland for a while a few years ago and was told that any horse that can be trained can go to PSG, they might not win everything but if they can do the moves they can compete and that is exactly what I plan for my boy (if he manages as he is older). I now have lessons with Amanda Brewer when I'm home from uni and he is just such a different horse from the one I bought thanks to her but he isn't a warmblood or fancy.
I used to do unaffiliated competitions but was never placed and the scores were all over the shop and inconsistent but when I affiliated him he scored the same (or thereabouts) every outing and i've watched my marks slowly increase (thanks to the tenseness of a connie) so I would say it really is worth affiliating as there are lower-level qualifiers like the Area festivals and regional groups to get involved with.
Good luck with your horse!!
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