I was at the Area 2 Championships this weekend. A professional won the Novice Champs, and an Olympic level rider competed in the Beginner Novice Champs.
I just can’t get over feeling strongly that this just isn’t right! I guess the rules allow it, but really?! The Olympics aren’t enough, gotta go try to claim Beginner Novice Championship also?
For many riders competing at Novice or Beginner Novice the Championship IS their Olympics.
Anyone else share my sentiments, or am I a weirdo?
Welcome to Area 2. 
I think your best bet would be to contact the organizers with your concerns and ask for it to be split into rider/open.
It’s kind of annoying but I don’t think it’s not right. I think having open and rider divisions would be nice, or at least acknowledging the top placing amateurs and juniors. I can understand pros wanting to put a championship win on a sale horse’s record; horses being “campaigned” at this level will probably wind up in ammy hands anyway and they have to gain experience somewhere.
It’s worth pointing out that even with a 5* rider in the mix the BN champion was an amateur on her own horse. I imagine her win is even more satisfying considering she was in such good company!
I completely understand your sentiment
and yep - welcome to Area II!
There were separate junior championships at Training and below. For Modified, Prelim and Intermediate, juniors and seniors were combined. At all levels there were separate ribbons for participants in the Young Rider program. The sixth place finisher in the Modified Championship was a junior, and got a first place Young Rider ribbon.
It would be possible to have the Adult Rider program hand out extra ribbons to participants in the Adult Rider program, but you would have to convince the Area II Adult Rider program to spend money on extra ribbons, and have someone there to figure our who got them.
It is not at the organizer’s discretion.
EV133.1.a specifically says “Championships and Federation Selection Trials must not be divided.”
ETA, furthermore, the exact specifications for the Area Championships are set by the individual Area Councils. So, if you think the structure of the Area II Championships needs to change, you need to contact the Area II Council
https://www.usea2.net/area-contacts
I feel equally strongly that, if you slice and dice it so everyone can win, it isn’t a championship worth competing for.
Does that not apply to splitting by age? How do the AECs get around this rule?
I was wondering that myself.
I looked at Area 1 and Area 3 and both appear to have separate championship horse and rider divisions at the lower levels so my guess is that you can divide it however you like, but you can’t then split those sections A-B-C-D etc. So BNR/BNH/JR BNR Championship are all fine so long as you only have one division of each. Whether or not it should be divided is another question entirely of course.
Junior riders did have their own sections training and below.
Maybe different areas have different rules for qualifications. Here is a link to the Area 1 rules. Historically riders w experience at the higher levels could only compete if a “horse” division was offered.
Joan from Flatlands
I agree that Olympic/Pan Am/WEG riders riding at BN in an Area championship seems a little ridiculous.
Someone from the Area II championships committee was asking for feedback on the Area II Facebook page before the event, so perhaps reach out to her?
I would think that we have enough entries at BN/N for a Rider division at championships.
Yes, each Area sets their own rules for qualifications for Area Championships.
I don’t think anyone who enters a division for which they are qualified is “in the wrong,” even if I personally wish the eligibility rules for [the championships, Training Rider, etc.] were different.
One year (pre-pandemic, I think) Area 2 Adult Riders was there and handing out/mailing separate ribbons, IIRC.
There was a robust Facebook discussion about the format of this year’s A2 championships, so those board members might be open to discussing rider divisions next year if there is adequate interest?
I figured that Lynn was riding the BN horse for a client, and the client probably wanted the horse to go to championships.
The Championship divisions this year were not that big, so it’s possible they couldn’t have divided Open and Rider, anyway.
Think of it this way- pretty cool that you are competing with top notch riders and watching the best of the best! I’d rather a 7th place ribbon amongst the best than a 1st place ribbon with easy competition.
I agree with you. It is irritating, to say the least. I can see it for the championship divisions due to limited entries splitting divisions may not be feasible. @Janet I went to the rulebook and saw 133.1a and interpreted it as the division couldn’t be divided into A, B, C, etc. But not to mean that the division can’t be divided by Jr. / Sr. / Open? This is just my initial thought.
What really gets me much more aggravated is when I see a professional rider with clients competing at all levels (Intro - Prelim+) entering the rider divisions. Yes, I understand it is in the rules that this is allowed but I LOATHE it. I actually e-mailed USEA asking why a rider who has gone prelim is eligible to enter Training RIDER given that modified is now a level, and I never did get a straight answer. Something along the lines that not every venue offers modified yet. I’m not sure what the availability of a level has to do with Prelim being 2 levels above training, but OK.
If I’m paying my Olympic level trainer to ride my horse at BN so he doesn’t kill me next year (and I’m not) then I can see why I’d also want them entered in the Championship.
As a rider, I’d prefer not to compete against them though 
I believe that driving did something in which they prevented a pro taking someone’s green driving horse around from getting placings and it was a huge mess, because the owners of those horses wanted recognition.
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