Organizing a schooling jumper show...let me know your thoughts

[Herefordgirl]

My first time organizing a FUN schooling jumper show: Here is the class list: Let me know your thoughts:
Join us for a fun and laid back schooling jumper show! We will be offering the 4 classes in each division at the heights of 18", 2’3’, 2’6, 3’ and 3’3".

CLASS 1: SPEED (Table II sect 1) - lowest faults at fastest time wins.
CLASS 2: JUMP OFF (Table II, 2a) - Clear rounds come back for timed jump off round. Least faults, fastest time in jump off round wins.
CLASS 3: GAMBLER’S CHOICE - Riders choose their OWN course! Lowest faults over the most jumps within the allowed time wins the class!
CLASS 4: JACK POT Jumper class- Riders will start at 2’6" and clear rounds will increase 3" until one rider goes clear.

**Would you be willing to enter ahead of time? It is so helpful to have a rider count before the show

[CBoylen]

Too many classes per division. Three is really the max. Most people will do just two per division. This many classes with a table A as well will take forever.
Take out the speed. Nothing under 3’ needs a speed.
The jump off should be optimum time in anything under 3’.
Reconsider the gamblers choice, it’s hard to judge and people have a hard time with the rules. Have someone at the gate for rules and two people judging if you have to do it.

[Flyaways]

Hopefully things go well, schooling shows are a lot of work to put on. You might consider amending the rules to allow for more refusals in the lower classes, so that very green horses/riders can get around the whole course. Some schooling shows also use the same first course for the table I and table II classes. Makes it easier for people to learn (although personally I would rather have more variety).

Class 2 - I see II.2.b (where the rider does their jump-off before leaving the ring) used a lot more than II.2.a. It will help things go along faster.

Class 3 - In my experience at schooling shows especially, lots of riders (and trainers) don’t know the rules to the Gambler’s Choice. It would be helpful to have someone explain the rules to everyone before the class starts (usually USEF rules JP150 gets used). It helps to have someone helping the judge by calling out what fences have been jumped (or the judge can talk and let someone else write), because you’ve also got to manage the clock (in short; plan on needing extra people to score this class)

Class 4 - I would not enter. It sounds like you will have to ride the course multiple times, all those trips will add up both for the horses and the time the show will take. Plus you might wind up with kids who normally jump 2’6" at home trying 3’ for the first time in the show ring, at the end of the day, on a tired horse. That sounds like a bad day to me.

[LazyA1]

Exactly what CBoylen said. Listen to her, she always has excellent comments.

[fivestrideline]

Another vote for no speed, a IIb instead of IIa, and if you’re gonna do a gamblers choice I’d be doing one “special” class for it and have multiple judges. Those classes are hard to judge and hard for competitors to understand sometimes! Super fun, but tough, having judged one.

[vxf111]

A speed class at 18 inches sounds like a field day for the paramedics. Do you really want people who due to their own experience/their horse’s experience feel they can only show over 18 inches trying to go as fast as they can? I agree with cutting all the speed classes. I can’t even be near the ring when that craziness is happening.

Easiest way to do gambler’s choice is to make all the jumps of a certain COLOR a certain point value and then one gambler that’s set higher and/or is tricker in some way that is worth the most. And then have the announcer call the tally out as the riders go. So all red jumps are worth 10, all yellow 20, all green 30, and the one black jump is the gambler worth 60 etc. If you color code it, it’s a lot easier for riders to understand.

Around here, knock down and out (your class 4) is done with a single jump puissance style rather than as a whole course. Having to jump a whole round again and again while the heights go up sounds like a recipe for injury of horse/rider as pairs start to tire.

[fivestrideline]

Also, totally skimmed over the class 4, but drop that too. You could do a single Gambler’s (love the color code!) and a “Puissance” or Chase Me Charlie as special classes at the end.

Low level jumpers tend to be dangerous, and I count anything under 3’ as low. 3’ tends to be just high enough to weed out the less scopey and put a little respect of the fences in most people. This is why I’d stick to the basics, and let people enter the next up fence height if they feel they need a challenge for the day.

Schooling shows are so fun but definitely a labor of love, so making them safe and simple really really helps!!

[CBoylen]

@vxf111

Easiest way to do gambler’s choice is to make all the jumps of a certain COLOR a certain point value and then one gambler that’s set higher and/or is tricker in some way that is worth the most. And then have the announcer call the tally out as the riders go. So all red jumps are worth 10, all yellow 20, all green 30, and the one black jump is the gambler worth 60 etc. If you color code it, it’s a lot easier for riders to understand.

This is a great plan. The other trouble spots are how many times each jump can be jumped (usually twice) and keeping track of that, and also making people understand they can’t jump something they’ve knocked down.

[findeight]

Always heard the bonus, optional, only jumped once fence in Gamblers choice called the Joker, usually set higher then anything else and with higher point value.

Worked small shows for years, whoever said GC and some of the other divisions are hard to score and follow the rules was right. Nightmare. Simpler the better as is the fewer trips you have them run the safer fir riders and much less pounding for the horses.

Timing is not as easy as it looks either. Everybody says they’ll do it but craps out after the first 30 trips. Even if they don’t have to reset every dropped pole.

You want a fun, exciting and SAFE event so everybody can have a good experience. Speed kills on more then highways.

[vxf111]

Yes. Joker not gambler. Brain fart!

[Night_Flight]

In addition to the excellent advice you’ve already received, consider the number of course changes and course walks that will need to happen in one day.

I agree that there should be two regular classes per height, and then have one or two special fun classes at the end, again taking into account what will be required in terms of course adjustments and judging to make those fun classes happen. If you keep so many classes and course changes at each height, no one will be having fun by the end of the very long day.

[CBoylen]

For what it’s worth almost no one has walked the course at our local schooling jumper shows. They prefer to run around with the trainer yelling the jump colors. But you can always hope.

[fivestrideline]

Course walks are rare even at the bigger schooling shows in my area. It’s available, but few of the lower levels seem to take advantage.

If you’re able, the courses for everything will be the same minus height (and maybe changing verticals to oxers) so it’s easier and competitors can do a course walk in the morning before the show if they want. Then you can have a second course walk for the gamblers choice if you choose to do one.

[Peggy]

Agree with what has already been said.

One thing that helps is to run an open card with a one-round class (optimum time or speed and a II.2 (b or c or d) class, utilizing essentially the same course. So the one-round course might be 1-n and then the first round of the second course is 1-n or maybe a few fewer jumps. People get to do the same course twice for practice. Back to back is more efficient and easier on the ring crew. Also helps people with less experience if the jumpoff starts with the same first few fences as the first round.

As far as II.2 a vs b vs c vs d? II.2.a takes longer and is harder on horses. II.2.b is probably the easiest for less experienced riders since you have a chance to regroup and think about the jumpoff course. I’m personally a fan of II.2.d since everyone gets to do the jumpoff, but people need to understand how it’s scored.

[Night_Flight]

Must be a very regional thing, then! Where I am, the course walks even at the lower-level shows happen before every class and tend to take forever. I was always the one who walked earlier in the day and then was waiting to go first in the ring for my class while everyone sloooowly finished up their course walk.

[Janet]

Same here.
Around here (No VA) people DO walk the courses at the schooling jumper shows, though many (especially on the lower courses) still have the trainer yelling “green vertical”, etc.

[Flyaways]

@fivestrideline

If you’re able, the courses for everything will be the same minus height (and maybe changing verticals to oxers) so it’s easier and competitors can do a course walk in the morning before the show if they want. Then you can have a second course walk for the gamblers choice if you choose to do one.

@Peggy

One thing that helps is to run an open card with a one-round class (optimum time or speed and a II.2 (b or c or d) class, utilizing essentially the same course.

Excellent suggestions. I would put all of the standards out in place for the oxers (but without cups) so you don’t have to move standards around in the middle of the day. Similar for any planks, gates, fill, etc. you want to add as the jumps get bigger; have it “staged” close by outside of the arena (or in the arena, if you don’t think it will cause too many spooks) and plan what jump it will go in before the show starts.

[erinmeri]

I haven’t shown in decades, although I am now ready to show again and am just waiting for finances to catch up.

I agree speed classes aren’t appropriate at lower levels. I also think optimal time is wise at lower levels. Money aside, one reason I dread showing at lower levels is all the running and gunning. Speed classes encourage that.

Gambler’s Choice is fun, and I loved them, but only think they are fun and appropriate once you are confident and brave and smart - usually at higher levels.

One thing I will add is that all tables have trade offs. When I showed last, my classes almost exclusively went under II.2.a and we returned for jump off. The other tables make me, as a rider, nervous… they are a lot more for me to remember and manage in the ring. I like to take a breath. So, I am dreading them! That said, I get why they make sense for show management.

[lcw579]

I organized a successful schooling jumper show for years. We stated that we followed USEF rules in the prize list so that if there was any confusion about eliminations or other matters we had a rule book to refer to. The fact my judge was also a USEF steward came in handy once or twice - schooling show or not people are competitive and we had great prizes.

As everyone said, three classes are all you need per division. Optimum time instead of a speed class, power and speed for the second, and then a jump off class. I’d probably list it as a/b in the prize list and then decide day of whether people were jumping off directly or coming out. Some riders just want to get it done and others want to experience coming back. Only you know your local crowd.

In our area people do walk courses so we allowed time for that before each division. Some people would also do a quick walk while we switched the fence numbers. We did not run an open card. We usually had a lot of entries and it was just too much to keep track of. If you do, you will need to have different colored numbers for the fences so people will know which fence they are looking for. That’s another reason we just did one class at a time. But I was lucky to have 3 rings going.

We used to do two special money classes at the end of the day at higher heights. Usually a Mini Prix and a Gambler’s Choice. Honestly the numbers for the Gambler’s started falling off even with prize money. It’s a lot of work because you have to move the fences to make sure they can be jumped both directions. It’s a fun class if the interest is there and you have good riders who go in with a plan. If not - it’s bad. I wouldn’t recommend it at lower heights.

Running a show is a lot of work but it is great fun. The smiles on the faces of happy riders makes it all worth it!

[stargzng386]

I just worked a set schooling jumper shows the past few weeks. There was a gambler’s choice with a cash prize and no one entered. I would def take that one out same for Jack Pot that just seems dangerous for the lower levels at the schooling shows.

I would consider adding poles and cross rails. We had both and clear rounds got a clear ribbon and limited it to 5 fences so it didn’t take forever. Then it jumped to 2’3 and went up from there. They were speed so timed clear rounds. A lot of ppl show up for poles and cross rails with cute little kids on ponies and really green horses. This show offered unlimited rounds at any height because it was a schooling show. If a round didn’t go well they could just add another.