Hi there! My horse and I are going to our first true dressage show next week (we’re eventers so have done lots of dressage AT shows, but never been to a straight dressage show 
) and I told myself last year that I wanted to make it a goal this year to qualify and potentially attend our (semi-local, about a 3 hour drive for us) RCs at Training. Depending on how our scores look next weekend, was thinking about trying to qualify last-minute. We’re in region 8 so I believe there would be a few opportunities, but now I’m looking at the crazy amount of money it would be to register, qualify for and attend RCs - around $1500, not including hotels or anything. How are people affording to do this? Are there grants or scholarships, from USDF or breed organizations perhaps? I ride a Standardbred so definitely something that no one sees very often Would it be worth it to sign up for the memberships this late in the year? Thanks (and sorry for my crazy rant)!
Yeah, horse showing is just expensive. To do any 2-3 shows does quickly add up to $1500 if you need to do stabling not to mention hauling and hotel.
Some people don’t afford it, some just save up the money.
As far as Regional Championships, I think for most of us the reason to go is because it’s really fun, a great facility, etc. IE it’s a vacation.
I don’t know if you have any opportunity to fundraise with an unusual breed or some other aspect of yourself or your story - you always have to ask, what’s in it for someone to sponsor or fund you, versus doing these things themselves or spending their money some other way? If you have a unique story to tell, it’s not impossible - but also not necessarily easier than just earning that money from a job or some other way.
Good luck with your goals!
I think it all depends on why you want to go, what your goals are, and what that is worth to you.
I’ve done regional championships, region 7, several times. My goal each time was to be competitive. I was working at the time so while expensive, I was with a trainer that was budget conscious so it was affordable for me.
Now that I’m retired, I have absolutely no interest in going. Too many other things to spend money on and a lot less money!!
If I’m going to spend that much money, I’d rather spend it on education/clinics with top riders than going to any show. YMMV
The competition is strong at the Reg 8 championships…if your goal is a ribbon take a look at last year scores in your level and see if your scores are competitive. I usually do the regular classes or volunteer there and really enjoy the show! I don’t pay for the championship classes because my scores would not be competitive in the open division.
I think if you look at it as a ‘there I did it’ then saving money to go and treating like a vacation would be fun. If you’re thinking about going to be competitive it doesn’t seem as fun because you’re having to scramble for scores and funds.
Is this something you could plan for next year?
Yeah my mental approach to these types of weekend long away shows is to think of them like taking my horse on vacation with me and having a “horse camp” weekend with all my horse friends. If it’s just about ribbons and scores then it does seem hard to swallow the cost. But if you look at it like vacation, connecting with friends, and spending quality time with your horse, then it can feel more like you are getting value from the cost.
Region 8 is a lot of fun - big show with ~8 rings running, lots of freestyles to watch, competitor party. Classes are mostly large and competitive. Hotels in Kingston are sometimes cheaper than Saugerties, and some barns all chip in on an AirBnB to reduce costs, but it is just an expensive show. Definitely go watch if you don’t show.
Agreed with this! It’s important to think about what your goals are to decide if it’s worth it to you. Going to have fun and say you got to ride at championships? Go for it! That’s my plan with my new horse to get him miles. However, region 8 is indeed super competitive. Training level in region 8 is especially competitive (with a lot of entries). If I remember correctly, last year the training level adult amateur championship class had 30-40 entries and the top 8 were all in the 70s or very close.
I qualified at 2nd level with my old horse last year with scores in the low 60s in region 8 (nice leggy warmblood that just lacked his own motor). I opted not to enter him because we had pretty much no chance of being competitive and I was horse shopping for my next partner so knew that money could be better spent elsewhere. I ended up going horseless to watch others in my barn and had an absolute blast! It’s a super fun show to spectate at. Lots of great musical freestyles and it was fun watching all the upper level classes.
Another flag is that scores often seem to go down at regionals compared to the rest of the season. There is a side judge in all championship classes (usually ends up scoring ~2-3% lower than the judge at C because of their different vantage point) and they’re all S judges, so there are no gift scores. There were multiple horses in the training level class that I had seen go previously with scores in the high 60s to low 70s and they were generally in the mid 60s in the championship class.
