Talk to me about going to a jumper show for the first time

[MHM]

@StormyDay

Once at an AA show I saw a girl competing in a tie die tee shirt. That was a little weird.

If it was a T-shirt without a collar, she was doing it wrong, regardless of the color.

From the USEF rule book:

JP 111.9.c

Standard Jumper Attire. Coats are not required. Breeches of any color are permitted. Shirts (polo shirts are permitted) must have collars and sleeves (sleeves may be either long or short), and must be tucked into breeches. Sleeveless shirts and shirts with exposed hoods are prohibited. Boots are required. Half chaps are permitted as long as the color matches the paddock boots being worn.
d. In extreme weather conditions, the use of jackets, sweaters or raincoats with or without hoods can be allowed by management and/or permission from the Jumper Judge/s. Permission must be granted before entering the competition ring.
e. In cases where the above requirements are not followed, the penalty for a first or minor offense will be a warning and for repeated violations by the same exhibitor at the same event, the penalty may be elimination.

[Moneypitt]

Typically, USEF sanctioned B rated jumpers will have the jumps set ‘soft’. What this soft means is the jump heights and widths are not maxed out for that level. This can be surprising once you get to an A or AA level show at the same height. The jumps suddenly can get a lot bigger.

There are also unsanctioned local shows people refer to as being B shows. I’m really not familiar with those. I imagine they are simply unsanctioned area club shows that accrue points for year end awards. The local shows definitely can set the jumps very soft, IME.

.9-1 M. Your polo tucked in should be just fine. If you do any $$$ classes, say $500+ you might want to throw on a jacket.

Have fun!

[StormyDay]

Yeah I certainly wouldn’t recommend the look. But no collar, tie die, looked like she made it at camp.
Some management is really lax on jumper attire. I guess it really doesn’t matter. I’ve seen some real ‘choices’ in attire over my years in the jumper ring.

[MHM]

@StormyDay

Some management is really lax on jumper attire. I guess it really doesn’t matter. I’ve seen some real ‘choices’ in attire over my years in the jumper ring.

It doesn’t matter until somebody gets eliminated at a different show where the management actually follows the rules.

[StormyDay]

@MHM

@StormyDay

Some management is really lax on jumper attire. I guess it really doesn’t matter. I’ve seen some real ‘choices’ in attire over my years in the jumper ring.

It doesn’t matter until somebody gets eliminated at a different show where the management actually follows the rules.

Oh I meant matters to show management. It certainly matters to me. And there’s quite a few shows that I would be pretty dumbfounded if I saw someone walking around in something that wasn’t at least a button down shirt for jumpers. But for some show management, the hassle of talking to the person isn’t really worth it.

[evntr95]

I am a fellow eventer and also made my debut at USHJA shows this summer!

I don’t know if you already have these ducks in a row, but make sure your horse has a microchip. I know you said you read the rules, but that is a notable difference since we don’t have to have them until FEI in eventing.

At the AA show I went to in May, I showed Fri-Sat in 1.10 adult am jumpers and Sun in 1.0 low adult am jumpers and everyone wore a white shirt w/ buttoned collar (no stock tie), tan pants, and a coat. The rules only specified proper attire for the 1.15 classic (which I scratched out of), so I assumed the default for everything else was “standard”/I could’ve worn a polo with no issue, but I went ahead and wore the coat/matched everyone else. People in the schooling classes were fairly evenly divided on coats vs. polos.

At the B show I went to this past month, most people wore polos and a few wore coats. I wore a polo for my 1.0m and 1.10m classes. At least one person wore dark breeches, which shouldn’t of been allowed as per the rules, but I didn’t see them get reprimanded.

There was definitely a bit of culture shock for me. Be prepared to waste your whole day. The shows I went to used horseshowsonline.com for entries and would post class counts the night before- it seems pretty normal that you can add/scratch classes freely up until the day before. You can estimate 1.5-2min/round to estimate times, but it’s only an estimate. I found out on the last day of the May show that they used shownet.biz to post estimated time schedules/drag breaks.

Bring your husband to set jumps. People are a bit ruthless about “claiming” jumps and you’ll get really dirty looks for just jumping in on a jump, even though it happens to be set at the height and width that you need. Or at least that was my experience. I found that it was just better to have my ground person grab a fence once it was open, stand by it to “claim” it, and then set as needed for my warmup.

I did enjoy myself and it was definitely nice to get to go in a ring multiple times, and I loved that all the fences were dressed up. I’ve experienced some rude/clique-ish-ness at schooling jumper shows before but everyone at the rated shows was either benign or friendly. I wasn’t scared away and am actually planning on one more A show next month before AECs. Good luck and have fun!

[MHM]

@evntr95

At least one person wore dark breeches, which shouldn’t of been allowed as per the rules, but I didn’t see them get reprimanded.

If you check my previous post with the jumper rules on standard attire directly from the rulebook, there is no restriction on the color of breeches now for jumpers.

[asterix]

Zowie folks!
OK, um, I’m totally ok with cliques or no cliques or snotty or not snotty. I am going to PRACTICE. I need to jump some rounds in a new ring with dressed up jumps and then do it again. I AM a nice friendly person and I will try my best to not disrupt anybody’s day with my eventer ways…
But I am not sure I’m going to blend in - what with the roached mane and monoflap saddle, general cluelessness and the lack of fellow barnmates/trainer, etc…
And I love me some Doug Payne but I do not think I’m going to be winning anything.

Let me summarize what I’m reading, with one big question for clarification:

1. Make friends with the in gate person
2. Bring husband to set jumps, hold horse while course walking (found that out today - need to be ready to jump on and go after course walk!), and find out when I might be on the order of go
   2a. Bring beer for husband.
3. Wear polo, tan britches/boots, wouldn’t hurt to have white show shirt and jacket on hand.
4. Er, white pad? Square pad? Shaped pad?? I’ve got it all…what is least offensive?
5. Timing will be hard to pin down no matter how hard I try, suck it up and expect it to take longer than it should.
6. Safety pins! THANK YOU! Had no idea.
7. SO…for a B show… MICROCHIP? This is a biggie. We don’t have a microchip. We have USEF memberships - compete currently at 3rd level at recognized dressage shows, but do I actually need a microchip to jump a couple of 3’ rounds at a B show? Yikes. Please confirm!

Thanks everyone!!!

[MHM]

Most people in jumper classes use a white square pad with some sort of half pad, but there are no rules about it.

By any chance, are you doing outreach classes? That category of classes does not require as much for membership, and they do not require a microchip, either.

Otherwise, it’s possible you could arrange for the show vet to do a microchip on your horse at the show, if it’s not feasible to get it done beforehand.

[OnDeck]

@asterix

SO…for a B show… MICROCHIP? This is a biggie. We don’t have a microchip. We have USEF memberships - compete currently at 3rd level at recognized dressage shows, but do I actually need a microchip to jump a couple of 3’ rounds at a B show? Yikes. Please confirm!

Yes, you need a microchip to do any class at any USEF HJ show.

[MHM]

@OnDeck

Yes, you need a microchip to do any class at any USEF HJ show.

Except for the outreach classes.

From the USEF rule book:

HU 104.3
This rule will have a transition period from December 1, 2017 to November 30, 2018. During this period, animals that are not in compliance with this rule will not receive points or be eligible for Federation and/or USHJA programs and awards. After this period, all horses that are competing in classes which require USHJA registration which are not microchipped will be ineligible to compete in Federation licensed competitions. Exceptions: USHJA Outreach and those activities enumerated in GR901.9, items 1-9.

[OnDeck]

@MHM

Except for the outreach classes.

I should know better than to make broad definitive statements!

[skipollo]

For pads, I mostly see Ogilvy pads/basic thinner pads, sometimes with barn logos embroidered on them.

I use Equestrian Stockholm pads 100% of the time, and I don’t care if someone laughs at me for it but I use the string around the waist for my number. I will cut off one of my own limbs before I put safety pins through those pads

For colors I stick to more conservative. Technically I think you can do whatever you want, but white is always a safe bet. I would use a white pad if ES made one in the jump cut because it’s a classic and crisp look. PS of Sweden makes one but I like ES pads a little more. I would not use a shaped hunter pad.

And yes your horse needs to be microchipped for a rated USHJA class. There might be a few oddball exceptions but the general rule is that you need one. They’re super fast to get done and not too expensive.

[MHM]

@skipollo

I don’t care if someone laughs at me for it but I use the string around the waist for my number.

If it’s good enough for Todd Minikus…

[JenEM]

Microchip is really quick and easy–the vet puts it in and you’re given the paperwork/number at that point, and you can log into USEF and add it to your horse and you’re good to go in one day–there’s not waiting for anything.

White square pad is fine.

[asterix]

Thanks all. Good thing I asked all these questions! Would have been quite the failed outing if I hadn’t!!

[ghst13]

No one is going to care what brand of saddle pad you have or if you do or do not have a half pad. 95% of people will have a white square pad with the number pinned to it (on the side that the in-gate person is on), but if you want to use a shaped hunter or cross-country pad and tie the number around your waist you can certainly do that.

I can’t recall if anyone already mentioned that the warm-up jumps are rarely flagged. You can jump them in either direction as long as they are set properly (no offset oxers, etc). Also, swedish oxers are not permitted as warm-up fences, although they are allowed in the competition course.

Everyone here is much more optimistic than I am in regards to estimating time - I might allocate 2 minutes per round for a speed class, usually I use 3 minutes per trip. Bring your patience.

The in-gate person is definitely your friend. They may tell you they are running certain classes “open card”, which is used when two or more classes are sharing the same course and height. So if you have an open class, a children’s class, and an adult class on the schedule they would run them all concurrently and separately pin them at the end. It can be useful to cut down on wait times and deal with conflicts with other rings. I’ve known a few B shows that will actually have two different courses numbered with separate timers set in the ring and you can do your first class and then go back for a different second class without waiting for the first to finish. If you get confused the in-gate should be able to help.

[Janet]

@asterix

1. SO…for a B show… MICROCHIP? This is a biggie. We don’t have a microchip. We have USEF memberships - compete currently at 3rd level at recognized dressage shows, but do I actually need a microchip to jump a couple of 3’ rounds at a B show? Yikes. Please confirm!

Sorry for not mentioning that.
A- it wasn’t an issue when I was doing USEF jumpers a decade ago
B- You SAID you had read the rule book, so I assumed you had seen that.

You (horse and rider) also need USHJA membership (or maybe a non-member fee). It USED to be that USEA membership waived the USHJA requirement, but not any more.

[TheDBYC]

I have to say that I’ve never registered anyone’s saddle pad other than the fact that it’s there. Fwiw, I watched the 1.20m Open table 2.b at a show. Both a GP level show jumper & a CCI***** eventer were there riding multiple horses. If there was any difference between their tack, I missed it.

From my perspective as the parent of a rider as still halfway in hunter land, the jumpers are a paradise of efficiency & timeliness. I mean, I get that there are delays at bigger shows, but I’m ignoring anything y’all say about that For now, I’m just basking in the Halcyon glow of reasonably accurate class times (I can actually do something else in the same day as a show?? Wooooooo whoooo!) A rider more or less every 2 minutes? Amazing!!

[Moneypitt]

Typically, at the USEF sanctioned shows in my area, there is a warm-up arena for each show arena. So multiple warm-up arenas located nearby the show arenas. I think this might be a requirement by USEF for show approval?

The B sanctioned shows usually have two separate jumper rings and two warm-ups, based upon jump height. Usually, an arena for 1M and lower and another arena for over 1M. More show arenas and warm-ups at A, AA shows. Think the shows with FEI jumpers are actually rated with stars now? So anyway, you would not find jumps set at 2’ and 4’ at the same time, in the same warm-up at a USEF sanctioned H/J show.

Unless, you might find yourself at a local unsanctioned open show. Then, anything goes. All bets are off. Lol.

Maybe it’s very different where you are?