Very true. But OP was struggling on the flat which is still a crapshoot based on your draw, however less so than the jumping. This shows some holes in OP’s experience, even if just in Horse Showing.
Draw based riding is certainly a leveler - you can’t buy a ribbon, and many people can ride THEIR horse but nothing else!
Yes, totally fair point!!
I wouldn’t even say the OP was struggling. She was 4th out of a group of 10 riders, all of whom had qualified for Regionals by earning 18 points in the flat class by attending a maximum of 5 shows. Seems simple, but there are a lot of people who never qualify for Regionals.
Each year, riders are assigned to their division. If, according to the OP’s other post, she had only shown at 2’9 prior to registering with IEA this year, she would be placed in intermediate. If, at some point this season or before she registers for IEA next year, she shows about .90m, she will have to move into Open. If she doesn’t show above .90m this year, she has one more year to ride in Intermediate, assuming she didn’t earn more than 22 points in intermediate this year. That automatically moves a rider up.
I love IEA. As you might tell since I keep chiming in with rule clarifications, I am happy to answer any questions about the way IEA is run! I think it is a great stepping stone, and it is one of the few times that our sport is seen as a team sport, especially in lower levels or younger kids, where there is no Nations Cup, Young Riders, NCEA, IHSA, etc. it does prepare riders who want to ride in college for IHSA and (to a lesser extent) NCEA. Agreed with the poster above, you would be AMAZED at the riders who are so used to riding their own horse and show in the big eq, or the junior jumpers, and you put them on an IEA horse and they can’t ride one side of it.
We DO use some higher level horses for the upper level classes in my region, especially for the flat classes, so if you know how to calmly and nicely do a little flatwork, you can really show yourself off. For example, we’ve used junior hunters, a junior jumper or two, and several horses that currently compete in the 3’3 or 3’6 equitation classes just this year at a variety of shows. The one thing you have to be careful of is trying to do TOO MUCH flatwork on a horse that you’re not familiar with and pissing it off and ruining its day for the rest of the riders.
OP, if you’re still checking in at all, like others have said it’s hard to know what really “went wrong”, if anything, without video. It could be that there were just 3 riders better than you that day. It could be that the judge likes a particular style more than yours. Truth of the matter is, we’re paying someone else for an opinion, and that opinion may or may not match yours or your trainers. At a recent show I was coaching at, my rider had a pretty flawless trip over fences, and ended up 5th out of 7, when the winner trotted without reason right in front of the judge. I even asked to see the judges card for that one because I truly had no answers for my kid as to why she placed so low. The judges card didn’t give me any info either so it was just the judge’s preference that day.
Agreed - I even have an example on the flat from my catch ride show this past weekend. According to the judges card, one rider and I were pretty much neck and neck, and she had one more plus element than I did. But he apparently liked my overall position better than hers because I placed higher (and he did have a comment about her heels). A different judge could easily have pinned us differently
I concur.
I think it’s great that the kids get the chance to participate in horse shows as part of a team sport and get in the mindset of helping each other and cheering each other on. I’ve also noticed that usually extends all the way down to the walk/trot riders as well, which is a nice thing to see.
Good idea about watching flat classes. I’m pretty good at flat for regular shows but for IEA it’s really different because I don’t know the horse, but it’s a really good idea to watch and learn.
Really awesome point with the over flatting. I watched the video and the main thing was me half seating for a little bit, but also I think I tried too hard to ride the horse. I was doing way to much! I never thought about that before, that’s a really good point to bring up.
To this point, I think judges often look for the riders that look comfortable on the horse - the ones you wouldn’t know are riding the horse for the first time. Remember to post lightly and keep a tight thigh and leg.
There is a term “the invisible ride” in most disciplines. That should be your goal- to be able to make it LOOK like you are just sitting there doing nothing. Of course you aren’t but to an observer- or judge- your ride is so subtle and precise, they don’t notice your application of the aids. No big moves, no “follow the bouncing ball hands”, no swinging legs, no swivel head side to side or up and down. No elbows with every rein adjustment. Just a smooooth ride around. Even if you make a mistake, no drama, no panic just fix it and do not draw attention to it
Make that horse look good. Even if has a trot like a sewing machine, lope like a pogo stick and a jug head, you sit still and make it look like a pleasant ride. And watch your facial expressions, a scowl telegraphs the horse is not doing what you want and a judge might look closer to see what you are unhappy about. Judges don’t have alot of time to decide how to pin the class and cannot see everything, don’t make it easier for them to realize you made a mistake and drop you.
Its an art on a horse you know, much more difficult on a catch ride or draw. But don’t think you need to be the greatest rider in the class, just need to make the judge think that horse is one of the easiest to ride in the class.
Oh, on any catch ride or draw, you hand the reins back, smile and say “thank you, he was lovely” or “that was fun” or “he taught me alot”. The more positive you are, the more confident your rides will be.
Practice, practice and more practice. WATCH every class you can, maybe judge it in your mind, see what the judge sees-its free too.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
