Wow what a busy day today chatting with so many people on all different levels regarding the Freshmans debate. It was suggested that I highlight one very important piece of information. Why ? , becasue loads of people have been actually not aware of the ruling and what it means. So many people have said I did not know that, I was doing the wrong thing !
Here is one very important piece of information to clarify the rule
You have a young horse and its DOB is 14th December 2014. It is not registered yet becasue you are waiting to see if this horse is what you wish to ride in official classes. Be aware “this horse is unable to be ridden at an ANY event in a class under 1.04m. So no starts in 45cm – even if you are thinking all classes under 1.04m are deemed unofficial. They are official classes becasue all of them have an Article to them. Therefore run under EV rules.
Do you know what an Article is ?
An Article is a set of numbers that differentiate what type of showjumping class is being held. One of the most common Article’s is a 273.2.1, my point being they are just a combination of numbers. Because all the classes held in Ring 2 contain an Article they are deemed official. Even though many people thought under 1.04m is un-official.
You cannot ride your young horse who has a DOB 14th December 2014
This horse cannot be ridden in Ring 2 in classes from 45cm to 1.04m becasue they have an Article attached to them. If the class was worded Freshmans go right ahead. You are fine. Once your horse reaches its birth date ‘ 14th December 2018 you are free to participate. Be aware as so many people have said their horse is not 4 years until say EARLY 2019, you CANNOT take it to Ring 2 now / today. You must wait until it reaches its actual birth date in 2019 and is 4 years of age.
We are all on same page
Now that this has surfaced which is wonderful every body is now well aware that you cannot carefully jump your lets word it right, “Rising 4 year old horse in Ring 2 in classes starting at 45cm “. You are breaking the rules. Know your horses DOB as this is the GOLDEN TICKET to being able to start its training. Unless of course we add a FRESHMANS section to the classes in Ring 2.
We need the wording FRESHMANS added to the programs in smaller classes
We need to have the word Freshmans added to the program asap. In classes in Ring 2 as an option for people producing horses or those who have purchased a new horse / could be an older inexperienced horse to be able to canter around PURELY for training purposes. This brings with it no pressure on the rider or horse. No jump offs either and only to a certain height. Does not have to be at every show but at least at some to make up for the Freshmans days dying.
So many points of view
Of course there are so many more facets that come with this suggestion and some have said it will take to long ‘ it takes ages already. Sure we hear you but EV / EA jumping is about producing showjumpers and if we do not have the foundation to do so where will you be able to make the start. So remember you are not allowed to start your rising 4 year old in Inter-schools ‘ cannot go HC as they all hold classes with an Article ‘ …the class must only be a FRESHMANS. Hope this has helped clarify the rules for many riders who have been entering your rising 4 year old / youngsters in these classes since Ring 2 appeared and Freshmans dying.
Before you go
All horses and riders must be registered to compete in official classes. This is where we get confused becasue why are horses not registered in classes under 1.04m if they are deemed official due to the Article’s attached. Can anyone explain……