# Fourth Show....Results are "rigged"



## Ripplewind (Mar 22, 2012)

I've been showing, finally! I am always in the jumping classes, but the courses are so darn hard to remember!

This past show (yesterday, in fact), I was in two jumping classes (2'3" to 2'6" max). I remembered the first course perfectly, and I got first against the only other competitor in that class. The notorious #1010. Allow me to expand: This girl has been jumping for six years, and showing for a long time. She is VERY good. Now, normally, I welcome the chance to ride against someone like this. But NOT when her MOTHER is the person who designs the courses! That's right. This girl's mom (who is very nice....or was. I still like her, though, even though she helps her daughter cheat) makes the courses VERY difficult. WAY more difficult than they ought to be at dinky little local shows like this. Basically, this girl, 1010, gets to learn the courses a week in advance, and I learn them five minutes before my number is called. And I have to go before she does, because my number is 49.

The ONLY reason I beat her in my first jumping class was because her horse knocked a pole and then had a refusal. The next jumping class I was in (which was right after the first), I remembered the first jump....Only the first jump. I was out there looking like a fool, trying to remember which one came after and jumping random jumps in the process, and having three refusals because I couldn't set my horse up right. This girl did it FLAWLESSLY. And what's worse: She looked like she had done the course before. None of the courses are the same. She looked like she had been practicing all week so that she put beat us to a jam and spread us on her toast.

She's a nice girl. She really is, and so is her mother. I just don't see how this is fair.

At least I beat her, though. I had never beaten her before. And getting second (once again) in the next course really wasn't that bad. It was our sponsor show, so first place got a groom tote, which I really didn't need, and second place got a pair of brand new half chaps, which I was already shopping for online. So I got first place and a pair of half chaps. And another second place and a third place in rail classes.

It was a good day. The only vice was the unfairness of the courses.


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

That does stink but look at the positive, even with having the extra advantage you still beat her :wink:


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## EthanQ (Sep 5, 2011)

I agree with MH haha we've all had those people that just aren't fair at shows. The girl who cleans up at our local shows has a professionally trained reining horse that her Grandma does all the training adn tuning with, the girl just hops on and shows, and doesn't even tack up her horse! Just remember, you play fair and that's what people will remember you as, hard working and trying! not winning and learning nothing. haha hope that made sense! Good luck on your jumping! Always wanted to do it


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## Breella (May 26, 2012)

Girls who have things handed to them suffer later in life when they have to actually earn things.

You did well, and it sounds like you will continue to do so.


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## Ripplewind (Mar 22, 2012)

Haha, thanks guys. He did do as well as I would have liked. He was pretty sluggish and lazy yesterday....maybe because I jumped him 3ft a few times the night before....I over prepared him, lol, which wore him out.


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## dressagebelle (May 13, 2009)

I remember doing a show years ago, and there was a girl with this Arabian, and while everyone else was working their own horse, tacking up, grooming etc., she had her, I'm assuming trainer, do the tacking up and the lunging. She got on the horse to do the classes, then promptly handed horse back to trainer. Now this was a 4-h FFA show, big year end show, but no one else had a personal trainer like that. She placed in the top 3 in every class that she did, but I agree with Breela.

When both these girls finally have to actually work for their success, which they will eventually, they will be suffering having to learn, where as you will already be there, because you've had to do the work all along, and already mastered that lesson. Good luck to you in future shows! 

I was always lucky, and was able to watch several other people go before I did, and I've also always been pretty good at memorizing things, but it sounds like you don't get that opportunity. I wish I could give you some advice on how to better memorize a course, but I at a loss. Hopefully someone else can give you some tips and pointers.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Well done for beating her.
I'm afraid there are always going to be the types who just 'hop on' a ready made pony. When we were showing you would see all the grooms working in the kids very expensive ponies and they just get on and go in the ring on them like a lot of clockwork mice
That does not make for a good rider though
I do think the coursebuilding thing is unfair though. I worked for someone (UK) who held several shows a year and I used to build the courses to a plan. I was not allowed to enter these classes and none of the people who kept their horses on the yard were allowed to go anywhere near the course before the day. We were really strict about it.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

Congrats on your results, well done..

I understand why you chose your title, but I think it's a little unfair, the results aren't actually 'rigged' as such, if you went clear, and she had several poles down, and fell off and still won, well that's rigged:lol:

You don't know for sure that she practices the course, she may do, she may not, but you know you can beat her, because you did, and that is awesome. Maybe she has a good memory, and just had a good class, maybe she has been practising, who knows? 

I sympathize with you having such a short time to remember courses, I'm lucky I do the same dressage tests all year, but still use a reader sometimes I seem to recall that jumping course were easier to remember though, mind you that was like 100's of years ago, everything was easier to remember.


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## NBEventer (Sep 15, 2012)

It is unfair, but also seems to be the common theme at schooling shows. Good job though on the first place and new half chaps!

I understand the frustration of forgetting courses. I am horrible for going off course at least once a year. My brain just seems to fall out and I canter around going "where am I supposed to be going anyway?". And i've been showing for almost 20 years! lol. So don't stress. We all do it. I have seen big name riders forget their courses. 

One thing that can help though is instead of memorizing it as "quarter line side roll back diagonal side etc..." try memorizing it as "blue quarter line to brown outside line to flower box diagonal etc" by memorizing them with the colour or style of fence it will help make it a bit easier to know where you are going. And hey... if you ever decide to do jumpers instead of hunters the fences are numbered at most shows! lol


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## Ripplewind (Mar 22, 2012)

Golden Horse said:


> Congrats on your results, well done..
> 
> I understand why you chose your title, but I think it's a little unfair, the results aren't actually 'rigged' as such, if you went clear, and she had several poles down, and fell off and still won, well that's rigged:lol:
> 
> ...


Yeah, I think I'll change the title. But the thing is: My trainer knows the mom personally, and I think he has worked with her in the past. He's not the kind of person who talks a lot, but when he does speak, he rarely makes a mistake and he always says what's important, so I trust that he knows what he's talking about when he says that she probably knew the course a week in advance. I wasn't the only rider who had trouble with that course. They used the course twice in that show. One was in a class with 2' max, and the other time was in my class. There were three riders in the shorter fences class, and two of them had trouble with the course. One of them screwed up almost as badly as I did. ><


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## Ripplewind (Mar 22, 2012)

Nevermind. I think I timed out to change the title....


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## Ripplewind (Mar 22, 2012)

NBEventer said:


> It is unfair, but also seems to be the common theme at schooling shows. Good job though on the first place and new half chaps!
> 
> I understand the frustration of forgetting courses. I am horrible for going off course at least once a year. My brain just seems to fall out and I canter around going "where am I supposed to be going anyway?". And i've been showing for almost 20 years! lol. So don't stress. We all do it. I have seen big name riders forget their courses.
> 
> One thing that can help though is instead of memorizing it as "quarter line side roll back diagonal side etc..." try memorizing it as "blue quarter line to brown outside line to flower box diagonal etc" by memorizing them with the colour or style of fence it will help make it a bit easier to know where you are going. And hey... if you ever decide to do jumpers instead of hunters the fences are numbered at most shows! lol



I tried memorizing the colours, but they changed them once the fences were set to the next height. They also switched out a pair of standards for a different pair, also a different colour. Not sure why they did that.

Oh well. I'll try better next show!


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## NBEventer (Sep 15, 2012)

Ripplewind said:


> Oh well. I'll try better next show!


That is the best way to look at it. These schooling shows are for us to learn from. Not beat ourselves up over 

Do they not post your courses in advance? If so maybe try drawing it out and tracing your finger over it again and again. Then zone everyone out and focus on what you need to do. I actually will tell my coach to buzz off before I go into a class because I don't want to listen to last minute snips of advice. I have three things to focus on and only those three things. Path, Pace and Position. 

Maybe ask your coach at home to keep giving you random courses last second to help you prepare yourself for different courses at home. It helps train your mind on it.


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## maura (Nov 21, 2009)

I'm confused, are we talking about hunter courses or jumper courses?

If it's hunters, knowing the course ahead of time isn't really much of an advantage, unless you've had the opportunity to school the actual course ahead of time.

If its a jumper course, maybe, if the course contained a difficult turn or difficult related distance being able to set that up and practice at home would be an advantage, but only a slight one as it probably would ride differently at the show.
Also, jumper courses should have the fences numbered and flagged, which makes remembering them a lot easier.

Glad you did well!

The bad news is there are those kind of people at every show and on every show circuit, so you might as well get used to it.


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## HorsegurlHR (Jul 3, 2012)

Here's a trick for not forgetting your course AND getting good distances to the fences! 
1. Try to memorize the course as best as you can.

2. As you do your courtesy circle and approach the first fence, chant in you head a keyword* for the first fence followed by a keyword for the second fence. For example: if your first fence is a red verticle and your second is a blue over, chant in our head "red to blue oxer, red to blue oxer." Say it in time with your horses stride! 

3. Once you've jumped the imaginary red verticle, your chant will be altered. Lets say the fence after the oxer is an orange vertical. Now you say in your head " blue oxer to orange, blue oxer to orange."...you get the idea.

*keywords can be based off of anything that will help your brain recognize a specific fence. It could be the fence's color, shape, size, style etc. Always come up with keywords while you first learn the course! This is very important. Hope this helps!


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## Roperchick (Feb 1, 2010)

> I remember doing a show years ago, and there was a girl with this Arabian, and while everyone else was working their own horse, tacking up, grooming etc., she had her, I'm assuming trainer, do the tacking up and the lunging. She got on the horse to do the classes, then promptly handed horse back to trainer. Now this was a 4-h FFA show, big year end show, but no one else had a personal trainer like that. She placed in the top 3 in every class that she did, but I agree with Breela.


we had a girl like that...really ended up sucking for her when she got to county fair and the rules stating that you "CANNOT have a trainer ride your horse at the show".

she lost her first class of the day to me (English eq.) so she stormed out of the arena, threw the reins at her trainer and let the trainer get on and discipline the horse...then she got DQ'ed because the judge saw her trainer on the horse!

believe me i know it seems unfair to have girls like that and cheaters in general...but what counts isnt the ribbon, its the notice you get for being a good fair competitor, and for putting in the hard work to get your horse that way....

who do you think people will go to down the line? the girl who cheats/doesnt train or ride their own, or the girl who put in the hard hours and spent the time with their horse. and then went out and beat the cheater fair and squaree? dont sweat it...believe me the right people will take notice of you.


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## Thehorseandhis Girl (Aug 30, 2013)

How many shows have You have?


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## upnover (Jan 17, 2008)

I would say the main disadvantage you have is that she's been riding for 6 years and showing for a long time and you haven't. (Why is she showing against you?). The show wasn't "rigged", she just had the advantage of experience and a little future knowledge. The more you ride and the more shows you've done the better you get. You know what to expect and the courses get so much eaiser to remember. I can usually just glance over a jumper course once or twice and know it. And if I've done my homework (worked on the hard turns, worked on making my horse as adjustable rideable, fit, and used to jumping different things as I can) then usually I can do a decent job of it. Shows are not a place to teach your horse techniques, you do that at home. Rollbacks, bending lines, combinations, scary fences, etc. Shows usually have them so get good at them at home. Practice learning long courses and learning them quick. And over time it won't matter how much the other girl got to know the course or practice it. And as the jumps get bigger and the courses more technical, it'll come to bite her in the butt if she can't do the work herself.


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## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

This is a 2012 thread...
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Roperchick (Feb 1, 2010)

Isn't there a notice saying something like "this threads is over 90 days old are you sure you want to post" thing??? Lol.


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