Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Summer Preview

I started putting together next year's show schedule this morning. It began by my need to calculate how many bus tickets I needed to buy for January, and it just kind of snowballed into making my 2016 vacation tracker and then planning some vacation and that meant checking out USDF.org and picking some shows!
I think dressage judges are always looking, darn.
I did pick Region 1 to show in- Region 2 Championships are 8 hours away. So are Region 1 Championships... so I'll just stick with my "close by" shows that are 3-4 hours away and not fiddle with changing my Region affiliation.

I picked 8 shows that span 5 weekends (plus Championships):


Dates Show Name Location
1 5/21-22/2016 Potomac Valley Dressage
Association (PVDA) Spring 
Leesburg, VA
2 6/4/2016 WPDA June* Quentin, PA
6/5/2016 WPDA June Encore* Quentin, PA
3 6/10/2016 Northern Virginia (NOVA) Breeding Classic
and Summer Dressage Warmup
Leesburg, VA
6/11-12/2016 VADA/NOVA Summer Dressage Festival Leesburg, VA
4 6/26/2016 Dressage at Centre Hall Centre Hall, PA
5 7/30/2016 WPDA Summer Sizzler** Quentin, PA
7/31/2016 WPDA Summer Sizzler Encore Quentin, PA
6 9/15-18/2016 GAIG/USDF Region 1 Championships
and NCDCTA Autumn Leaves Dressage
Williamston, NC
* This GMO usually holds an early summer show the first weekend of June.
If for some reason this show is not held, I'll go to the cheaper single day show
on 6/5/2016: NC PAHA Dressage Show in Hugesville, PA.
** I am assuming this show is pending with the USDF because the Encore
show the next day is official.

Each show has one Regional Championship Qualifying class, which means the weekends that hold "two shows" in one weekend actually have 2 qualifying classes. I just need two scores in 1-3 that are 62%+ in order to qualify. If I get the scores I need early on, I may not keep going to recognized shows because well, June is looking really expensive.

I hate to put all my eggs in one basket in June though. There just wasn't anything in July and August that is close enough for me (not driving 8 hours, sorry!), and you have to have qualifying scores by mid August I believe.

I think I'll go to all the shows in June, and if I have the qualifying scores by then, I'll skip July. Penn will need a rest I think after doing 3 weekends almost back to back. The show in weekend 4 is very important to go to- this is the first time they've offered a show on the weekend (it's usually a Friday) and they're trying to attract more people so I want to go support it. Maybe I'll dump that 3 day weekend (weekend #3). Maybe I should dump the May weekend (weekend #1) since I don't really want to go showing in May, but I don't want the pressure later either.

I'll revisit USDF's website in a couple months to parooze any new shows that are added, and then finalize my schedule.

You can probably see why I don't join any GMOs and just go straight with a Participating Membership (PM): PVDA, VADA, NOVA, WPDA, and NCDCTA are all hosts for these shows, and each group holds so many shows that I'd go broke trying to hit the ones in just one group!

Anyway, if I somehow manage to go to all of these, Penn should have his First Level Horse Performance Certificate by the end of summer... because I don't deserve to go to championships if I can't manage 10-60%+ scores riding 1-2 tests a day at each show!

12 comments:

  1. ooh i like it - both ambitious and attainable. also, fwiw, usually by the time may rolls around i'm *dying* to get back out to a show. perhaps you'll feel similarly?

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    1. I'm just afraid we won't be a adequately prepared for 1-3 by May! I'm sure I'll be dying to take him to a recognized show to see how he does, but I don't want to risk adding a below 60 score to his record!

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  2. That sounds like so much fun! Best of luck to you. I love your planning skills.

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    1. Thank you! I plan because I'm OCD and long term goals/plans really help keep me motivated!

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  3. Ooo there are horse performance certificates? I had no idea! I'm super excited to read about your upcoming show season :)

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    1. Yes! I believe you have to get 10 scores from at least 4 different shows that are 60% or above. The rider ones are only 4 scores, which I find odd. I think the horse ones are for every level though, where rider is just training to second. I can't wait for show season!

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  4. Awesome schedule :) I haven't put any real thought into showing next year. A part of me is afraid of showing in a way I can't really explain. It developed after realizing just how horribly we've been trained. I do want to try out some local unrated shows and a few clinics though, so we'll see.

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    1. You're back on track now! You'll be out there in no time!

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  5. It never fails to amuse me how my show season is basically the exact opposite of yours. We're done by May and start up again in September. It's just too hot otherwise!

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    1. Haha! Yes, absolutely. I don't think there are any recognized shows in this area from mid November until late March. Too cold otherwise and a chance of snow that will stop all travel with a trailer!

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  6. That is an expensive month. Good luck!

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