Tell me about YJC

[selah]

In a current thread, YJC was mentioned as a way to get young jumpers "out there" in a relatively affordable way. I managed to find a website, which seems to be broken in several key areas, so I thought I'd ask for info/experiences here...such as approximate cost, how many shows do you generally do in a season, benefits, downside, geographic availability of shows...

TIA for info!

[Nod Hill Farm]

this link works

http://www.youngjumpers.com/

To qualify for league finals (geographic) you basically need to put up 3 clear rounds, from what I saw looking over last years standings.

The link to rules and qualifying works. You'll be able to see heights, scoring, etc. Maybe later in the season they'll have standings updated.

[tuckawayfarm]

The YJC classes are held at most of the AA shows. There is no nominating fee and the class fees are reasonable. The Qualifying classes offer prize money so it is possible to recover the entry fee.

The courses are straight forward and inviting, but they are not "puddle jumper" classes. 5yo jump 1.10m, 6yo 1.2m, and 7/8yo 1.3m with the fences going up slightly midway through the season.

While you can probably find classes held close enough to you to keep your travel expenses minimal, that might not be true for the finals which are held in CA and NY. Being held at the big venues offers a lot of exposure though, so if you had a hot prospect, I think it would be well worth the trip.

[MCarverS]

The courses are straight forward and inviting, but they are not "puddle jumper" classes. 5yo jump 1.10m, 6yo 1.2m, and 7/8yo 1.3m with the fences going up slightly midway through the season.


Just to clarify,

5 year olds jump: 1.15 m before June 1, 1.20m
after June 1.

6 year olds jump: 1.20-1.25m before June 1,
1.25m after June 1.

7/8 year olds jump: 1.25-1.30m for 7&8-year-olds,
before June 1, 1.30-1.35 after
June 1.

[r3dd0g]

There are actually 3 Finals...at Showpark All Seasons (CA), Hampton Classic (NY) and Kentucky National. This year Kentucky will move to Lamplight (Chicago) because of WEG, but will return to Kentucky in 2011.

[Tiki]

It's a lot like the Young Horse Classes for Dressage. The YJC is looking for horses with Grand Prix jumping potential. The courses are NOT done for speed and the fences are not tricky/trappy. They are looking for upper level potential. Many of the horses that win in the 5 and 6 yo classes do go on to the the GP when they are ready without doing the 7/8 yo classes. The horses that win at the 7/8 yo classes usually wind up at, and are successful at, either National or International GP. It is a great place for good horses to be seen.

As far as shows, most of the good ones are in the south early in the year. There aren't as many, and the competition isn't as stiff in the Mid-Atlantic area. Sometimes they have to combine age classes for ribbons, although the scores do get reported separately. I don't think the scores count for YJC if there are less than 4 age related horses in a class, although I may be wrong on that. The points don't get awarded if there are 3 or less horses in the class, so I don't think the class counts.

[MCarverS]

In a current thread, YJC was mentioned as a way to get young jumpers "out there" in a relatively affordable way. I managed to find a website, which seems to be broken in several key areas, so I thought I'd ask for info/experiences here...such as approximate cost, how many shows do you generally do in a season, benefits, downside, geographic availability of shows...

TIA for info!

Cons: We have used this program with our young jumpers and so far so good. I would say that our location makes this possible. When we lived in NY, it was hard to find shows within a reasonable distance aside from HITS Saugerties that offered them.

We also found that the non-A shows that offered this class did not necessarily follow the course design rules and I found the courses to be "trappy" for the intended age group.

It's also hard to bring young jumpers along in this program if they were born late in the year or had a late start. The levels that these horses are supposed to be jumping are demanding. If you have a late foal, chances are that they won't be ready as technically not yet 5 year olds to jump around a 1.15m course, and if you wait until after June 1st, the height goes up to 1.20m.

However, I'd say that they pros outweight the cons.

Pros: If you do go to a properly run horse show that offers these classes, the courses will in fact be inviting and age appropriate.

They are a great way to "test" your horse against other horses of that same age group.

It gives you a yearly goal for each of your horses and benchmarks where they should and what they should be able to handle in a course. Obviously this greatly depends on the individual horse.

At most A-rated shows, the classes are held in the grand prix ring, so the young horses get to see the big fill and big ornate standards that hopefully they will be jumping when they get to that height.

Usually the BNT and mostly Pros ride in the classes, so if you truly do have a spectacular youngster, it might be picked up by a pro for themselves.

It is in fact fairly cost effective. Since we primarily show our young horses in the YJC classes with perhaps one warm up class, it makes for a very inexpensive A-rated horse show because the classes are usually held only 1x a week. Also, there is no nomination fee for the 5 year olds and in the other YJC classes where there is a nomination fee, there is usually a bit of prize money offered to help counter those fees.

So all in all, I think it's a great program and hope that it continues to thrive.

[PineTreeFarm]

Like the IHF you need to pay to play. The recording fee is very reasonable if you do it early in the year.
Keep in mind the bonus $$ only go to horses who are by a nominated stallion.

These classes are NOT limited to AA shows, In fact there are 4-5 shows in NJ that offer these classes at a C-B rated series. This makes it relatively affordable.
In NY the Hits shows at Saugerties offer these classes at all their shows.
HITS also has the classes in FL, VA and CA. PSJ runs them in Aiken, and RMI also holds them. You can find these classes thoughout the country.

Also, only one of the classes at a show is a qualifier.

Here's a link to current rules:
http://www.youngjumpers.com/forms/rules.pdf

[MCarverS]

These classes are NOT limited to AA shows, In fact there are 4-5 shows in NJ that offer these classes at a C-B rated series. This makes it relatively affordable.


Beware though. Before moving to Florida we attended some of these NJ C-B shows with one of our then 5 year olds and found the courses to not be according to the specifications. So just double check with management. This may have changed as we flagged it to the YJC office who were great and said they'd look into it.

[PineTreeFarm]

Beware though. Before moving to Florida we attended some of these NJ C-B shows with one of our then 5 year olds and found the courses to not be according to the specifications. So just double check with management. This may have changed as we flagged it to the YJC office who were great and said they'd look into it.

The specs are very loose. So there really isn't much besides height ,combinations, liverpools.

In ZONE II for the 6 week period from mid April to mid May there are about 10 shows that offer these classes.
FOUR SEASONS NJ A
WOODEDGE NJ A
PRINCETON SHOW JUMPING LEVEL 3
SNOWBIRD B
HUNTER FARMS A
GARDEN STATE AA
OLD SALEM AA
ST CHRISTOPHERS PA AA
SNOWBIRD B
HITS AA

Apparently you don't know that the shows I think you are mentioning are being run by different management. So you might want to rethink the 'beware' comment.
In any event I'll pass along the comment to current show management.

[tuckawayfarm]

There are actually 3 Finals...at Showpark All Seasons (CA), Hampton Classic (NY) and Kentucky National. This year Kentucky will move to Lamplight (Chicago) because of WEG, but will return to Kentucky in 2011.

Thanks for the info. I'm glad to hear they are keeping a central final. :)

It's also hard to bring young jumpers along in this program if they were born late in the year or had a late start.

We have one currently competing who has an October birthday. You can wait to start as a 6yo, or wait until late spring to start. I'd suggest that if you elect to start a late baby, wait as long as you can but start before June 1st when the level increases. As a 6yo year, the age difference was not an issue.

[selah]

Thanks to everyone for the great info!

[ne1]

The specs are very loose. So there really isn't much besides height ,combinations, liverpools.


i have hit this problem as well. i would not say the specs are loose, but would agree there is some flexibility. however i have been to shows in the northeast (specifically nj) where courses have been stricly outside the parameters given, regardless.

i don't suppose it is a common problem, but i walk yjc courses a little more circumspectly. i didn't have any in the yjc last year, but prior to that it was not unusual to find course builders not familiar with details like when in the summer heights begin to rise, and that that height change is intended to be gradual.

without exception course builders and show managers i have met are willing to talk and listen and check their reference material in an effort to keep competitors happy and courses within specs.

[Tiki]

i didn't have any in the yjc last year, but prior to that it was not unusual to find course builders not familiar with details like when in the summer heights begin to rise, and that that height change is intended to be gradual. I took my then 6yo to one of those shows in NJ in March last year, and every . single . jump was at the maximum height for the 6 yo's - at the very, very beginning of the season! She still jumped clear, and even jumped the huge, huge puddle at the end of the ring, showing the judge that she could also handle water jumps very well, thank you very much! ;) My trainer/rider said that the shows are only required, and usually only have, one jump at the maximum height, and usually not that early in the season.

It can be much more difficult to find shows around here in the early part of the year when the heights are more inviting, thanks to the weather and the later start for the show season, but it's a great program.

You do have to declare a region when you sign the horse up - either east, west or central, and I think you have to stay within your region for the classes to count for the finals.

[Sakura Hill Farm]

Another point to watch very carefully in the C-B shows is footing. These youngsters not only need inviting courses, but also secure footing to develop their confidence and this is not always available in the C-B shows. Another point of annoyance, although this occurs at the A shows as well, is that the course designers design one course for the entire YJC division, merely raising the jumps as the age rises to 6- and 7-8 yrs. We flagged this to the management last year as it was standard fare at HITS Ocala with ALL the course designers. It is a learning experience for all- course designers, show management , horses, owners and riders, but all in all, we find it to be an excellent program.

I must add, however, that , while there is one class per show week for the 5- yr.olds, that increases to two and three for the older horses.

[PineTreeFarm]

Tiki
Your trainer would be so wrong about the 'only one jump at the maximum height' comment.

USEF rules do allow some variation in the height of the fences but it's usually within 2" ( or whatever that is in meters ) of the required height. This is true for all jumper divisions.
Many trainers seem to have incorrect information about the heights of the fences and there was a change in height in this year's rule book. There is a provision for Young Jumpers about the height of the first fence and first fence in combos. Maybe that's what your trainer meant.

Sakura Hill:
"I must add, however, that , while there is one class per show week for the 5- yr.olds, that increases to two and three for the older horses."

Hmmm. every show I've been to and every show I have a prize list for has 3 classes in each age section.
But there is just one Qualifying class allowed per show under the Young Jumper rules.
So I'm curious, which shows only have one 5 yr old class?

A show can offer young jumper classes under USEF rules but they do not have to offer any classes for the Young Jumper Program. The points and rankings for the two programs are entirely separate.

Nei:
What was the course violation you mentioned.?
"1) Triple combinations may not be included before June 1st;
(2) only one spread obstacle may be included in any combination before June 1st;
(3) when using a vertical over any liverpool, the rails must be in the center;
(4) no liverpool may be used as part of a combination; and
(5) the first fence and the (a) portion of any combination must be set 5cm lower than the height specified for the class

[Sakura Hill Farm]

Sakura Hill:
"I must add, however, that , while there is one class per show week for the 5- yr.olds, that increases to two and three for the older horses."

From Pinetree---"Hmmm. every show I've been to and every show I have a prize list for has 3 classes in each age section.
But there is just one Qualifying class allowed per show under the Young Jumper rules.
So I'm curious, which shows only have one 5 yr old class?

A show can offer young jumper classes under USEF rules but they do not have to offer any classes for the Young Jumper Program. The points and rankings for the two programs are entirely separate."

HITS Ocala, RMI, Jacksonville

We are talking about the YJC program classes. That is the topic raised by the OP.

[PineTreeFarm]

Sakura Hill:
"I must add, however, that , while there is one class per show week for the 5- yr.olds, that increases to two and three for the older horses."

From Pinetree---"Hmmm. every show I've been to and every show I have a prize list for has 3 classes in each age section.
But there is just one Qualifying class allowed per show under the Young Jumper rules.
So I'm curious, which shows only have one 5 yr old class?

A show can offer young jumper classes under USEF rules but they do not have to offer any classes for the Young Jumper Program. The points and rankings for the two programs are entirely separate."

HITS Ocala, RMI Jacksonville

We are talking about the YJC program classes. That is the topic raised by the OP.

Yeah I know that. But I also know you aren't even close to being the thread police.
I'd remind you that you opened the door with the comment about only one class for 5 yr old's being run.
Can you answer the question about where there are only one 5 yr old class run?
In general, there are 3 classes run. ONLY ONE CLASS CAN BE A YJ QUALIFIER. But shows can hold other classes that do count for the USEF standings.

[Sakura Hill Farm]

Yeah I know that. But I also know you aren't even close to being the thread police.
I'd remind you that you opened the door with the comment about only one class for 5 yr old's being run.
Can you answer the question about where there are only one 5 yr old class run?
In general, there are 3 classes run. ONLY ONE CLASS CAN BE A YJ QUALIFIER. But shows can hold other classes that do count for the USEF standings.

I have answered the question in my last post. We personally are familiar with three circuits in which there is only one class for 5 Year olds run in the context of the YJC program at each show. Other than the YJC class, there are no classes for 5 Year olds. Hence, there is one class for 5 Yr. olds at the shows in the circuits mentioned in my previous post.

[Tiki]

PineTreeFarm, your comment about the height of the fences varying only 2 inches is not in question. The problem with the show in NJ in MARCH was that according to the rules:

6 year olds jump: 1.20-1.25m before June 1,
1.25m after June 1.

Every jump in the class, IN MARCH, was set to 1.25m! I think that even you could agree that that is not according to the YJC rules.