🏆 Fall Classic: Start the Weekend Your Way

10 minutes ago

2 min read

Some horses want to see the ring first. Some riders want one quiet trip before the weekend begins. And some horses step off the trailer ready to go.

The Fall Classic leaves that choice to you.

Ticketed Schooling opens the competition rings on Friday, October 2, giving horses and riders the opportunity to get comfortable before Saturday's classes begin. But Friday is not another required day of competition. It is simply there if it helps.

School If You Need It

There are plenty of good reasons to school on Friday.

A young horse may benefit from seeing the jumps and surroundings without the pressure of a class.

A rider moving into a new division may want a chance to settle into the ring.

A horse who has never shown at Beverly may simply be happier on Saturday after having walked through the in-gate once already.

That is what schooling is for.

And because you do not have to be entered in the Fall Classic to participate in Friday Ticketed Schooling, it can serve another purpose, too. Local riders who aren't ready to compete that weekend can still come experience the rings, school away from home and make Beverly a little more familiar for next time.

That fits an idea we have been talking about throughout this countdown: start where you are. Sometimes the next step isn't entering the show. Sometimes it is simply schooling the ring.

Skip It If You Don't

There is another kind of horse who doesn't need Friday at all.

Maybe your horse knows Beverly. Maybe he has had plenty of mileage this season. Maybe arriving Saturday morning keeps his weekend simpler. If an extra day doesn't add anything useful, don't add one just because it is available.

That is part of the design of the Fall Classic, too.

We want to give you the pieces you may need without turning every option into another obligation. Friday schooling is available. Saturday and Sunday are the competition. Use the weekend in the way that makes sense for your horse.

That is particularly important late in the season. By October, you know more about the horse you are riding than you did in the spring. You know whether another trip helps. You know whether familiarity builds confidence. And you know when the better preparation is simply to leave well enough alone.

Trust that.

School Friday. Arrive Saturday. Come school even if you aren't showing.

There isn't one right way to begin the weekend.