Download Step 05 Summary
STEP 05 OF 06
Badges + Competition
Up to this point, everything has happened inside your riding school.
You placed the students.
You built the lesson structure.
You prepared the trainers.
You started the curriculum and weekly horsemanship education.
Now we connect that education to something measurable.
Badges are how students prove that they are ready to move forward.
Badge Shows are where the education at your barn connects to official UDJC competition.
This is one of the most important parts of the entire Certified Riding School system.
A Badge Is Not a Participation Award
The levels are not based on time served.
A student does not graduate from Level B because they have been there for six months.
A Level E rider does not move to Level A because their friends moved up.
A trainer does not move somebody because the parent is tired of hearing the same level name.
The rider moves when the education is ready and the required Badge is passed.
The lesson trainer and Head Trainer decide together when a student should be presented for the Badge.
The judge then independently evaluates what the student actually demonstrates.
Every required Badge component uses the 7.0 passing standard. The complete Badge must be passed under the current test procedure. If the rider does not pass a required component, they return to the curriculum, work on the missing pieces, and try the complete Badge again when the trainers believe they are ready.
That is not a failure of the system.
That is the system.
The purpose of the Badge is to prevent students from continually being pushed forward while important pieces of their education are missing.
The Trainer Decides When to Enter. The Judge Decides the Result.
There are two separate responsibilities.
The lesson trainer and Head Trainer decide readiness.
They know the student and should know whether the complete level is secure enough to be tested.
The judge owns the official score.
Once the student enters the Badge, the result belongs to the judge.
A trainer can explain the feedback afterward.
A trainer cannot negotiate the score because the child was nervous, because the family traveled, or because everybody hoped the student would move up that weekend.
Judge feedback should become part of the next training plan.
Students Do Not Need to Attempt a Badge at Every Badge Show
This matters.
A Badge Show is not simply an exam session.
It is an educational event.
A rider who is not ready for the next Badge can still:
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Attend the clinic
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Ride appropriate classes
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Receive feedback from the judge
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Practice showing
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Learn how an official event works
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Support teammates
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Prepare for the next Badge Show
Do not rush a student into a Badge simply because a show is on the calendar.
The show calendar creates regular opportunities.
The curriculum determines when the student is ready.
What the Four Badges Mean
Unicorn Badge
Unicorn > Level B
The Unicorn Badge confirms that the young child has completed the age appropriate Unicorn foundation and is ready to leave the Playtime stage for more structured Level B education.
The test remains appropriate for a very young child.
It looks at the riding, handling, safety, confidence, and simple horse knowledge expected from the Unicorn program.
Passing the Badge allows the child to move toward Level B and more focused lunge line education.
Level B Badge
Level B > Level E
The B Badge confirms that the beginner foundation is secure enough for the student to enter the group lesson pathway.
The rider should have the balance, lunge line education, basic control, horsemanship, and independent riding required for Level E.
This is important because Level E is no longer beginner group babysitting.
The rider has to be able to safely function around other horses and riders.
Passing the B Badge is what allows the student to graduate from B into E.
Level E Badge
Level E > Level A
The E Badge is a major step in the pathway.
The current Badge includes:
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E Ability Dressage
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E* Style Jumping at 0.60 m
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The required theory and horsemanship assessment
Each required component must meet the 7.0 standard.
The purpose is not simply to prove that the student can get over 60 cm.
The Dressage, Style Jumping, horsemanship, theory, independence, and overall education are being evaluated together.
Passing the E Badge moves the rider into Level A and into a much more serious part of the performance pathway.
It is also the important educational gate before regular outside UDJC showing.
Level A Badge
The Advanced Riding School Pathway
The A Badge confirms a significantly more complete riding school education.
The current Badge includes:
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A Ability Dressage
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A* Style Jumping at 0.80 m
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The required theory and horsemanship assessment
Again, all required components must meet the 7.0 standard.
The student should now be a much more independent rider and horse person.
Passing the A Badge advances the rider further into the UDJC performance system.
The student is not finished learning.
They are now far better prepared for serious training and competition.
The Badge Show
A Badge Show is the official in house show that makes the entire Certified Riding School system real.
It gives students a recognized goal close to home while introducing them to the standards, organization, judging, and atmosphere of official competition.
A Badge Show is not a casual schooling show with UDJC ribbons added at the end.
It uses official entries, class specifications, judging, scores, results, records, Badges, ribbons, and the UDJC Show Manager system.
Every Certified Riding School Hosts Badge Shows
A Certified Riding School must host at least three Badge Shows during each twelve month certification period.
Four are recommended.
Four works extremely well because it gives the program a natural quarterly rhythm.
Students always have another meaningful goal ahead.
A rider who is not ready today does not feel like they have missed their only opportunity of the year.
A rider who does not pass has time to return to training without being rushed.
And the school has regular opportunities for an independent UDJC judge to see what the program is producing.
The Two Day Format
Day 1: Clinic + Education
The first day is educational.
The UDJC judge works with riders and trainers.
Depending on the school and the judge, that may include:
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Group clinics
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Private sessions
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Badge preparation
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Dressage work
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Jumping work
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Horse and rider problem solving
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Trainer education
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Discussions about students and progression
The judge also gets an opportunity to see the Certified Riding School itself.
That means the horses, trainers, facility, instruction, safety, curriculum, and general operation are not invisible to UDJC after the initial application.
Certification is supposed to remain a meaningful standard.
Day 2: Recognized Competition + Badges
The second day is the official show.
The exact class menu should make sense for the school, facility, horses, and students.
Depending on the program, the show can include:
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Dressage
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Jumping
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Hunters
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Young Horse classes
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Special classes
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Badge components
Not every Certified Riding School needs to run every possible class at every Badge Show.
Build the show that makes sense for your students.
But it is an official UDJC recognized event.
Results are entered into UDJC Show Manager and become part of the national system. Badge Shows use a consecutive clinic and competition format.
Who Should Participate?
Unicorn students
Participation is strongly recommended in an age appropriate format.
For a three or four year old, the experience needs to remain positive, short, and appropriate.
Level B, E, and A students
These students should normally participate in their school's Badge Shows unless specifically excused by the Head Trainer.
Again, participation does not mean that everybody attempts a new Badge.
One student may test.
Another may clinic and compete.
Another may simply need more exposure to the show environment.
All three can receive something useful from the same weekend.
Badge Shows Are Part of the Education
The show is not separate from the curriculum.
It is where we find out whether the education holds up when the environment changes.
Can the student ride accurately with a judge watching?
Can they listen?
Can they manage nerves?
Can they prepare the horse?
Can they accept feedback?
Can they care for the horse correctly before and after the class?
Can they come home from the show and use the result to become better?
That is why showing matters.
Competition should make the curriculum more concrete. It should not cause the school to abandon the curriculum.
The Path Continues Beyond the Riding School
The Badge Show is also the first connection to the larger UDJC performance system.
Students can move from:
Certified Riding School > Badge Shows > Foundation and Circuit Shows > Championships
Not every student needs to follow the entire path.
But the path exists.
That matters.
A beginner parent can walk into a Certified Riding School and understand that there is a system that can take their child from the first pony experience all the way into meaningful national competition.
Performance Levels
Badges and Performance Levels are related, but they are not the same thing.
Badges represent the educational progression through the Riding School pathway.
Performance Levels track development inside recognized UDJC competition.
Once students begin showing, UDJC Show Manager tracks the official competition side, including areas such as:
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Entries
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Results
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Points
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Performance Levels
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Eligibility
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Rankings
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Championship qualification
The software handles much of the technical eligibility work.
Trainers should understand the system, but they do not need to memorize every possible class and Performance Level combination.
Championship Qualification
Badge Shows can also become part of the Championship pathway.
Eligible results at Badge Shows can count toward Open Championship qualification.
Open qualification belongs to the rider and may be earned through Badge Shows, Foundation Shows, and Circuit Shows.
There is an important distinction:
Elite Youth and Young Horse Championship qualification can only be earned at Circuit Shows.
A Badge Show can still offer Young Horse classes and those horses can receive official results and applicable points.
Those results simply do not qualify the horse for the Young Horse Championship.
Why This Matters
This is where the original idea behind UDJC becomes very visible.
What you teach at home should matter at the show.
If you spend every week teaching balance, control, horsemanship, feel, responsibility, and correct riding, the competition system should reinforce those things.
The student should not arrive at the show and suddenly learn that none of it matters because the only goal is to go faster or make the horse look impressive.
We want the show ring to become part of the education.
And that starts with the Badge Show at your own riding school.
YOUR TASK
PUT YOUR BADGE SHOW CALENDAR IN PLACE
You do not need to finish every detail of every show today.
You do need real dates.
Do not wait until everybody looks Badge ready before choosing your dates.
The calendar creates the educational rhythm.