By Nancy Jaffer
December 23, 2018
Too often, it seems as if issues involving the elite ranks of horse sports dominate the annual meetings of our equestrian organizations. By elite, I mean not only the high performance group that goes to international competitions, but also those who can afford horses costing six figures (or more), whatever division they choose; traveling around the country to shows (with their horses going by air, if necessary) and not worrying about the hotel bills and other vast costs involved.
So my ears pricked when I heard U.S. Hunter Jumper Association President Mary Babick and others at the organization’s annual meeting this month expressing interest in giving a boost to the base of the sport, along with regional, state and local affiliate organizations. Without a way to make the sport affordable and introduce people to it while building a strong base, equestrian competition will lack universal appeal and eventually become largely the property of the sky’s-the-limit crowd.
USHJA has 49 affiliate organizations (that would be groups like our New Jersey Horse Shows Association and elsewhere, for example, the Missouri Hunter Jumper Organization or the Los Angeles Hunter Jumper Association.) Shows can be run as USHJA fixtures without being U.S. Equestrian Federation-recognized, which is a less-expensive and simpler way for some affiliates to go. Benefits of being an affiliate include hosting USHJA outreach competitions for those at the lowest level of the sport, while offering member discounts on national products and services. It also involves educational opportunities, in addition to competitive options and free listings on the USHJA clinics directory, among other things.
Find out what Mary had to say during the annual meeting in Tampa about the emphasis on affiliates and the base by clicking on the link to this video interview.
Katie Benson, president of the NJHSA who is on the board of USHJA, is also a member of the USHJA’s affiliates steering panel and Zone II committee (New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania), has seen great changes over the last three decades in the state’s equestrian scene, which also have been mirrored elsewhere.
“When I started (with NJHSA) in 1987, there were 47 horse shows in New Jersey. Last year, there were over 150,” Katie mentioned.
Despite such growth, the affiliates program hasn’t kept up.
“Now it’s time to come back to this and pay attention to the development of the sport and do it better,” said Katie, whose Briarwood operation is based in Ringoes at Black River Farm.
Katie Benson and members of the USHJA board weigh an important question during their final session at the annual meeting in Tampa. (Photo©2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
“Not everyone wants to go to the Olympics. We’re not necessarily looking that they (lower-level riders) have to go up the ladder to higher jumps or great expense. They already are sustaining their horsemanship in what they can afford, whether it’s once-a-week lessons in an academy program or one horse show a year on a lesson horse. I think they need to be acknowledged, they’re part of the community, and maybe they want to make their network larger,” she said.
“I think we need to increase awareness of what already exists. We have to open those doors wider and then we can knock on new doors.
At the annual meetings, there are many illuminating exchanges—both in forums and the hallways– about not only rule changes but also other items worthy of note. Here are a few from USHJA’s Tampa session.
While there long have been rumblings about various breed groups wanting to leave the USEF, this time the angst may have some legs—although USEF CEO Bill Moroney said no one has approached him to talk about departing.
However, Glenn Petty, executive vice president of the Arabian Horse Association, mentioned that group’s executive committee asked him two years ago “to look into the feasibility from a financial standpoint of getting out.” The list of what AHA is not happy about includes the licensed officials committee process and downsizing of the USEF board, which some of the other national breeds also felt gave them short shrift.
The key issue for the AHA remains whether it is “worth shooting yourself in the foot financially to get out,” as Glenn put it to me, noting “probably the biggest question is litigation expense. That’s a huge unknown.”
The USEF’s new requirement for all competing members (as well as directors and officials) to complete three on-line SafeSport training modules before they can show also has spurred some heated conversations.
Although Glenn said SafeSport wasn’t among AHA’s major differences with USEF, he did note that while “everybody supports SafeSport, the feeling is there’s too big a net being thrown.” He said among other organizations that are not part of USEF, such as the American Quarter Horse Association (the world’s largest breed group), the paints and the pintos, “their lawyers are telling them all they have to do is offer education” on the subject, rather than mandating training for everyone.
On another topic, one proposal that didn’t get approval at the USHJA meeting dealt with an expansion of the rule on special competitions, which can be added to the USEF calendar without regard for the mileage rule that has been one of the organization’s pillars. Many shows have been able to hang on, basically, because they have no competition when the mileage rule is applied, but that has also been a problem for new competitions that want to get on the calendar.
USHJA President Mary Babick. (Photo©2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
The special competition rule already covers FEI (international) shows, USEF national finals and championships and affiliated organization championships. But the most controversial point is the new fourth category, involving special competitions for which there currently are no breed or discipline rules.
Mary Babick fears with category four that managers will say of their new brainchild, “No rules exist, so I can do whatever I want. I can create a shadow circuit.”
“This is the meat of the issue in 2018,” maintained Tom Brennan, a hunter and hunter seat equitation judge from West Virginia.
“We know this train is coming down the tracks,” continued Tom, who feels the proposal needs a closer look. He contended it is “dangerous to future of our sport and programs.
“It’s okay with what we know our sport to be today. But I don’t think we can project ourselves in the future …for how we want to develop horses and horse shows.”
