The idea of establishing 3-foot/3-inch and 3-6 hunter divisions for adult amateurs who don’t own their own horses generally got a thumbs-down reaction during a U.S. Hunter Jumper Association Town Hall on Zoom Monday night.
The session, led by USHJA President Mary Knowlton, drew more than 200 participants, dozens of whom either spoke or wrote comments on line.
The biggest fear seemed to be that if such adult amateur divisions at those heights were created, they would be a “slippery slope” (in the words of professional Louise Serio) that eventually could lead to elimination of the amateur-owner hunter division.
It was pointed out that the suggestion was for adult hunters to be run at those heights “in addition to” the A/Os. And Mary noted that at this point, it is a “vague idea,” but she wanted to float it in a town hall.
Even so, the suggestion brought to mind the way the amateur-owner jumper division is now relegated to a Horse of the Year trophy, as amateurs who don’t own their own horses have taken a leading role in the section.
Mary characterized that as a different situation, however, explaining the problem in the A/O jumpers involved “struggling” with determining if the amateurs really owned the horses they were riding. It was easier to prove whether the rider was an amateur, she explained.
Many expressed trepidation about what could happen in the hunters with a big adult amateur change.
The A/O hunters, Louise pointed out, “have been the backbone of the sport for a very long time.” She worried that the new divisions could change not only the sport, but also the industry.
Noting how invested amateur/owner riders are in what they do, trainer Susie Schoellkopf pointed out, “they are not invested in someone showing against them on a horse they don’t own.”
“There’s no reason to change,” declared trainer Travis Lubow, which was also the sentiment of trainer Archie Cox: “Keep it as it is,” and a number of others who weighed in.
Niki Holtzman-Hays is a doctor who just wants to show her one horse over 3-3 on the weekends. She pointed out she can’t show during the week because of her work, “and never will be able to compete with college students who aren’t pros, but will be one day, or other `shamateurs.’ This change would totally defeat the purpose of being a true amateur.”
Alexandra Beaumont, a veteran of the adult hunters, took another tack. Saying that during her 40 years in the sport, she has seen “people jumping smaller and smaller jumps,” she believes that in part, the reason is that they can’t afford a horse or horses that would be competitive at a greater height.
“We are supposed to be a sport, and the sport part is dying. We need to find a way to encourage non-owner amateurs to jump higher. Our sport needs to be more accessible to more people. The A/O hunters have simply become too expensive for most in the sport now.”
A suggestion to offer both pro and non-pro classes in the Performance Hunters as an option got some support.
Shanette Barth Cohen, manager of the Hampton Classic horse show, said “it’s possible others could be brought into the sport at a higher level if they didn’t have to own a horse.”
At the same time, the concept raised concern because most show schedules already are so jam-packed that there generally isn’t enough time to squeeze in new divisions. One person mentioned that competition at the World Equestrian Center in Ohio hadn’t ended until 8 p.m. recently.
Among other subjects that came up during the town hall, there was word that an amateur hunter championship proposal is “under consideration.” If it happened, it wouldn’t be until 2025.
The cost of showing also was the subject of comment.
“I think we all agree it is quite expensive right now,” said Mary, but someone else pointed out it is only a fraction of the cost of buying horses and keeping them.
Joy Dunn cited the need for help to save the one-day horse shows, stepping stones that play so many roles in developing young horses and riders, are affordable and help support the farms where they are held. She pointed out those who have started competing in one-day shows often eventually move on to increase the bases of larger shows.
There was discussion about whether riders should be able to earn points for zone awards in contiguous states. It was pointed out that in some states, it’s closer for competitors to ride in adjacent states if there are shows nearby, rather than traveling a long distance in their own state. And it’s an issue in Wisconsin, where the closest shows are in Illinois, in another zone.
On the subject of zone awards, ideas to be discussed include whether they should only be champion and reserve, and having points count at just 15 or 20 shows.
The Town Hall was the first in a series of four. The next one will be at 7 p.m. on May 22. Others will be June 12 and July 24.
