The U.S. Hunter Jumper Association’s most recent Town Hall webinar was a “Recognized Riding Academy-inspired” program, geared to addressing the concerns of the grassroots.
Previous Town Halls have dealt with such first-world equestrian issues as increasing prize money or how many shows can be entered to accumulate points for year-end championships.
But those at the entry and lower levels are “super-important” for the future of the sport in terms of its stability and growth, as USHJA President Mary Knowlton noted in this week’s session.
A key issue with those groups is cost; not only the cost of showing, but the cost of lessons or even just having the chance to ride.
One of the 37 people who participated in the forum was Shasta Parry, a show organizer from Utah. She noted, “it’s an expensive sport. It is inaccessible to far too many. I hate it, but I’m not sure how to fix it for everyone.”
So she says, “I’m doing what I can to bridge the gap, and cheering others on to do the same.”
If managers want to offer Outreach, Shasta suggested, “put together a schooling show.”
But even such smaller shows are expensive because of everything involved in putting them on; not just the obvious items like jumps, prizes and judges (though you don’t have to use licensed judges), but also behind-the-scenes expenses, such as manure removal or paying for EMTs.
Mary believes the introductory Outreach shows are “the biggest thing that helps,” and says Outreach Festivals “have to be low-cost, we really do police that.”
Jess Boppe commented that while there are local shows where riders can “get their feet wet with showing,” the costs pile up fast as they move on to rated shows. She pointed out membership and registration for riders and horses can amount to $200, and then there are the fees at the shows themselves. Jess wondered if the governing bodies might look at doing away with “some of these fees that are really adding up for horse owners and riders.”
Allie Zorn suggested “maybe a push for more transparency regarding how fees are utilized,” would help people understand what use is made of their money by shows and equestrian organizations.
She suggested it would be “a little easier for parents coming in (to showing) to know how their money is being spent.”
Other topics that came up during the Town Hall included being mindful of how to deal with riders who might be too heavy for a stable’s horses. It can be hard to estimate a rider’s weight, so one idea was to list weight ranges (rather than specific weights) that riders can check so instructors can make appropriate rider/horse pairings. It also would not be as embarrassing as asking for a specific figure for a rider’s weight.
(Horse & Hound reported this week that 12 people were asked to dismount at the Royal Three Counties Show in Britain because they were too big for the ponies they were riding. There is talk that a weight limit might be brought in next year.)
There was a discussion of dealing with temperatures and humidity when making a decision as to whether to ride or show. When the combination is over 150 degrees “it starts to get dangerous,” said Stephanie Cook, noting 160 is very dangerous. She pointed out it is not kind to put horses into “those metal boxes” after they have shown all day in high heat, thus subjecting the animal to a long ride in a hot vehicle (while you drive your air conditioned truck). She suggests waiting until things cool down in the evening, or perhaps staying an extra night before heading home.
The subject of jackets in the heat also drew comments. Even though jackets may be waived, there are some instances in which riders will insist on wearing them because they think they have a better “look” in that attire.
Leslie Terry said in the extreme heat and humidity of South Florida, “I see kids all the time passing out.”
She suggested a rule that would ban jackets when the heat index reaches a certain point.
Participants offered some interesting ideas when asked how to handle having riders of varying abilities riding together in the same ring, perhaps indoors in inclement weather. One suggestion was to have them proceed one behind the other, playing a sort of game where the last rider might be asked to move to the front of the line in an extended trot, while another might move up in a sitting trot or another gait.
Kay Altheuser mentioned having one person get in the center of the ring act as the instructor for five minutes, then switching off with another rider.
Cory Kieschnick noted pole exercises work, because they can run the gamut from rails on the ground to cross-rails and little fences.
It’s interesting what people can come up with when they have a forum like the Town Halls where they feel free to talk and exchange ideas that can improve the experience for everyone.