As we could have predicted, cancellation of the Zone 2 championships due to inclement weekend weather was a hot topic for Monday’s U.S. Hunter Jumper Association Town Hall via Zoom.
USHJA President Mary Knowlton fielded a variety of questions about the situation.
The championships for years had been held indoors at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, the day after the Pennsylvania National Horse Show ended.
That arena wasn’t available for 2023, however, so Princeton Show Jumping in New Jersey bid for the competition, but it had to be held outdoors. The remnants of Tropical Storm Ophelia meant outdoors didn’t work due to rain and gusty winds, and after a few classes, safety considerations called a halt to the competition.
One questioner asked Mary, “Could the championships that weren’t held last weekend be rescheduled?”
Here’s the answer as of Sept. 27: Both the hunter and jumper championships are being held at this week’s Princeton shows.
USHJA President Mary Knowlton fielded some tough questions during the Town Hall.
Can the finals be held indoors next time, so they aren’t weather-dependent?
The lack of suitable and available indoor arenas in Zone 2 (New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York) led to a suggestion that perhaps Zone 2’s championships could be held in conjunction with Zone 1 (New England) and use of the Big E (Eastern States) coliseum was suggested.
Those who commented during the Town Hall understandably said they wanted the championships to be something more than the average horse show.
“Why was it so utterly lackluster,” asked Jennifer Esposito.
Jamie Praskovich, one of the 95 people who was on the Zoom, contended, “This show was not special…I have a daughter who is crying because she didn’t get her chance to shine with her pony.”
A re-think for the future obviously is on the table and perhaps it will result in a unique solution — such as the Zone 1/Zone 2 combo.
Mary took flack from one person because her day job is with Princeton Show Jumping.
“Is it not a huge conflict of interest that you work for Princeton Show Jumping and also have been the USHJA president,” asked an “anonymous attendee.”
Mary replied that she works for Princeton off-site and explained, “I have to recuse myself for anything to do with Princeton and I am so careful about that.”
She noted, “Any person who knows me at all well knows I am very strict about conflict of interest and also…the USHJA is strict, our attorney is strict. There are things I cannot tell Princeton Show Jumping about USHJA and things that I cannot tell USHJA about Princeton Show Jumping.”
Ethics and honor “are super important to me,” she emphasized.
Several callers supported her, “You’ve been a great president,” Lucie McKinney wrote, and some other attendees echoed that assessment.
Mary is in her second and last term as president. Britt McCormick was just elected by the board of directors and will become president in December 2024 after a 15-month transition period to learn the ropes.
Other topics touched on were familiar: the definition of an amateur, the amount of jumping horses should be permitted to do at a show, lack of participation in Zone elections (if a Zone can’t get 10 percent of its members to vote, the election will be invalidated) and inquiries about the schedule of USHJA’s annual meeting in December.
The next Town Hall is scheduled for Oct. 23.