I was 14 when I jumped my first puissance at The Tulsa Charity Show (Oklahoma) with my junior jumper, Ten Lizzie. Maybe I was too young to realize the task at hand, but I was game and full of grit. I was ready to tack up my own horse and give it a try. I ended up tying for second. Exactly one week later I won the puissance at Pin Oak Charity Show (Texas). 

What an incredible experience for a kid that age, to ride in front of an audience packed to the brim, cheering you on in a premier class. I still have a very yellowed newspaper clipping about Pin Oak that tells the story of the crowd that attended, with a picture of Ten Lizzie clearing the wall at 6’6”. 

Fast forward 40 years to the 2022 Washington International Horse Show (Maryland), where the last puissance class in our country was held. The class is now off the show’s schedule, and at a ceremony held this year in tribute to it, I was offered the opportunity to officially retire its Congressman’s Challenge Trophy as a four-time winner of the class. The trophy has been awarded to winners of the WIHS puissance class since 1965 and is inscribed with the names of legendary horses and riders. 

I do not remember every grand prix I have won, but I do remember almost every time I have competed in the puissance at Washington. That is how special this class has been to me. There is always a story to be told after watching this class, and I can clearly remember as a kid watching Barney Ward, Mark Leone and Margie Goldstein winning the class. 

I consider the disappearance of classes like this to be such a loss in our sport, and it led me to wonder why this class, which is so great for spectators and for drawing a crowd, has disappeared in the U.S. Where has our sport gone in the past 40 years? 

Our sport used to offer classes such as the puissance, six-bar, Gambler’s Choice, Take Your Own Line, match race and more at some of the bigger shows. They were especially popular at charity horse shows to draw a crowd. The beauty of these classes is that they are very easy to understand for a non-horse person, and they are fun for kids and families to watch. Who doesn’t love watching beautiful horses jump larger than life obstacles? The last time I had the opportunity to jump two puissance classes (or any of these unusual classes) two weeks in a row was at Washington and the National Horse Show (Kentucky) in 2013. Both shows had their biggest crowds on those nights. 

This past summer, I had the opportunity to jump in a six- bar class at Spruce Meadows (Alberta). It was the first six-bar I have done in over eight years, and just like those classes a decade ago, the stands were absolutely packed. It was such a fun night. 

So why are these classes disappearing, or altogether extinct? Probably a lack of entries and interest from the riders. But why? I think it comes down to two reasons. 

Money, Horses, Shows And Interest

The first reason is the prize money offered for the use of your horse in a demanding class. It is tiring for a horse to participate in these high-jump classes, and even as a supporter I can acknowledge the prize money offered has changed very little in the past 40 years. The costs of owning and buying these horses have considerably increased, yet the prize money has not. Spruce Meadows is an exception; it offered $175,000 (CAD) in prize money for the ATCO Electric Six Bar this summer, and in turn, it had more entries than the last few years the puissance classes were offered in the United States. 

The second reason is the lack of them being offered at enough shows. The fact that they are not offered enough does not lend itself to riders keeping a horse that may specialize in these classes. It takes a substantial amount of grit and experience to point your horse at a 6′ wall. Europe is an exception to this on some level, as while these classes have decreased a little over the years, they are still offered more often than they are in North America. 

It is a shame, however, to see these fun classes disappearing, because I do feel they are great for drumming up interest in our sport. A high-jump class is the one class our teenage kids put their phones down and watch. It is the one class your fellow professionals do not skip and go to bed, even though they have been up 12 hours already horse showing. It is the one class the kids from the local pony clubs cannot wait to go to on barn night. It is the one class the spectator off the street, who has no clue what the rules are, can still totally understand and enjoy. It is also a fabulous class for a sponsor. 

Our sport is constantly evolving, and I do believe it has evolved into a finer art than it was 40 years ago. Maybe that is the key here. We no longer just go to eight shows a year, then do indoors and call it a wrap. We no longer pull shoes and let the horses have 60 days off to let their bodies “reset” before we start legging them up for a winter circuit. And that winter circuit is no longer just six weeks—it is double that, and there is not just one winter circuit. 

We see fewer and fewer of the unique, one-week shows like Devon (Pennsylvania), Upperville and Roanoke Valley (Virginia). The weekly shows have almost disappeared as well, as we now do spring series, summer circuits and so forth all year long. What is expected of a horse in a show year is entirely different today, and that affects interest in these high-jump classes as well. 

We do have better veterinary technology and therapies these days to help maintain our horses, but at the end of the day I am not sure many people are willing to risk their horses for these classes when so much more is expected of the modern show jumper. I have several good horses and still find it enough of a challenge to build a schedule that rotates them so we do not overdo it. I also watch other trainers show their horses week after week, all winter long, and wonder how their horses manage the torque. 

The true horseperson of 40 years ago knew he or she could jump their grand prix horse in the puissance because there would not be an endless number of show options afterwards. In today’s show jumping world, you can pick from multiple shows each week, nationwide. This is great for our sport and the market, but where do we find the balance? 

I believe the answer to this question is the one thing that must and needs to remain the same as 40 years ago: the rider themself. 

No matter how much more technical or available our sport becomes, we need to teach horsemanship. It should not only be up to the trainer and the owner how much a horse needs to show but also the rider. Riders need to be continuously in the barn, paying attention to their horse’s legs, soundness and fitness regime. This goes for riders of all ages. 

Riding at the top of the sport should not just be a hobby. The riders at that level need to be a part of their horses’ lives daily. It should not be left alone to the groom and trainer. A true horseman needs to be an advocate for the sport, but most importantly an advocate for his or her own horse. Then, when these special classes are offered, they will themselves be able to make the right choice for their horse. 

I hope horse shows find a way to incorporate some fun classes back into the weekly schedule. The World Equestrian Center—Ocala (Florida) does a fabulous job year-round of offering classes such as the futures prix under the lights for rising stars. Wellington International (Florida) does a great job with its annual Great Charity Challenge by offering some- thing fun and different for the crowd to watch. 

We should continue to think a little outside the box. Venues such as Tryon (North Carolina), WEC and Wellington International all sit in locations with a strong equestrian demographic. These classes can be offered at both the local and international levels. If we can incorporate some crowd-drawing classes, other than the Saturday night grand prix, maybe we can figure out a way to enthrall the next 14-year-old kid and give them something to look forward to as well. 

Top grand prix rider Aaron Vale runs his Thinkslikeahorse training facility in Williston, Florida, with quality jumpers, hunters and equitation horses. Many of his students compete on young rider and Prix des States teams, qualify for the top equitation finals, and become successful grand prix riders. Vale has won more than 275 grand prix classes and represented the U.S. team on European tours and in Nations Cups, as well as placed in the World Cup Finals. He’s won countless USHJA International Hunter and National Derbies and twice won the $500,000 Diamond Mills Hunter Prix (New York). 

As a junior rider, he was reserve champion at the ASPCA Maclay, USEF Medal and USET Talent Search. He was named Best Child Rider at Washington and the Pennsylvania National. He lives with his wife, Mallory, and daughter, Kinser. 

This article originally appeared in the Dec. 18-25, 2023, issue of The Chronicle of the Horse. You can subscribe and get online access to a digital version and then enjoy a year of The Chronicle of the Horse and our lifestyle publication, Untacked. If you’re just following COTH online, you’re missing so much great unique content. Each print issue of the Chronicle is full of in-depth competition news, fascinating features, probing looks at issues within the sports of hunter/jumper, eventing and dressage, and stunning photography.