Sometimes it’s nice to be reminded that tough competition and fun don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

During the World Children’s Show Jumping Championship Final, held for the second time in three years at Spruce Meadows (Alta.) in late October, we were all treated to a grand example of the best the sport can offer.

Children aged 12 to 14 from 12 countries came together to have a marvelous time fighting it out in every competition, while the rest of the time they shared fun and adventure that they’ll remember for a lifetime. Riders from Germany, the United States, Brazil and the United Arab Emi-rates took home most of the top awards, but the Canadians, who comprised half the field, grabbed some too.

This format, designed to create the most equitable and safe conditions possible, is unique. Because it’s the only event of this importance held on borrowed horses, and given the young age of the riders, it’s especi-ally important to have opportunities for the riders to acquaint themselves with their mounts. So two practice sessions and one warm-up class precede the championship.

A total of 32 competitors, each qualified from two competitions at home, take part. A maximum of two riders per country can start, although the host country is permitted 16 riders. Foreign riders do not bring their own horses, but the host country’s riders must bring two horses each. A draw determines which of the two horses the rider will compete and which a foreign rider will compete. And the rules have a provision for real incompatibility, allowing the rider to draw from a pool of additional horses that the organizer must have available.

The six-day format–arrive on Sunday and finish on Saturday–caused a major problem this year for one young Brazilian. He banked on flying to Calgary from a show at home in time for the first practice session, but a flight delay caused him to miss the class and be disqualified. The child and his father were reduced to tears when they finally arrived, only to find that no other decision could be taken since it wouldn’t be fair to the horse’s owner to have him miss the training time. It’s a hard way to learn that a championship isn’t like any other show at home.

That rider’s disappointment turned into a stroke of luck for a rider from South Africa who was in 17th in the qualification. She’d traveled to Calgary just to cheer on the other South African rider and to learn through observation. But she got to ride after all since she was there to step into the spot of the disqualified rider.

Linda Southern-Heathcott, who now runs Spruce Meadows, even graciously assured that the disqualified rider got to ride every day and that he was included in all the “fun stuff” the riders did.

Two things really im-pressed me at this event. First was the quality of the horses the Canadians provided. Every horse was more than up to the task–jumping courses in a moderate-sized in-door arena at 1.20 meters (3’11”). The horses were evenly matched in their preparation and tried hard for their unfamiliar riders.

The other thing that impressed me very favorably was everyone’s consistent riding level. F�d�ration Equestre Internationale rules dictate that “children” must celebrate either their 12th, 13th or 14th birthday during the year of the event. So riders could participate when they’re actually still 11 or while almost 15.

The size of the riders varied a lot, but their abilities on a horse were all at a very high standard. They displayed real cool under pressure and a high degree of sophistication in tackling the excellent, but by no means easy, courses set by Brazilian Guilherme Jorge (past and future designer of the FEI World Cup Finals and next year’s designer for the Pan Am Games).

We watched one young German boy start as the last entrant in the warm-up competition and slip around the track in beautiful style to take 2 seconds off the leading time. It was especially impressive since the little Paint horse he’d drawn was about as different from any German horse as one could imagine! I’ll place a small bet that we’ll see this boy again at the senior level. Remember that Marcus Ehning gained much of his foundation at the European level on ponies, in the juniors and young riders, and on young horses.

Two days later, in the second and last qualifier to determine who’d ride in the final, a Brazilian boy knew that only by winning this class could he get into that final 16–and that’s exactly what he did, again in lovely style.

West Coast qualifier Richard Neal won the first qualifying class with a quick and accurate ride, but he had an unfortunate fall in the final. This sort of thing is a disappointing part of the sport, and I was especially proud of the classy way he handled the turn of events. The qualifier from the East Coast, Julianna Fischer, rode well every time but just had one of those disappointing “four-fault weeks.”

The host riders didn’t win a class until the end, but then the home-court advantage–and the titles–went their way.

Other individuals showed great improvement through the week. It was especially fun to see the smallest rider, a young boy from Russia, riding the largest horse there. He was as solid and secure as could be and had a grand round in the farewell competition.

Meanwhile, the highly prized style award was a truly tough decision for the Appeal Jury, but the consistent riding and competent demeanor of the rider from the United Arab Emirates won out.

Who would have thought that such young riders from the UAE, Russia, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and three countries of South America would all ride so consistently well that they were often hard to distinguish from the Canadian and U.S. riders?

We North Americans have advantages: money to buy nice horses, an abundance of professional trainers and so many shows. And when we travel, almost everyone always speaks our language!

Sometimes it’s easy for us to get complacent. Yet we shouldn’t forget that others with less of the bounty we enjoy are hot on our heels, hungry to learn and maybe even more competitive just because they have to try harder.

As George Morris says, complacency can be a dangerous thing!

Next year’s final will be in another neighboring country, Mexico. I’ve been to the competition facilities in Xalapa (near Veracruz), and they’re beautiful. The Chedraui family members, who own the facility, are exceptional hosts, so there’s no doubt that it will be another exceptional time.

Taking part in this sort of championship is something that can inspire riders for the rest of their career. I hope that when the U.S. qualifiers come along, our very best youngsters will take them seriously and that I’ll get to cheer on more really top U.S. competitors next year.


Linda Allen