In the past two months, I’ve attended several meetings among professional people concerning various aspects of our horse show industry.

As a result of these meetings, I believe that the two most important issues for 2007 are the revitalization of the hunter divisions and the emerging equestrian sport in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa-tion, better known as the NCAA (see sidebar).

George Morris has been talking with many of us involved in equestrian sports about the hunter division, and in last week’s magazine he outlined his vision to introduce renewed vigor into the hunter ring (March 2, p. 8). Before that, at a meeting arranged by Diane Carney and Carl and Rush Weeden, George had expressed to us his thoughts on making the hunter discipline an international discipline.

George is on the right track, so in this article I’ll elaborate on my own ideas, many derived from an amalgamation of conversations I’ve had with a multitude of professionals over the past year.

Revitalizing the hunter discipline requires a complete change of mindset–among everyone involved in the sport. It requires innovative, “outside-the-box” thinking and a solid plan for the future, not the Band-Aid approach we’ve been using for the past decade or so. All aspects of our competitions need to be taken into account in developing the strategic plan to put our industry back on track and to achieve the international recognition it’s due.

Let’s start with the levels of the classes and their relationship to each other. Twenty years ago, you wouldn’t see a jump under 3’6″ at an A-rated horse show, and now we see everything from short stirrup to grand prix. This isn’t the fault of competition management–we professionals asked for these classes, and they gave us what we asked for. But we never thought about the downside to this epidemic.

The number of jumping classes in each division is another contentious issue. Our working hunters are the equivalent of grand prix jumpers, yet we force our hunters to jump in two or three more classes at each competition than a grand prix horse jumps. It’s no wonder the longevity of our working hunters is relatively short.

If a junior or an amateur owns them, they also have an additional division where they compete over fences another four times per show. By the time you add up eight over fences classes, the pre-class warm-up jumps, the schooling day warm-up rounds, and the lessons for the owners, it’s amazing these horses can even walk, let alone jump in great form.

We’re wearing out our horses. We must decrease the maximum number of jumping classes in each division. It will save our horses, it will allow the show days to end earlier, and it will allow for extra time for special classes and classics.

The days on which the rated classes are contested during the show schedule is another area that needs attention. Recognized classes should not take the backseat to unrecognized classes. We should be showcasing the exhibitors and horses competing in the recognized divisions, especially because shows receive their ratings based on the rated classes they hold.

Similarly we need to re-examine the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s Horse of the Year awards too. The cumulative point system that’s been in place for decades compels exhibitors to show their horses to death to win.

Not long ago, I judged a breeding class with a 3-year-old who was at his fourth show of the week and was going on to his fifth the following day.

Think of the miles this horse traveled and the stress it caused him. Why not adopt something similar to the formula used to qualify for certain shows, where they count points only from a horse’s best 15 shows in a year? This would allow those who want to compete all 52 weeks of the year to do so, but it would also allow the truly great horses to take a breather because they have the record to stand behind.

And if the USEF helped all shows with the software needed to send electronic results, horses’ points could be updated almost immediately, thus allowing us to see up-to-date standings in each division.

Jump design and technicality of courses is an important component to the strategic plan. I agree with George’s suggestion that we turn back the clock to re-introduce fences that simulate those found in the actual hunting field. While many of the courses today are beautifully decorated and built, they’re reducing the technical competence of our riders, starting at the earliest levels. Due to the size and width of ground lines, verticals are now oxers and oxers are triple bars.

If our jumps resembled those from our past, we would have to teach our riders how to navigate them in the appropriate manner to get the best performance from their horses. Ultimately, this would produce better riders.

Imagine a hunter class where just being able to see the first jump of each line and then counting to six doesn’t make you the winner! Instead, to earn the blue ribbon, you have to know how to place your horse at each kind of fence for optimum performance.

The way we classify our horses needs im-mediate change too. Look at the increased participation in the jumper divisions. This discipline is exploding, while the professional rated hunter divisions have been declining for years. And it’s not as simple as blaming the judging system–that’s a cop out.

Instead, we should be using the template the jumper division uses. How about 5-year-old, 6-year-old and 7- & 8-year-old hunters set at 2’9″, 3’0″ and 3’3″ respectively? Then we change first year green, second year green and regular hunters to level 4, 5 and 6 with the jumps at 3’6″, 3’9″ and 4’0″ respectively. Separating the level 4 (3’6″) section by first year and all others would be an option too.

And it’s high time we changed our system of awarding prize money in the hunter divisions. Once again, logically, we should follow the jumpers’ example: The higher you jump, the more prize money you can win.

You don’t see children’s jumpers competing for the same (or more) prize money than the grand prix. But our working hunters are the most underpaid competitors at the shows.

If we utilize the jumper example for our hunter divisions, it would certainly give owners a reason to keep horses for professional riders.

And the largest purses and bonus points should be offered in a series of traditional hunter classics. These classes should have obstacles and tracks that resemble the hunting field: ditches, post-and-rails, coops, rolltops, true verticals and oxers, aikens and banks. Plus, the riders must wear correct formal attire.

Of course not every show facility could accommodate what’s needed for these traditional classics, and that alone will make sure they’re truly special.

Do you remember the hunter classics at Upperville (Va.), where riders jumped from ring to ring, up and down the bank, over enormous fences? I can remember combinations like Rodney Jenkins on Riot Free or Charlie Weaver with Ruxton, Stocking Stuffer and Super Flash when I recall the excitement the spectators felt as they stood five deep on the rail. This was the definition of grandeur at the hunter ring– the grand prix of hunters.

These are just a few of the ideas we need to be working on to develop our hunter strategic plan. The survival of our high-performance hunters, especially the working division, depends on us all to pull together and fix these problems.

The usual piecemeal approach isn’t going to work. We need to think about the result we want–international recognition and competition–then work our way backwards to create a strategic plan to make the necessary changes to help us achieve our ultimate goal.

I’ve included a lot of ideas for your consideration. Some you’ll agree with and some you won’t, but at least we’re starting on the path to making changes that get our hunter industry back on solid ground and with a bright future. I invite all of you to send us your ideas for revitalizing our hunter industry.


Riding At College Offers New Opportunities
My second subject is the emergence of equestrian sports at the varsity level in a growing number of colleges and universities.

Michele Grubb arranged for me to talk with Greg Williams, the coach of Auburn University in Alabama. I hadn’t kept up on this program, so I was amazed at some of the benefits and opportunities now available to our college-bound equestrians.

Officials from the 23 schools currently involved in the NCAA varsity program can actively recruit riders, and they’re going to our country’s best competitions to do this. They’re able to offer the benefits of a top-rated education with scholarship incentives, as well as the ability for these riders to graduate as well-rounded young people.

The riders train like all other NCAA athletes; there are regulations governing recruitment, competition and benefits, and the Auburn program requires riders to participate in community service, their team’s promotion, lesson programs and summer camps for young equestrians.

Greg, for one, believes these scholarships allow riders to experience a typical college education, one that goes beyond the barn and the ring, because “the equestrian goals of a rider may change after they complete college.”

A plus for riders in high school or prep schools is that the NCAA recognition legitimizes equestrian sports to their educational institutions’ leaders. Over time, this should make it easier for our young riders to be absent from school to pursue their equestrian goals, perhaps even getting physical-education credits for riding.

Greg told me that the leaders of the schools involved in NCAA equestrian sports look to the top levels of our sport for direction. He and Michele have spoken about some changes they might make in their program.

Michele and I believe that a combination gymnastics/flatwork phase should be given consideration to replace the current flat-phase class. Because these classes often bore anyone watching them, Michele and I think that the NCAA leaders should consider this for their hunter classes. This would make it more interesting for the audience and more challenging for the riders.

The purpose of the flatwork class is to have riders demonstrate the basics, but the NCAA classes are only for open riders, highly experienced and accomplished riders. In this way, the NCAA competition complements the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association competitions, which offer classes for riders of all levels. Therefore, a combination gymnastic/flat phase would demonstrate proficiency in the basics while making the class interesting to watch.

The NCAA program has the ability to turn out educated, polished professionals who will help steer our sport into the future.


Bill Moroney