The equitation world has just finished all of the ASPCA Maclay regional qualifying events (see. p. 108) for the finals,
which this year will be held at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament (N.Y.), instead of at the National Horse Show in New York City. And some people are grumbling about the system, wondering if it couldn’t be updated and improved.

The Maclay regionals began in 1984, when the finals were held at Madison Square Garden, to limit the field because time and space were a huge factor. (Some 104 riders competed at the National in 2004.) But there is no longer a National Horse Show in New York City, so this year John Madden (president of the Syracuse Invitational) and the leaders of the National Horse Show Association of America, which owns the Maclay, have agreed to open up 150 spots for the finalists.

A specified percentage of riders from the eight regions offering regionals across the country fill these spots. Riders who place in the top four of the USET Medal Finals-East or USET Medals Finals-West, or in the top four of the Washington International Equitation Classic or the top 10 of the USEF Medal Final at Harrisburg (Pa.)–and who also ride in one of the Maclay regionals–can also contest the Maclay Finals in Syracuse.

One of the complaints about the regional system is the time and, mostly, the expense it involves for the exhibitors. The shipping, braiding, hotel and entry fees all get added to the expense of many fall finals. Many of these classes are held 10 or 15 hours away from the riders’ hometowns. They’re also held in the fall, when high school or college classes have started. Really, the regional becomes just one more expense to a very long year.

The system is tough on trainers too, since some end up splitting up their clients and going to several different regions and, again, increasing the expense for everyone. Plus, some colleges and high schools give the kids a hard time about taking so much time off for all of these finals.

Another complaint about the regional system is that the shows are so very different. The playing field is definitely not level. Some facilities are very weak, and footing, stabling, courses and warm-up classes range from excellent to poor.

One of these regional classes is held outside and begins at 7:30 a.m., when the sun has barely risen. That’s just not a great way to prepare for this important class.

Parents are spending a great deal of money throughout the year to qualify their children for the Maclay, and we owe it to them to make sure these events are special. It’s discouraging to have the elements of a poor facility, poor footing, a small arena or poor courses affect the way that students end their Maclay career. It leaves a poor taste in their mouths about the sport, especially if it’s their last year of showing as a junior.

This year, some 288 participants qualified for the ASPCA Maclay class, the highest number ever. But it’s been in that range for the last five years (2002 had the fewest qualifiers, with 226), so the system is clearly working.

Many sports have regional competitions to prepare for a national championship, but those are usually over more than just one day. Our two USET finals take place over two days, as does the Washington International Classic. Riders can qualify for the WIEC class throughout the year with a point system, and the top 25 are invited to participate in the finals in Washington, D.C. The USEF Medal spans one very, very long but very exciting day, with about 270 participants entered this year (also the largest number ever).

My point is that all of these classes are held at the same facility, under the same conditions and courses, for everybody. But the conditions vary tremendously for the Maclay regionals.

Are there solutions to the Maclay regional situation? Sure there are.

What if the requirements (number of blue ribbons or points for placing) were raised slightly each year? Since 1984 there has been a huge increase in the number of horse shows all over the country. But some of the zone requirements don’t reflect those changes. Perhaps if you had to win more blue ribbons or score a higher number of points, fewer people would qualify, so everyone who did qualify could ride in the finals if they wanted to.

I spoke to Karen Healey, who’s chairman of the USEF Equitation Task Force. Karen believes that the regionals should stay in place because the managers of the final–whether in New York City, Syracuse or Karen’s dream of Las Vegas–need to be able to plan for a certain number of starters.

Maybe it’s time to re-evaluate each show that hosts a regional. Maybe in the geographically large zones there should be two regional classes at two separate shows. Maybe we should make it easier for riders to declare in which region they’ll compete by giving them until July 1, instead of May 1, to declare. We could also let them designate themselves as being from a state or region other than their home if they’ve scored more points there.

Or maybe we should just have the Maclay Finals at a show that could host all the qualifiers, but make everyone do an elimination class to reach the final round. We could have junior hunter and junior jumper classes, then hold a final event for the top 100 on the last day. With this system there would be something for everyone, and you could still show in other events if you didn’t make the cut.

As a trainer, I truly believe that each year the Maclay system needs to be re-evaluated–just as we re-evaluate many other decisions all year. I’m afraid that not enough attention is being paid to this very important class. After all, it is the historic ASPCA Maclay, so we need to make all the conditions fair for all competitors, riders and horses alike.