You step into the ring and survey the hunter course ahead of you. The expansive grass ring includes undulating ground, sprinkled with trees, and the shadows they make fall in dappled fragments over the jumps in the center of the ring.

Once you start, the fences come up easily from the rhythmic hand-gallop you maintain, first a welcoming vertical of birch rails, then a left turn to the snake fence that crisscrosses through the center of the ring. You choose one of the higher panels to show off your horse’s form, then turn down the outside line of two imposing oxers filled with natural brush. You ride both off of your eye, counting strides to keep an even pace but not looking for one number.

Then, you canter up the rail and turn left across the ring and head toward the opposite rail, taking a substantial coop with a slight drop into the adjacent field. Your horse lands neatly and naturally increases his pace as he pricks his ears in expectation. There are two post-and-rail-type fences in the field, solid jumps sometimes used in the local horse trials. Your horse soars confidently over the first, then you take 15 or 16 strides to the next before finishing with a large courtesy circle. You exit through the “out-gate” consisting of two flowerpots.

If this sounds like some intriguing fantasy world concocted by Walt Disney, you probably didn’t show hunters in the 1970s or earlier. This description is actually similar to a course I jumped at an A-rated show as a child. Today, tests like this don’t exist because most of our hunter courses are set in small rings, one of many sitting side-by-side.

In this week’s magazine, columnist George Morris makes many observations about today’s hunters in his article “This Is How I’d Fix The American Hunter Division” (p. 8) and suggests some ways the sport’s leaders could revive enthusiasm for the hunters, including tweaking the courses and fence designs, increasing the heights and prize money, and even gaining F�d�ration Equestre Internationale recognition.

Today’s horse shows are much different than those 25 years ago, both in positive and negative ways. Currently, there are many more opportunities for people to show, which is great. On the other hand, however, the eight- and 10-ring horse shows so common now don’t provide anything special. When a show manager must accommodate everyone, rarely do they have the opportunity to create a horse show that stands out. The few unique shows that remain are cherished.

Our situation in the hunters closely parallels what’s happened throughout American culture–homogenization. Now we can put our horse on a trailer and travel across the country, showing from U.S. Equestrian Federation Zone 1 to Zone 10, and we can find this: a ring of jumps, a course set outside, diagonal, outside, diagonal, over groomed footing in a flat ring. The only variables will be our competitors, the judges and show managers (maybe), and the surrounding vegetation and terrain. In addition, at these horse shows we can stay in the same hotel chain and eat at the same chain restaurants (perhaps even the exact meal).

In reality, though, even a few simple changes would make a huge difference. I know course designers are often overwhelmed at large shows, but it would be great if more courses could include option fences, bending lines and traditional jumps. Many of us show to test ourselves against our peers, but wouldn’t it be more fun to experience a new challenge along the way? Who knows, perhaps the added excitement could also inspire a few of us to skip Applebee’s and check out the local sushi restaurant. Maguro anyone?


Tricia Booker