New trends are always appearing in our world of equestrian sports; some stay with us, and some are just passing fads.

This year I’ve had the opportunity to travel throughout the USA, from Florida to Lake Placid (N.Y.), to Kentucky and west to Oregon, and I’m going to share my thoughts on some of the trends I saw. I know many of you will disagree with some of my views, but I believe others of you will find your opinions aren’t very different from mine.

Let’s start with the most blinding of the new trends–the sparkling stripes on riding helmets. This started with people applying strips of contact paper-type material to the stripes on the center of the new helmets to dress them up and make them look a little better.

Unfortunately, someone went one step too far for the hunter and equitation rings and decided if the colored stripes looked good, then sparkling rhinestones had to be even better.

Now, imagine you’re in the judges’ booth, it’s 95 degrees out, and the sun is shining down on everyone full force. Into the ring comes a competitor in the equitation over fences class, and you’re suddenly reaching frantically for your sunglasses because of the sun’s glare reflecting off of their rhinestone-covered helmet stripe.

Now imagine if that rider’s head has a tendency to move as they ride, or they have a round back, or their upper body, neck, and/or head is a weakness in their position. The stripe causes your eyes to be instantly drawn to this weakness, once you have retrieved your sunglasses and can see again.

I cannot imagine why a rider would draw such attention to their weaknesses for a little vanity. You’re not doing yourself a favor in the equitation ring.

As for the hunter ring, while I can fully understand the intention of adding a little excitement to this venue, we need to keep some semblance of tradition.

Why don’t we create this excitement with innovative courses that bring out the best in horses’ and riders’ performances or with special events?

Another trend that has unfortunately become a way of life is riders only learning their courses once they’ve finished schooling–and spending 10 or so minutes to do it. When did it stop being the riders’ responsibility to know where to go before they mounted their horses?

We’re holding the riders’ hands too much–they need to take some responsibility for themselves. It’s not a lot to ask that they at least know the route, even though they need instruction on how to ride it.

It’s very frustrating as a judge to wait for these riders. And how must their horses feel? They’ve warmed up, and now they have to stand around again. They can’t like falling back to sleep, only to be woken up one more time and expected to give a winning performance.

Just think of how much time this adds to everyone’s day when unprepared riders keep the ring waiting while someone tells them the course. We would all be better exhibitors if we took the time to do our part, and maybe the shows would end each day at a reasonable time.

This is part of the biggest problem I’ve seen–the fact that we’re taking riders who aren’t ready to show to the shows, because we don’t have the time to stay home to teach them.

This year I’ve attended shows ranging from the local level to the AA-rated level, and this trend is prevalent at all of them. I’m talking about riders who cannot stay with the motion of the horse over the fences, have not mastered controlling the horse in a group situation (like an under saddle class), and haven’t established any foundation, security, and stability on a horse’s back.

Many of us spend most of the year on the road, so our entire stable travels with us. Horse shows now offer numerous classes for every level, and we’re using them to teach our riders instead of doing the teaching at home and using showing as a report card on our progress.

Allowing people to show who aren’t stable on a horse is a potential safety hazard. We need to change our way of thinking; we need to keep these people home until they’re ready to show. We need to give them a foundation and some experience at local shows before they move up to the recognized events.

If we cannot stay home, we need to find an assistant to do this part of the job, or we need to send these clients to a local trainer who’ll send them back when they’re ready to go forward. As horsemen, we need to establish relationships with local trainers in our area that will provide the best and safest learning experiences for our clients.

At some point we need to take a stand with our clients–for their own good. If they don’t understand this, then you’re better off without them in your barn, as they’re an accident looking for a place to happen.

One trend that I find very encouraging is that many of the people producing local-level shows are emulating what they find at the recognized shows. They’re paying particular attention to the courses, both the distances between the jumps and the decorating and building of the jumps.

The courses are becoming more inviting and therefore are producing better horses and riders through better performances. In addition, in the classes for more experienced riders, you’re now finding some of the questions these riders will be asked as they go up the ladder to recognized shows.

Local shows are now using USEF-licensed judges more often, adding a level of professionalism and expertise. These types of local shows are giving horsemen the opportunity to bring along young horses inexpensively, and, hopefully, these horses will remain more affordable for potential buyers.
One local show series in my home area holds a hunter classic at the end of the season, a two-round class with numerical scoring in which each round is judged by a judge who hasn’t seen the other round.

This is a great idea–you get an unbiased opinion from each judge. This concept brings a level of excitement to the show and the class.
We all need to travel around to other areas and events to see what’s happening and what trends are affecting the hunter and equitation industry. The minute we think we know it all is the minute we get left behind.

There will always be new approaches and new trends. Some will prove to have merit and will make our lives and those of our horses better. Some will fall by the wayside as the flavor of the month. It’s our job to take from them what’s good and leave behind what’s not useful.

In forming your opinion of future trends, just keep in mind your perspective about the evolution of our sport. We need to live not just in the moment, but also with an eye to the future.