I’d like to respond to the articles written by George Morris about the apparent decline of U.S. riders and horses in international competitions (“Where Did We Come From? Where Are We Going?”, July 7, p. 8, and “In Need Of An Overhaul”, June 9, p. 9).

Horse sports were, for many years, primarily a game for those who competed in a variety of disciplines. On the East Coast, there was the opportunity to fox hunt, point-to-point and other horseback activities. In the West, there was gymkhana and the rich tradition of cowboys.

I remember a clinic taught years ago by George Morris and fellow Olympian Frank Chapot. Frank Chapot credited his ability to ride forward to the jumps to time spent riding steeplechase horses. Today, what avenues do our young riders have to learn the benefits of cross training when they have been completely removed from the essence of riding?

These riders are in the limited world of horse shows where horses are over prepared by trainers, and there’s virtually no hands-on time with the horses with which they must compete. We have created robotic passengers and not horsemen.

While I enjoy and appreciate the qualities of the show hunter, their relevance to show jumping can be likened to a comparison between a Duesenberg and a utility commuter car.

The equitation divisions were a preparation for the issues posed in a technical show jumping course. They have deteriorated to the point of a mechanical trip over obstacles. The rider making the fewest errors wins.

And competitors are more afraid of embarrassment due to low scores than trying to be a rider.

We have managed to dumb down and undermine the system that was supposed to cultivate the very best in a horseman, and it appears that nothing short of a complete overhaul of the U.S. Equestrian Federation will succeed in reversing the trend.

I just returned from Ireland where I was amused by the stories some young men told about developing their young jumper prospects. They reminisced about spending their days as boys climbing bareback on ponies and challenging each other to high-jump contests. These often resulted in jump-offs at 5′ and higher. Can you imagine the reaction of most professionals today if their students asked to even ride their ponies around a field bareback?

The horror of the idea–it’s un-safe to leave a controlled area under trainer supervision, and certainly not without a saddle.

Sadly, we have distanced ourselves from anything remotely resembling a sport. It has become an investment, and it’s the money in winning that’s important. The Europeans have managed to keep the sport in winning and with that a commanding lead. Americans with a country so wealthy are falling miserably short because we have lost the sport with the investment of our money.

First, I propose we need to chip away at the failure of the current American system. We should begin in the jumper ring. The lower levels teach nothing to either horse or rider so long as they’re run as Table 2 and Table 3 scoring. The classes reward only the speed of run and jump
rides.

Untrained riders on over-qualified horses are winning these events. Winning gives professionals, who earn their living by keeping their clients happy, blue ribbons to hang on their tackrooms. It’s their needed financial security. The professionals believe they have no choices.

I suggest implementing the Argentinean format of ideal time in at least three classes in each division and up to Level 3. Then there’s motivation to advance to the higher jumps. The last class in a division, as favored by the Europeans, is a high-bar class or five-bar competition. It would be a simple way of reintroducing the sporting aspect and giving the lower levels the confidence to rise to the next level. It’s also a crowd pleaser.

Second, in the equitation division there’s a malaise because the riders no longer have any basic skills or knowledge about animal care and training.

One way to change it is to change the qualifying criteria for the national finals. Each rider would be required to take a 100-question test and get a passing score to compete. It’s one way to be sure that each rider qualified to ride has fundamental experience in animal care.

Another idea would be in every medal final a random number of riders are selected, and those riders would report to the ring to tack up their own horses. The judge(s) could then ask each rider questions. Those answers and the written test scores of each rider could add or detract from the rider’s score over fences.

I think we need new ways to give professionals the incentive to teach, and riders a better motivation to learn. As long as riders are mounted on expensive, bomb-proof horses maintained by professionals, we will not be bringing up to the front a better level of competent riders. Now is the time to be aggressive in restoring sport to our favorite recreational activity.

The Europeans are very serious in their riding academies, and the riders do not run the program. If we are not affirmative in our evaluations then we will fall further behind, and the Europeans will continue to improve.

I believe that since Mr. Morris is a very influential man who has a large and attentive audience his time would be well spent seeking solutions to our problems and not just complaining about them.

Cristin Chastain is a professional rider and trainer of 25 years who runs Cross Creek in Moorpark, Calif. Her riders have won U.S. Equestrian Federation Zone 10 equitation finals, pony hunter finals and numerous Pacific Coast Horse Show Association awards. She also specializes in selecting young stock and developing finished show horses.