To develop riders and horses for the future, as discussed in Part 2 and Part 3 of this series, they need to go to horses shows. But participants in the Nov. 7 U.S.

Wondering where the next generation of riders is going to come from is one thing. Questioning what they’ll be riding is a whole other topic.

Who will represent the United States on the show jumping team at the 2034 Olympic Games? That year might sound far-off, but it’s only 23 years away. Most likely, the riders who will be on that team are showing in the junior ranks right now.

U.S. show jumpers are worried. And they’re looking for answers.

An open forum hosted by the U.S. Equestrian Federation on Nov. 7—the first of a series of such forums—opened the floor to discussion about various issues in show jumping and horse shows in general. The conversation took a hard look at how horse shows and the sport of show jumping have evolved over the last few decades, and where they’ve gone wrong.