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| Let me get straight to the point. The answer to the jumper division issues Ray Texel broguht up recently in Practical Horseman (and many others have in other forums) is simple: Judges set the pace in the subjective arena of hunters and equitation, so addressing issues there clearly needs to be dealt with through the judges at some point. But jumpers are judged objectively, so changing how they are "judged" will have (and has had) very little impact on the safety and progress of competitors. Examples of "changing the judging in jumpers" are Style awards and Optimum times which have done little, if anything, to force riders in the pony, children and adult jumper divisions to RIDE rather than RUN at their fences. Texel is right on the mark when he argued in the November '04 issue of Practical Horseman that courses need to "challenge AND inform." Which is why it only makes sense that just as the top equitation courses are designed by those who will judge them, course designers should be required, once and for all, to recognize that they are also "judges." But how can one "require" anything of a course designer? By building the requirements into the class specifications. Currently, there are requirements in jumpers for height, time, obstacle construction and placement. So why not also specify, concisely and in writing, "rider questions" suitable for various levels as well--and expect course designers to apply them (enabling competitors to protest to the steward if they don't, in the same way that in eventing one can seek out the technical delegate to address similar issues)? What do I mean by "rider questions"? In equitation, rollbacks, angled approaches, airiness, inside turns, "challenging" related distances, and placement with respect to the in-gate/out-gate, rail, etc. are all widely recognized questions that riders must address if they are to succeed. In a way, eventing takes these questions a step further in terms of making them a formal part of course design. Examples of widely recognized rider questions include skinnies, arrowheads, corners and bounces, and there are restrictions as well as implied allowances) written into the rulebook to cover what type of question can be asked when. Bounces and triples, for example, are not allowed on lower level courses. So, if equitation recognizes that judges must include specific questions in the courses they use, and if eventing can require course designers to follow a specific plan related to what the sport's participants have concluded represents a reasonable, responsible and, most importantly, educational progression of challenges, why can't the lower levels of the jumper world do the same? And one more thing: I personally think that the ramifications of this situation are extremely significant for the health of the industry as a whole--from the grassroots to the Olympics. I breed sportponies, not speed demons. I and my fellow performance horse breeders do not want to have to breed fast, flat jumpers instead of careful, scopey ones for the jumper division any more than we want to breed mechanical deadheads for the hunter division. Nor are those the types of horses anyone wants to find representing our country in international competition. Unfortunately, how the disciplines are judged effects how horses and ponies are produced for our sports. Trainers must produce what wins, even if what wins doesn't rely on the talent of the horse or the rider--trainers have to make a living by satisfying their clients, first and foremost. In turn, breeders have to produce the kind of horses that trainers can make into winners--at least they must if their goal is to get decent prices for their stock.. Ergo...Do we really want the "winners" which America's breeders and trainers produces to be talentless? |
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| FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION: Whatever Happened to Talent? |
| The way course designers design their courses determines what type of ride wins. |
| Course designers need to be developed and handled the same way as judges. |
| "Rider questions" increase courses' level of difficulty without necessarily increasing fence height. They also demand horses which have both training and talent. |
| USEA (US Eventing Association). US Eventing is nationwide association committed to the development of the sport of Eventing by providing its members with competitions that are enjoyable, educational, fair and affordable. |
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