I announced the Blogger Contest final four on Friday; now I’m bringing you their victorious Round 2 entries in individual installments. Their Assignment: If you had the power to make three changes to the sport of eventing, what would they be? First up: Sally Spickard. Each entry will be presented unedited for fairness’ sake. Thanks as always for reading, Eventing Nation. Please leave feedback in the comments section.
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Entry: Staying True to Our Eventing Roots
Eventing is a constantly changing and evolving sport, which is part of what makes it such an easy sport to get onboard with. You could ask 20 different people and get 60 different responses if you were to ask them what 3 things they would change about eventing if they had the opportunity. This question has been debated and new topics have been broached for as long as I can remember, and the eventing scene today is much different than it was even 10 years ago due to these hearty discussions and new ideas.
A lot of focus has been directed towards the need to cultivate a team of stronger riders at the top level, as well as an improved Young Rider program. More attention, however, needs to be brought to the grass roots levels of the sport, to the foundation of what becomes our upper level. In order to sustain a top tier US team, we must have the support and engagement of both the public and the amateur crowd. I would like to shift the discussion of change to the local eventing scene and how to improve the experience for amateur competitors and spectators alike. The question must be asked, “How do we bring the amateur eventing experience to the next level and how to we generate more interest in our sport from the general public?” Centering on a theme of exposure, here are my propositions.
1. Accessibility. In a recent interview, upper level rider James Alliston, who recently relocated his base of operations from the UK to California, made several interesting remarks regarding the difficulty of competing his young and/or client horses, what with travel time, stabling costs, etc. He commented that in the UK there were countless events available on the weekends that were right down the road and only ran over the course of 1 day as opposed to 2 or 3, allowing competitors the opportunity to compete frequently without the worry about cost or distance. My proposition to bring this idea of frequent and (relatively) inexpensive competition option to the US is simply to create more opportunities for schooling shows and combined tests. Queeny Park here in St. Louis runs a Mini Event each fall. It runs over 1 day and offers levels ranging from Crossrails to Training/Novice. Dressage tests are also available, making it part dressage schooling show as well. I was able to bring my young horse to this event to get his feet wet and expose him to some cross country fences that weekend when I did not feel he was ready to do a recognized event yet. Another local hunter/jumper show usually offers a combined test in the summer as well. However, I would like to see more than 2 opportunities to compete in a “schooling show” environment . This would give riders who may not want to or who can’t afford to shell out the stabling and entry costs, membership fees, etc or who have young horses who need miles. As is the case in many predominantly hunter/jumper areas, there are a plethora of schooling shows to choose from each year. Working with local hunter/jumper organizations or local barns to create more opportunities for combined tests or mini events would be a wonderful resource to attract more amateur riders and young or inexperienced horses.
2. Education. I know I am not the only one who marks my calendar, sets up a Siri reminder, and clears my schedule in order to watch the George Morris Horsemanship Sessions or follow the High Performance Training camps each year. The opportunity outlets such as USEF Network offer for further education are endless. Area 4 is fortunate to hold many clinics throughout the year that riders of all levels can participate in or audit. I would like to see this education module taken a step further, however, and see more amateur “camps” or sessions initiated. I would suggest an addition to the Adult Rider program in each area to include an offering for an Adult Training Session. Interested and/or top performing Adult Amateur riders can express interest at the beginning of each season and be selected by Area chairs to participate in a session that is set up much like the High Performance Training sessions are. Now, getting David O’Connor to run these may take an act of God, but using this opportunity to bring in a skilled clinician or a top dressage trainer would be equally beneficial. I would also like to see a bit more involvement in the ICP program as far as the certification sessions and workshops are concerned. It would be interesting to hold an ICP workshop/informational session in each Area so that more interest in becoming certified is generated.
3. Public Relations. Eventing will likely never receive the attention that other horse sports do as far as the general public is concerned. However, a little PR work in each Area can go a long way as far as supporting local events and trainers. Chattahoochee Hills had an interesting approach to their recent event, hosting live bands and inviting the public to see the gorgeous land that this event is run on. I think that there are events in each Area that would be able to do something similar, whether it’s hosting live entertainment, BBQ, raffles, kids’ activities, etc. It only takes one little girl to catch the eventing bug to make a difference. While the welfare and safety of our equine partners is always first and foremost in our minds, the merging of entertainment with competition could easily be done with just a few tweaks in the schedule of an event. This concept could also be brought to Rolex or other larger events, and already has to some extent. A lot of these large events are already on the right track by offering tailgating spots; expanding this idea to offer a weekend activity to families or frequent park goers could be an untapped resource for extra fundraising and exposure to the sport.
These proposed changes are incremental in the grand scheme of eventing-related things. However, we must never forget that amateurs make up the overwhelming majority within the eventing world, and measures must always be taken to ensure that these members of the sport’s foundation are able to take advantage of furthering their education. Generating interest from potential new eventers is also important, as it is the little girls and their ponies or the middle aged re-riders who constantly bring new faces and fresh ideas to the sport. Regardless of the level you ride at or aspire to reach, it is imperative that the local eventing scene in each Area be cultivated with the same amount of respect and care that the Olympic Games are – after all, your next Olympian could be cantering around the Green as Grass division this very weekend.
