For many show jumping owners and riders in Canada, affording a top international prospect is a pipe dream. It is often more viable for an emerging high performance rider (or even a veteran) to start with a young horse and develop it, hoping the years of hard work will pay off in the ring.
Canadian breeders have been producing quality youngsters for decades as a way to support this grassroots area of the sport. Yet for all the good intentions, a comprehensive and cohesive young horse jumper development program is sorely lacking in Canada. And for some breeders and riders, it’s a point of frustration.
Show jumping team rider Hugh Graham, who has represented Canada in over 23 Nations Cups, two Olympic Games and three Pan American Games, has been heavily involved in the development of young horses in his role as head trainer and grand prix rider for KingRidge Stables. He sees the problem as two-fold: a lack of promotion and availability of classes at the shows, and a lack of support at the national level from Equestrian Canada’s jumping department (formerly Jump Canada). “There’s no management or help; they leave it up to the shows,” he says of EC. “The competitors and breeders have been trying for almost twenty years to roll out a strategy. We had a little bit of support from Jump Canada, but that fizzled out, and then three or four years ago I was rider rep for Jump Canada and I said ‘we’ve got to put it together, it’s an important part of our industry and something we can sell the people and encourage people to buy young horses.’ The shows made some effort, but lacked consistency and coordination. There needs to be a team effort between exhibitors, shows, and the governing body.”