Hunter competitors may have noticed a change to the number of entries allowed in some of the hunter divisions when they read the prize list for the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, which runs November 3-12, 2023. While in other years The Royal has accepted 16 in all the hunter divisions, this year they have increased that quota to 18 in most cases.
Divisional quotas for 2023 are:
Small Working Hunter Ponies – 18
Medium Working Hunter Ponies – 18
Large Working Hunter Ponies – 18
Children’s Working Hunter – 18
Adult Amateur Working Hunter 3′ – 20
Junior Working Hunter – 18
Junior/Amateur Working Hunter 3’3” – 18
Amateur Owner Working Hunter – 18
Combined Working Hunter – 18
Christine Reupke, Director of Equestrian & Breed Sport at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, commented on the increase from 2022. “Although the Royal has stated 16 entries in the past, we generally wound up with 17–19 entries. This was prior to National Rankings and being able to establish some clear and concise rules about our invitational procedure. We stayed with 16 last year to ensure some continuity for people as the rankings were first being established and utilized. Now we state 18 as we are comfortable that there’s time in the schedule and it’s a number we can hold to. This helps us ensure our schedule is accurate and provides a clear picture nationwide as to where horses and riders stand for entry. It is a more transparent process than in the past.”
Last year, the Royal Horse Show combined both the 18–35 and 36 and over Adult Amateur 3’ Hunters into one division in order to accommodate adding in a Junior Amateur 3’3” division. “Our goal was to create the same athlete/sport pathway for hunters as we have for jumpers, encouraging people to move up in height,” explained Reupke. “We acknowledged that there was a big difference in moving from 3’ to 3’6”, so by adding the 3’3” division, it provides a more accessible way for people to move up, without over-facing horse or rider. In addition, in North America (specifically the US), the 3’3” division has become extremely popular, and we know that the US trends move north very rapidly.”
Another slight modification this year was the increase to 20 in the Adult Amateur Working Hunter 3′ division. “We made the Adult number 20 to accommodate combining two divisions into one,” said Reupke, adding, “We may adjust this number in the future to align with all the hunter divisions. However, The Royal will monitor the numbers throughout the competition season to ensure we are at the forefront of creating quality equestrian sport in North America.”
The qualifying period for invitation to The Royal is December 1st, 2022 – October 1st, 2023. A wait list will be maintained until October 27th, 2023; no substitutions may occur after this date. Participants interested in competing at The Royal will be selected according to the official National Rankings from Equestrian Canada in conjunction with the geographical quotas below.
Divisions that guarantee 18 entries will invite:
• Top 10 from EC National Rankings
• 8 from Ontario
• 4 from Quebec
• 2 from Maritime Provinces
• 2 from Central/Western Provinces
Divisions that guarantee 20 entries will invite:
• Top 10 from EC National Rankings
• 8 from Ontario
• 4 from Quebec
• 2 from Maritime Provinces
• 2 from Central/Western Provinces
If the quota for any province/region is met from the top ten on the National Rankings, no further invitations for that region will be issued.
The EC National Rankings can be accessed here.
More from News:
