Show Me the Money: The lure and perils of the year-round show circuit

Riders, horses, trainers, owners, and sponsors all seem to have reached a near-constant state of horse show attendance – if not actually competing, then packing up or tearing down from one.

It is a far cry from the show circuit schedules of the past, when horses were given downtime in the winter months following the fall indoor circuit, and riders were allowed time to develop their young string at home or shop for prospects abroad in the off months.

What are the lasting effects of this intense competition schedule on the development and longevity of our upcoming and established team members? Canadian Show Jumping Team chef d’équipe Mark Laskin and Olympian Tiffany Foster weigh in on the fact that while show management is partly to blame, the burden lies with riders to be horsemen first.

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The geographic gap

Show circuits at Spruce Meadows, WEF, HITS, Kentucky Horse Park, Thunderbird Show Park, RMSJ, Bromont, Caledon Equestrian Park, Devon, Hampton Classic, and the Royal Winter Fair offer exhibitors the chance to compete almost every week of the year. Canada’s geography and the vast distances between the concentration of horse-centric communities may be the largest hurdle in overcoming what has become a cycle of profit for show managers – and a life on the road for horses and exhibitors.

“In Europe, the competition model is much more horse-friendly and people-friendly,” explains Laskin. “You can be home in the winter developing young horses and travel to international competition on the weekends. The riders can fly in and then be home shortly afterwards working with the younger string. They can then make the decision to choose one of about five competitions held locally during the week within a hundred-kilometre radius of where their stable is. This cuts down on expenses and is in general a much nicer way of doing things.”

In Canada, world-class venues that provide amenities and incentives are few and far between. “It is for sure less expensive to develop horses in Europe because there are a large number of shows that put miles on a young horse that cost significantly less than a typical North American show,” explains Foster, who has spent many years training and competing successfully in Europe. “However, the class structure of the international circuit in Europe means that you can usually only take one developing horse along with you, so you have to plan accordingly. In North America you can take young or green horses to almost every show and easily find classes they will be able to jump, but you must pay the price of being at a high-quality show. Both systems can work, but I think developing horses is financially more difficult here.”

Laskin notes that there is a tendency for trainers to be pressured into running their business on the road. The income generated by clients and owners can dictate the schedule for the year, with riders expected to deliver a return on investments through exposure, sales, or prize money. “Our industry is very competitive and the cost of competing, training, and developing horses is very high,” he explains. “If the customer paying those premiums is exerting enough pressure and paying all the money for horses, maintenance, and training, they don’t want to sit at home – they want to go and compete. If as a trainer you’re not willing to follow the schedules the clients dictate, there are lots of other trainers who would be very happy to. Riders have to make a living, so unfortunately there is pressure to keep showing.”

R&R

Laskin acknowledges that a respite from the demands of a career spent on the road makes for a better horse – both physically and mentally – especially in the development of youngsters. Spending the majority of their days in show stabling and the show ring seems counter-intuitive to the longevity of equine athletes. “Horses need to come home to unwind and settle; they need some downtime to just be horses. I believe they should be turned out or be ridden on the trails occasionally,” he suggests. “It makes for better horses when they are not always being drilled on in the ring. This is true especially at the developmental level, and the better we build the horses at that stage, the more solid they are at the higher level of competition. In turn, there is more chance of them being an asset to our country.”

Foster believes in developing a realistic goal at the beginning of the season and encourages exhibitors not to get caught up in chasing points at the expense of the horse. “One horse cannot compete every week, month after month – it is physically and mentally impossible. It is up to you as a rider to make a plan and a schedule that is productive so that you have fulfilled the goal for each horse at the end of every year. I think the number one driving force behind the year-round show circuit, at least at the top of the sport, is the World Rankings list. After that, there are points and pressure to qualify hunters and equitation horses for indoors and finals.”

Riders are also expected to perform year-round and deliver to owners, clients, and sponsors. That kind of pressure is wearing even on the most established professionals, although Laskin has faith in their abilities to manage themselves wisely. “There are different levels of intensity, and I think they can turn it on and off as necessary. The difference between a 1.50m class and the Nations Cups at Spruce Meadows is the result of very focused mental training. I think the riders at the top deal with it very well. Of course they need to have holidays and downtime, but I think they know when it’s necessary and can manage that.”

Foster points out that the notoriously long hours of the show circuit are entered into knowingly. “If this is what you’ve chosen to do as a profession, I think it’s important to stay on your game and continue to compete. If you want to be in the top fifty, thirty, or ten in the world, then you do not have the luxury of having a lot of downtime. I think that’s the case for the majority of professional athletes who are trying to be the best at what they do.”

Are show managers the culprits?

For show management, the math is simple: the more circuits they offer, the more money they make. Observes Foster, “The majority of horse shows in North America are held at ‘show park’ type facilities that have been built solely to host horse shows. They cannot survive running only a few shows a year, so they need to run a lot of shows and provide some incentive for people to continue to compete.”

This is what Laskin believes to be the root of the problem. “Horse shows are a great business model and show managers make a lot of money. The problem is that a lot of them don’t put money back into the infrastructure – like footing or stabling – and some horses that are there a long time develop issues because of it. I think that some of these show managers could put more back into the infrastructure than they do and make the facilities more suitable for the development of the horses, and make them more horse-friendly.”

If show managers aren’t seeing a drop in exhibitor numbers, their business model is unlikely to change. One organization that hopes to change this is the North American Riders Group (NARG), a collective of riders and trainers whose mission is to improve the sport of show jumping in North America through evaluating show venues. Canada has four venues in the NARG list of Top 25 venues of 2012: Spruce Meadows ranked at #2, Thunderbird Show Park at #3, the Royal Winter Fair at #10, and Bromont at #20. Factors that are assessed by NARG include footing, show stabling, courses, prize money, ceremonies, and other aspects. “The NARG is doing a lot of things, chiefly identifying deficiencies at various venues,” believes Laskin. “Their ranking gives us a yardstick to measure everything by and helps people make choices accordingly. A lot of show managers want to get on this list and maybe that will spur them to make some improvements.”

A solution to the year-round horse show grind ultimately lies in the hands of the riders. “I think it’s safe to say that these horses need downtime to recover and they need to be managed correctly,” concludes Laskin. “A lot of the top riders are very, very good horse managers; it doesn’t help their cause if they mismanage the horses and they break early in their career. You have to be a horseman, and when you deal with team riders they are good horseman.”

Foster pinpoints the paramount responsibility for a rider who has chosen to pursue competitive goals: “The most important thing is the welfare of the horse; a good plan and realistic goals at the beginning of the year will go a long way in making sure your horse is just as happy as you are to go to the show.”