The way forward? Photo by Lulu Kyriacou
It has been a big week in horse sport. Mainly because the FEI held their annual forum to discuss pertinent matters with representatives from their stake holders and afterwards held a Bureau meeting to vote on matters, rules and policy changes once they had had that input. As the three-man Olympic team thing is now a done deal, one wonders why they bothered with one of the sessions at all as they have pretty much ignored the majority of the participants who were against the move. All in the name of more nations participating. Very noble and worthy. Apparently going for quantity at the 2020 Games, to keep equestrian part of the Olympic family will not mean a loss of quality, they said. Hmmm, well I am all for inclusion, but I am not sure Iceland are ever going to field a team of three showjumpers able to jump at 1.60m or that Pakistan will find three 4* event combinations, but not to worry, they are entitled to vote on the matter just in case.
You have to laugh because just prior to this debate, luminary former LA Times sports hack, Alan Abrahamson, had told delegates that horse sport was at a ‘crisis point’ and needed to attract younger fans aged under 16 to the sport. Well, when I was 16, I didn’t care much for inclusion and diversity when I sat down to watch the Horse of the Year Show or the Olympics. What I wanted to see was all the famous riders I admired jumping massive fences that I could only dream of jumping myself. They inspired me to do better and work at my riding. I suppose if you live in Timbuktu or Madagascar, watching your lone representative who is there just for the sake of more flags being represented, have two stops at the first 1.60m fence or fall off at the first cross country combination might like wise inspire you, but I think watching the best against the best is more likely to draw both viewers and inspiration.
Global Champions Tour Photo
The FEI needs to face the fact that some countries just do not have a horse sport culture. But if they do get a representative, the facility to qualify and go to a major Games has been there for a long time. How do I know this? In 2007, I was hired to manage the yard and career of a not quite 21-year-old aspiring event rider, based in the UK, who was hoping to make a 2* qualification and the British Young Rider Squad. As she was not British by birth, the first thing I did was to advise her to ride for the country of her birth because if she did, once qualified, she would automatically get her country’s nomination to any event she chose to go to. Though I have long since moved on to other things, the great equestrian nation of Zimbabwe now has a event rider heading for Rio…
But you know what? All these debates aside, the one thing that is going to change and strangely has gone almost unreported is competition clothing! Bling on bridles was sadly not mentioned, but team cross country colours were and this led on to shirt colours in other disciplines. I am fairly sure that the FEI acquiescing to a suggestion for more defined colours was just a platitude to soften the blow of the three-man teams when it landed, because I am fairly sure teams have always had distinct colours at team championships, but look what such a decision could lead to. Coloured shirts in dressage and jumping, and why stop at shirts? Coloured breeches to match. And what about the horses? Got to be room for some colour co-ordinated horse clothes surely? Coloured browbands? A must. Preferably with some matching diamante. In the UK, back in the day, you could get leg and tail wraps in the Pony Club colours of purple, green and gold stripes…I am having a vision of red, white and blue brushing boots, may be with some Evel Knievel type stars for America? Dressage horses could wear mandatory bandages in diagonally opposite colours. At the Miami Global Champions League this weekend, the horses in each team got matching saddle cloths and ear covers. Loving their style, although I suspect the rider’s matching shirts were more to do with selling an advertising space on the backs. The Antwerp Diamonds team were lacking a certain sparkle (back to diamante again!) and the Shanghai Swans lacked a feather boa or two. But once again, why stop there? We could dye manes and tails, use glitter polish on hooves and, let’s face it, any show jacket would be prettier for a sequin or two. Joking aside, it certainly made for a brightly coloured spectacle and although I don’t know if this will make horse sport appeal more to the under 16s, the under 5s are going to love it!
Global Champions Tour Photo
Finally, better give a quick mention to the Grand National, this week carrying the baton of Most Evil. Terrible heartless race, where horses are ‘made’ to jump and end up dead for their trouble. No one told Hadrian’s Approach that he was being forced to run, he fell at the first…and then merrily jumped round at the head of the field on his own until three from home when he decided he had done enough and galloped to the stables. Oh and in the race, no horses were injured or worse at all. In fact, there are 90,000 opportunities for horses to get killed racing in the UK (races x runners) and the current percentage of fatalities is 0.2%. Your horse is more likely to have a paddock accident. Just saying.
