“This isn’t sport, it’s a factory for selling horses”

Adam Cromarty, broadcaster, commentator, judge and husband to an amateur showjumper, says...

MY own opinions do not completely align with those of Nick, however he is a world-class athlete who has dedicated his life to equestrian sport and I applaud him for wanting to use his experience to better showjumping in the UK.

I work at shows around the world, and this exposure gives a fascinating insight into how the sport is managed in different territories. It seems there needs to be a review of the requirements needed to host affiliated events in the UK.

When going to shows as a husband (groom), I appreciate venues with exceptional horse facilities, but also where human amenities have been given some consideration. It may also be easier to attract sponsors if they could bring clients for dinner and feel like they are in a pleasing environment while watching our sport.

Showjumping has moved from having multi-day events with evening entertainment to an abundance of single-day shows where we jump everything as fast as possible, using singlephase rules. To me, this isn’t sport; it’s a factory that allows for people to produce horses so they can sell them.

I’m not idealistic and I can see the viewpoint of those who use the industry to fund their business. However, if we want to promote the sport, I would suggest cutting down the number of shows and ask event organisers to tender for weekend dates. What are they offering that is exceptional? Do they have sponsors? Are they using a commentator? Then weekday shows can be geared towards the express method.

Instead of raising the cost of membership, we should look at increasing entry fees and creating an environment where the numbers in each competition make running shows a viable business. This could lead to facility investment and being able to pay show officials a fee that keeps the best expertise in the UK.

The young horse events that have been added to the calendar are a positive step, but producers are only a proportion of the overall membership.

Age classes are already run alongside the existing national series but perhaps they could offer dual qualification for age-specific finals.

The term amateur always seems to cause a reaction, as if it is a derogatory term. I think the opposite is true. In North America, they run young rider and amateur classes up to 1.40m, and amateur riders who are jumping competitions such as World Cups want to maintain their amateur status so they can jump their young horses around less technical courses.

I think they do have a place at Horse of the Year Show. We need to give the largest group of competitors something to aim toward.

Constructive discussion between the correct parties is so valuable and I am sure our national governing body will continue to explore all proposals, but we also need to accept that it’s OK to have different viewpoints.

“The term amateur seems to cause

a reaction as if it’s derogatory”