Profitable and well-respected showjumping rider, producer and coach, Ronnie Lee Jones, shares his ideas on unclaimed HOYS tickets and producing younger horses
Hickstead has grow to be the place to be in Britain to provide horses and it’s solely going to get higher. The venue has simply began on groundwork for brand spanking new everlasting stables and it will be some set-up. They handle to strike the best stability between retaining the showground conventional and maintaining with the remainder of Europe.
Organisers did an excellent job dealing with climate circumstances throughout their latest All England September Tour and the bottom was sorted exceptionally effectively. Begin instances had been moved in response to the forecast and when the courses needed to be relocated to the all-weather area on the ultimate day, they opened the ring up and it nonetheless felt like a championship ambiance.
A number of thought went into all of it and everybody I spoke to was very pleased.
I took some inexperienced younger horses there and so they learnt a lot throughout their two weeks of leaping on undulating floor and dealing with good programs. Even simply using spherical, taking within the Hickstead atmosphere, teaches them manners each out and in of the ring.
It was nice preparation for this week’s FEI WBFSH Leaping World Breeding Championships in Lanaken to have the younger horse championships at Hickstead adopted by one other two weeks of competitors.
I’ve a five-year-old stallion who’s going to Lanaken and, after leaping the younger horse qualifiers, we got here again to leap the five-year-old courses on week one of many Hickstead tour, adopted by some 1.20m courses on a floor the second week. It was like becoming in six weeks of actually good basis schooling in a a lot shorter house of time.
I’ve jumped him at each Hickstead championship this 12 months, then he goes residence, goes within the area, covers a few mares and goes hacking. He goes spherical like a horse two years older from the schooling he’s had there.
The suitable course
This 12 months there have been a whole lot of unclaimed Horse of the 12 months Present (HOYS) tickets within the 128cm qualifiers and British Showjumping (BS) have moved in the best course by deciding to present them to the youngsters who’ve simply missed out on a spot.
At a lot of the reveals, a minimum of two tickets have been left unclaimed as a result of you must soar the primary spherical clear to be able to qualify, ruling out those that have had a pole or picked up time faults.
I don’t suppose this is a matter with course-building. The youngsters do have to study to experience at a championship canter, step up and soar trickier distances, and study to experience by their eye. If we’re producing riders for the long run, they’re going to have onerous classes to study.
But when they’re able to leaping two winter clears to qualify for second rounds, then some minor faults shouldn’t rule them out of going to HOYS. We’re not speaking about handing out tickets to children which have fallen off or had 4 or 5 fences down, it’s those that have been constant however unfortunate and it’s good that we’re rewarding consistency.
The JA ponies aren’t getting any youthful and there aren’t a whole lot of youthful ponies coming via, so it’s essential that a few of those that have had an unlucky fault don’t miss their likelihood to realize expertise in a championship ambiance.
Typically we see a whole lot of the identical riders claiming the tickets and, whilst you do have households with sources, it’s not a closed store. There are additionally children from working class households competing at a very good degree. The particular factor about showjumping is that it’s inclusive. I’m an instance of it – I come from a travelling background and grew up on a council property – however if in case you have a ardour you possibly can obtain your ambitions.
HOYS is each child’s dream. The mother and father and kids put quite a bit into it, so it’s good after they get one thing again. I hope it’s a coverage BS retains in going ahead.
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H&H showjumping editor
Jennifer is passionate at showjumping and her function as H&H’s showjumping editor has taken her all over the world reporting from reveals and interviewing riders, connections and people concerned behind the scenes. Since becoming a member of H&H from BBC Sport in 2005, she has written on each topic throughout the equestrian sphere — from turnout rugs to secure administration — and has interviewed gold medallists, world champions and winners galore. She additionally has first-hand expertise of working within the equestrian trade as a using teacher and yard supervisor.
