Oliver Townend shares his ideas on gathering rings, a brand new proprietor’s award and prize cash in eventing
If you’ve made your dwelling in a sport for 25 years, it’s simple to take elements of it with no consideration. However typically I’m shocked by the unbelievable venues we’ve got in eventing, and am reminded how fortunate I’m to be a part of it.
The realm wherein I grew up had nothing like that, and it is just due to horses and eventing that I’ve had the prospect to see these superb locations.
I’ve been to some sensible occasions not too long ago, from Cornbury Park to Allerton Park and Little Downham. I haven’t been to Allerton for greater than 10 years, and it was good to relearn what a implausible place it’s. It has house, different terrain and is effectively suited to be a top-level one-day occasion. It wants supporting – and a date that doesn’t conflict with Blenheim.
My novice and BE100 horses could have come on a lot from their expertise of the terrain and the environment – it made me realise how little of that kind of factor they’ve seen, and the way totally different Allerton is to many trendy one-days. It’s a nice disgrace it not has a nationwide superior class – I don’t know whether or not this could go well with the landowners and organisers or not, however what about giving it Chatsworth’s date and having a four-star there?
Cornbury had the environment within the night that good occasions used to have, with everybody socialising collectively in a relaxed method, which is one thing that has been misplaced from the game for a while.
Allerton, Cornbury and Little Downham all had one thing totally different to supply within the calendar, and had good entries. Eventing positively can work, however in the intervening time there’s a massively unsettled feeling all through the entire neighborhood. Occasions are dropping like flies, and the environment between riders and volunteers, for instance, isn’t nearly as good appropriately.
One thing that should be sorted is showjumping gathering rings. We’re so fortunate to have some superb individuals who recurrently volunteer to run these difficult components of an occasion, and so they know what system works greatest at most venues. However British Eventing’s tips advise conserving to given occasions – which simply doesn’t work.
You solely want one individual to have a puncture or one dressage decide to be late and the entire thing is thrown off stability and ends in a really annoyed volunteer shouting for numbers that aren’t there and an terrible lot of stress.
What works is writing your quantity down whenever you get there, with an area each 5 horses for riders with three or extra horses. This permits riders with a number of horses to get by way of their day extra effectively and signifies that amateurs know they are going to have 5, a most of six, horses till their spherical. For everybody’s sake, this must be the system used all over the place.
A number one proprietor’s prize
Why don’t we’ve got a number one proprietor’s prize? Let’s reward and champion this important group and provides them one thing to compete for. No one has an issue with JP McManus being main Nationwide Hunt proprietor most years, as a result of everybody in racing understands how fortunate the game is to have him.
We’re recurrently dropping homeowners to the likes of racing and showjumping, and we have to give them one thing to maintain them . It doesn’t must contain large sums of cash, however certainly a very nice trophy, a magnum of champagne and a sponsored vacation isn’t that onerous to organise?
Up the cash
I’m turning into more and more embarrassed by the prize cash that’s displayed on the likes of EventingScores with the ultimate outcomes of every occasion. It’s no good anymore saying that we simply don’t have the sponsors – we’ve got to assume outdoors the field.
Eventing is already too costly, however nobody questions the addition of a begin price or abandonment fund price. So why don’t we’ve got a prize-money fund, the place £10 or £20 is added to the entry price for each class? This fund may have to run for a season to achieve momentum earlier than it begins paying out, and we’d like transparency as to how a lot is in it. It’s acquired to be value a dialogue, certainly?
● How do you assume prize cash ought to be funded? Write to hhletters@futurenet.com, together with your identify, nearest city and nation, for the prospect in your letter to seem in a forthcoming situation of the journal
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Oliver Townend, pictured driving Tregilder on the 2023 Burgham CCI4*-S.
Credit score: Peter Nixon
Oliver Townend and En Taro Des Vernier within the British intermediate championship.
Credit score: Benjamin Clark
Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class at Badminton 2018. Oliver has now made 100 five-star begins.
Credit score: Peter Nixon
Credit score: Future
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