A guide to the competitive world of these shows, insight into the display and performance, discussion on the question of these contests being fixed.
Why are we all, in the hunter/jumper world, so caught up in the joy of winning rather than the joy of riding? Stepping back and looking at it through an evolutionary standpoint, it is evident that victory is associated with the endorphin rush of survival. Thousands of years ago, winning a battle meant that you were the one who walked away alive, or the one who brought food home for your family, or even the one who was allowed to pass on his genetics by claiming the prized female. Yet we are in modern times now, or so we like to believe, so why is victory so overwhelming and self-absorbing?
When a beginner first goes over a jump, or completes a first course, he or she is exuberant from success, not over the fact that he or she is better than a select group. The spirit of competition can be made into a productive and joyous feeling if handled properly. The mind-set with which one approaches competition is as important as the condition of the horse.
The dangers of horseback riding are overwhelming, ranging from a fluke accident which can lead to paralysis, or the unavoidable joint damage from repetitive jumping. I am only seventeen years old at the moment, yet I ache every morning when I wake up. When I jog or do exercises, every joint in my body cracks repeatedly. However, if you enjoy the sport enough, these calculated risks are acceptable. My question for you is: why accept these risks if your goal is only to win?
More importantly, by competitively riding without consideration of your own mental health or that of the horse, you increase your chances of injury several fold. When I was a junior jumper, my trainer would raise the jumps up to five feet, not because I was competing at that level, or even because it was the appropriate thing to do, but simply because it could possibly give me the competitive edge.
Not everyone is talented enough to win. There are many riders who ride all of their lives, receive ample training, and buy the most expensive horses, yet they will never see a blue ribbon. Why should they subject themselves to self-abuse over their lack of success, when the whole objective of the sport should be to have fun? The majority of us who ride are not doing it to make a living, so why then, do we go to the point of no return? There is a breaking point, at which the sport is an obsession, and at this point it is no longer fun, it is simply a dangerous activity.
I ask you, my fellow riders, to step back from the show ring and analyze the conditions to which we are subjecting ourselves. Showing should be in order to ameliorate the horse and rider's ability, not simply to win, winning is an added perk to a job well done. Next time you trot into that ring, or hear the buzzer for the jump-off, think: why am I doing this?
