Final Portfolio Piece 2

Forget horses for a while – here’s something that’s just got my goat…

Just another competition

I have just returned from a local one day event with my new horse, May. The weather was horrendous, the event badly run and to top it off – although this is hardly going to be a surprise to anyone who understands that horses aren’t machines – we managed to bring up the rear in the prize giving. But that’s not what got my goat today. Honestly, it’s not.

The Issue

Basically British Eventing has decided to enforce the ‘one fall and out rule’ – to put it technically if you fall off in the cross country phase you have to retire. This wasn’t enforced at the event today – it was only an amateur event, apparently for kids – I just read about it in one of the magazines yesterday whilst trying to get the feeling back in my hands, wrapped around the tack room kettle.

My reaction

My response to such a ludicrous change – absolute rubbish. What I love so much about horses is that this world that some of us devote our entire lives to has not yet been suffocated by ‘health and safety’. It gives us the opportunity to escape it and enjoy the fact that although a risky sport we are deciding for ourselves that we wish to pursue it. If we want to jump a three foot by four foot wide log that has been conveniently placed on a nice grassy surface with a gently sloping entrance, we should be able to jump it. We should be able to jump it as many times as we wish – obviously within reason when competing.

If a horse and rider have a bad fall at a fence how do they get their confidence back? They jump it again until they are both happy. If frustratingly self righteous stewards come marching up to them, blow the whistle in their faces and march them off the course to go home to bed, how are they going to feel – and how is this going to affect future performances? Quite simply it would be disastrous.

I’m not saying competitors should have the freedom to jump what fences they want, when they want – that would completely defeat the object of competition. Not to mention reduce a well-organised international event to the charade of my amateur attempt yesterday. But, as the old saying goes, everyone should get a second chance. Attempting the jump a second time can restore a combination almost to their former selves. If they have to go home completely out of the running, they should at least be able to go with their confidence as intact as when they arrived.

On the other hand

Of course to every strong argument there is a ‘but’. Obviously it would be unsafe for a horse or rider to continue if they are injured. There are concerns about concussion – riders may not be aware that they are concussed and so remounting could cause further injury. To this I say that, as adults, we are able to determine how we feel. At the end of the day riders who have had a fall know that they are out of the winnings – they’re not stupid. As long as the other horses don’t suddenly lose their legs and are unable to walk let alone jump, that prize money is out of their reach. So they’re not going to go hell for leather around the rest of the course making up for time faults. If anything they will jump a couple more fences and retire, or complete the course at a steady pace to regain their confidence.

My final word

I don’t think we should try and molly-coddle people who make the decision to compete in cross country. I fell off today and was permitted to attempt the jump again. I did and it was a great help. I know it’s a risk sport – but let’s not make it hostile.