Charles Britton: Good news for showjumping *H&H VIP*

The South View Winter Classic show was very positive in so many ways. It was the first premier we have run since British Showjumping (BS) tweaked the format, and entries were far higher than in recent years, with nearly 820 first rounds jumped over the weekend.

Previously, schedules for premier shows have been fixed, which meant show centres couldn’t make adaptations to suit their competitors. This has now been changed and is a very good move by BS. It allowed us to put on young rider classes this weekend, which proved popular. The high standard in them must be good news for the future of this sport.

Fantastic courses

The standard has, in fact, been exceptional across the board all weekend. Despite missing many people to the sunshine tours, the talent that was at the show was very impressive. All classes were hard fought, and the winners well deserved.

Special mention must go to Gillian Milner, who has built fantastic courses all weekend, including for some classes run table A10.

This table, where the second part of the first-round course is higher, can be a bit contentious, but I think it has worked well over the past few days and the format actually helped a few combinations step up over challenging but inviting courses.

First timers

Having just redone the surface on both the indoor and outdoor arenas, I was delighted to see many competitors who hadn’t been to South View before, including a strong contingent from down south. Hopefully we will be welcoming everyone back at our other significant shows throughout the year.

A big thank you to all those who supported the show. There has been an amazing atmosphere all weekend with everyone clapping and cheering each other on. It’s been a pleasure to stage a show that has had such a positive feel to it.

Here’s to the rest of 2019 continuing in the same way.

Ref Horse & Hound; 28 February 2019