Equestrian commentator, broadcaster and British Showjumping/FEI judge, Adam Cromarty, shares why he believes social licence is the biggest challenge faced by equestrian sport
Although I can’t be sure of the timeline, I believe within 10 years, whips and spurs will no longer exist in competition. There’s no point in giving an opinion on whether I believe this to be a positive thing. In fact, I believe the views of those within our sport will be inconsequential.
Social licence is the biggest challenge we have ever faced. The world is continually changing and the evolution we’ve seen in a broader sense over the past few years is enough to raise an eyebrow. I remember when the term snowflake was reserved for wintertime.
The results of a YouGov survey showed 20% of those asked did not support the continued involvement of horses in sport under any circumstances and 40% would only support their involvement if welfare was improved. If you’re thinking that these people don’t know what they are talking about, I’m with you.
However, given that racing over fences was banned in Australia, I agree with Nick Skelton’s column that it’s time for us to be proactive to protect the sport, its Olympic affiliation and our livelihoods.
The whip is there to back up a leg aid and help create forward momentum. That’s my go-to response when asked why athletes carry them. As someone who watches hundreds of showjumping rounds on a weekly basis, I’m not sure how often I see it used for this purpose. If a horse refuses, could we really apply my stock answer?
Spurs are there as an additional aid or when a sharper reaction is required. Used correctly, they can be such a useful tool but from a layperson’s point of view, they are unnecessary “sharp”, pointy things.
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I suppose we need to applaud British Showjumping (BS), who changed the national whip rule to only allow a padded bat. These operate in a different way and now just make more of a noise. To my knowledge, they were the first federation to take this step. BS also incorporated the FEI rule disallowing the use of a whip after an elimination, something that not all nations have adapted.
Potential for an instant PR crisis
Live-streaming has meant that more of our sport is available to watch than ever before, but that also brings its own challenges. I recently watched a Nations Cup that featured a rider finishing with 48 faults. It wasn’t pleasant to watch, and he backed up his leg aid a lot, just to get home. Put together enough clips like that and we would have an instant PR crisis.
The FEI recently provided a power for judges to eliminate a rider if allowing them to continue would be contrary to the principles of horse welfare. As an official, this is a rule I welcomed and one I would be willing to implement, if required.
I know some top riders had their reservations, calling into question the level of experience within jury boxes. My own interpretation of this rule is that it is there for a horse who is struggling, not for a young horse that comes out a little spooky. Like it or not, this rule is as much about public opinion as it is horse welfare.
With this topic in mind, there is some irony that the new Olympic format, as implemented in Tokyo, encourages partnerships who are having a bad day to push through to avoid their country being eliminated. The drop score of a fourth team member was of great value and I am surprised it hasn’t been brought back for Paris 2024.
We all need to do our part
Owning a media company means that technology and social platforms are a big part of my life. For those climbing the ranks and wanting to attract sponsors, it’d seem a social following is almost as important as show results.
Eyes cannot be avoided. Smartphones are everywhere and the result is that competition is going to be less and less about producing horses and more of an exhibition of what work has been done at home.
We all need to do our part. The media needs to educate, riders need to smile, pat and school outside of the competition arena. We need to be proactive before the public forum has our sport looking like a glorified dog show.
● Do you agree with Adam’s thoughts? Let us know at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance to have your views published in a future edition of Horse & Hound magazine
This exclusive column will also be available to read in Horse & Hound magazine, on sale Thursday 1 June, 2023
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