It might be business as usual for producers, says Katie Jerram-Hunnable, but entry numbers at county shows across the board provide reason for concern.
Top British show horse producer Katie Jerram-Hunnable shares her thoughts on the plight of our county shows and equine flu
While it seems to be business as usual for many of us producers, I feel it’s not the case for others as numbers in some classes seem worryingly low, even at our traditional county shows.
I always feel very torn when it comes to our local county shows. I used to religiously ensure that I took horses to them. But, they fall early in summer and I found if I prioritised these fixtures, I missed a handful of the early Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) qualifiers at other prestigious county shows and I ran the risk of missing out on early tickets.
As a producer, it’s therefore not a viable choice; I have to consider the wishes of my owners who naturally hope to see their horses at Hickstead and HOYS and must plan my season accordingly.
Also, we run a different risk by not supporting the county shows that are granted qualifiers. HOYS have a strict handle on the numbers entered and an affiliation fee, so if we don’t support them, they will be both out of pocket and without qualifiers.
While I understand the financial justification for centralising the bulk of the HOYS qualifiers, it doesn’t help the more regional county shows such as those we have here in the south-east of the country.
It’s a similar plight affecting shows across the south, the north and into Wales and Scotland, where there are rarely qualifying opportunities.
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
What this means for regional talent and showing’s future is a discussion for another day, but I fear it can’t be good.
These shows provide a vital shop window for our public to see showing, and perhaps even other country or agricultural pursuits for the first time. Who knows, an inspired member of the public could become a future supporter of our shows in a plethora of ways.
They also provide a cracking – and nostalgic – day out for our teams as well as the public. To wind up losing more of these traditional fixtures would be a great shame.
Shows, safety and survival
This season, our shows have the added complication of the spread of equine flu across the country.
Personally, I think that having shows check passports and vaccination records is a good thing and I’m thoroughly unimpressed with tales of people trying to flout the rules.
Perhaps the classes most at risk of very low numbers from this outbreak are the mare and foal classes.
Understandably, breeders and producers are wary of taking young foals to shows due to the risk of exposure. They will all be old enough to travel according to guidelines, but not old enough to be vaccinated, as initial vaccination isn’t recommended until the foal is four to six months old.
My husband Chris is on the Sport Horse Breeding of Great Britain committee so I know they are particularly worried about the safety of hosting these classes at their championship show. What a pity if a society dedicated to breeding is left unable to showcase breeding stock at its flagship event.
At this point, I urge everyone to be careful, to be responsible and to do their part in minimising the spread of disease. The last thing our industry needs is for organisers to feel forced into cancelling shows, similar to what happened during the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak and more recently, the Covid-19 epidemic.
Many of our fixtures failed to get back off the ground afterwards. Further cancellations could mean unsurvivable financial losses to some more shows, making this a very worrying time indeed.
● What measures would you like to see our shows employ to minimise the risk of flu? Let us know at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance to have your thoughts published in a future issue of Horse & Hound magazine
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Katie Jerram is one of the country's leading show horse producers and her horses have taken the supreme champion title at HOYS, RIHS and other major shows. A regular Horse & Hound columnist, you can read Katie’s views in the magazine or H&H VIP members can view them online below. Find out how to join H&H VIP
