British five-star showjumper Jodie Hall McAteer considers a modern renaissance of showjumping, and reflects on safe returns from the Middle East and other transport woes in her exclusive H&H column
I can only imagine how frightening it must have been for riders whose horses were stranded in the Middle East as a result of the conflict with Iran. In Doha, the Tour had a week’s break, and a lot of riders came home then found themselves unable to get flights back out.
They were separated from their horses who were stuck there, but thankfully a few cargo flights have meant the safe return of many horses and their teams over the past few days.
The sport has become truly global in recent years. A decade ago these Middle Eastern tours weren’t as popular but the prize pots and number of ranking classes have lured a lot of European riders into starting their seasons there. Showjumping has developed rapidly in those countries, and the facilities and standard of competition are on a par with the best in the world.
Trouble can happen anywhere, but when riders are so far from home, it’s an extra level of concern. Luckily many of those who were in the UAE finished a week earlier, and were home shortly before the conflict started.
Finding the right opportunities
Last year I only did one five-star show at Hickstead as I was rebuilding my string and producing a team of more inexperienced horses. At the back end of last year, I was ready for my horses to step up but the opportunities didn’t come; it is difficult trying to break back through to the top level.
I am not currently on a Global Champions League team, and as I am no longer a young rider, it can be a challenge to get into the bigger shows. However with many riders incentivised to go overseas – to Wellington, to Doha and to the UAE – there were some openings at the concluding World Cup events.
With countless shows on the calendar now you can question if traditional series such as the World Cups still carry the same level of prestige they used to. However they were incredible shows in fantastic atmospheres and I was more than happy to be there!
We seem to be finding ourselves in a modern renaissance of showjumping so it will be interesting to see how the sport continues to develop in the coming years. I started in Amsterdam, went on to Bordeaux and finished up in Gothenburg. For the first time in a while, I did consecutive bigger shows on the bounce.
I probably appreciate it a bit more now. When you have a good team, you think it will go on like that forever but horses get older and you have to step back and build up the next generation. It’s a cycle that happens time and time again in horse sport, but the advantage we have over other sports is that as riders as long as you have the horses, you can have a long career… just look at John Whitaker! After jumping for just a time-fault in the World Cup he joked in his interview that pensioners should be allowed extra time.
Further transport woes
Following on from Carmen Edwards’ column last month, I agree that something needs to be done to streamline the process of transporting horses to and
from Europe. My horses were held up in Dover on their way home from Gothenburg last week.
The health papers the show provided had only my horses’ FEI number, not their microchip number. It would have been easy enough just to verify it by
looking in their passports, but instead we were held for two hours while they tried to contact a vet in Sweden after 5pm on a Monday.
Some sort of automated process should be introduced to streamline the experience. Even if it doesn’t make it cheaper, it needs to be done for horses’ welfare.
What is the solution to border crossings? Share your thoughts with us at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance to have your views published in a future issue of Horse & Hound magazine
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