Essex-based showjumper Ronnie Lee Jones, who is a successful and well-respected rider, producer and trainer, has his say on calendar clashes and the growing trend of leasing horses
Kelsall Hill’s winter classic was a great show where the organisers did everything right, but I wonder if British Showjumping (BS) needs to have a look at its scheduling so we can build up more excitement around these events. It wasn’t a quiet show – there were 40 in the grand prix, which offered £3,000 to the winner – but with that kind of prize money on offer, numbers could have been bigger.
Kelsall Hill organiser Mike Florence used to be chef d’equipe for young riders Nations Cup teams in the golden era and he’s very knowledgeable. He has put in a lot of effort: there were grooms’ prizes, an interviewer with a microphone working with the audience and riders, ClipMyHorse.TV in the warm-up and every class had a mounted prize-giving to add to the atmosphere.
Everyone I spoke to had something positive to say and the staff couldn’t have been more helpful. The temperature was well below freezing and when the hook-up on our lorry broke, they organised discounts for us at a local hotel.
There were other grands prix on the same weekend, although not for as much money, and I wonder if we had fewer shows on winter classic dates, whether it would create more of a focus. I would love to know BS’s thoughts behind its calendar as when there is a clash, show centres are up in arms. It affected Bury Farm’s winter classic, which was cancelled after being scheduled very close to the London International Horse Show.
Going on tour
It’s the time of year when people are busy preparing for foreign tours and we’re taking 12 horses to Spain in a couple of weeks. We are spending two or three hours a day making sure vet checks, passports and carnets are in order, as well as lorry MOTs, insurance and relevant driver courses. This year, there is also a new rule about digital tachos to get your head around.
If you compiled all the things we’ve learnt about exporting horses since Brexit, you could probably make a degree course out of it. It’s an absolute minefield and if you get paperwork wrong, it doesn’t only lead to complications but you can face on-the-spot fines of up to £10,000.
We’ve found there are clients whose dream is to go on tour, but they want the organisational pressure taken off them. Some would love to go to Spain and jump a 1.30m, but they also can’t afford a horse just for that experience, so we’ve started to offer leasing packages, as well as taking care of all the logistics.
It’s a useful way of giving some of our horses a job and, for us, it can work better to lease them for six months and have them stay within our team than sell them.
There are yards on the continent that offer short-term leasing, even for just one show. While it’s mostly aimed at amateurs jumping 1.30m, Belgian showjumper Karel Cox leases 1.60m horses for shows or seasons. It’s a way of holding on to those horses while making money at the same time. If your business is based around teaching, it can be a good route to go down and you’re still able to supervise them.
Recently, we’ve even found there is demand for organisational help at domestic shows. It’s often the case these days that people need quite involved, full-time jobs to be able to afford horses; their work takes priority and they just don’t have time for the extras. It’s something there seems to be a growing interest in.
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