H&H eventing editor Pippa Roome reflects on the success of the Winter Olympics and opens the discussion on how horse sport could adapt to attract similar interest
Could dressage be more like big air? Having spent evening after evening watching the Winter Olympics last month, that was the question I posed to my colleagues at H&H, half joking – and the response was surprisingly positive.
In big air, the skiing or snowboarding competitors launch themselves down a steep run and off a ledge, performing their best jump for the judges. Three runs, best two scores from two different tricks to count. It’s quick, it’s captivating, it’s easy to understand. I wonder if a novel dressage format could be similar. Everyone would still perform the grand prix and perhaps the special, to show their horse has had the essential all-round training. Then instead of a freestyle, riders get one minute to show the judges their best “trick”.
Repeat three times, best two scores to count. The dressage movements could be grouped by theme and pace so that, like the skiers and snowboarders, you have to show variety across your three goes – you couldn’t just show three-time, two- time and one-time tempi changes. But each competitor would be able to play to their horse’s strengths.
Some might say it would be confusing for the horses to be asked to perform repeatedly, but isn’t that we do in training all the time – work the horse for a period to teach or perfect something, then give him a break?
Reaching a new audience
The widespread interest in the Winter Olympics shows us that there is an audience for different activities and we shouldn’t be afraid to promote horse sport.
The challenge for commentators at both winter and summer Games is making what they say accessible for a new audience, who may be seeing a sport for the first time, without alienating the uber-fans. Aficionados might have to accept that the commentary is a little more simplistic than they would prefer, in order to hook in new viewers. That’s surely a small price to pay for gaining the sport a bigger following?
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) provided extended start lists at the Winter Olympics, with brief information about each competitor’s record and best previous performances. This is a simple idea that could help newcomers enjoy watching more and is very useful for any commentators less familiar with that sport.
As always, storytelling is key when trying to catch people’s imagination. The biggest story of the Games was probably Lindsey Vonn’s determination to compete despite her serious ACL injury just before the Olympics – and her subsequent crash. And who didn’t root harder for Britain’s Kirsty Muir in the big air because she’d been fourth and just out of the medals in slopestyle – and feel for her when she was fourth again?
A big theme in our family WhatsApp group during the Games was fascination with how everything worked backstage, starting with how on earth competitors and coaches got up the big air structure (answer: a very sketchy looking lift). Similarly, we see widespread interest in the logistics of flying horses to big events. The “Athletes’ Village for horses” was a talking point during a tour for non-horsey sponsors in Paris 2024 and while we take the fact horse sports come with stables for granted, we shouldn’t underestimate the interest in those areas.
Banzai’s back
Studying entries is a daily sport in itself at this time of year as excitement builds for the opening of the eventing season. Who’s starting where? Who has a new ride? Which horses who missed last year are back in the fray? Poplar Park will kick things off with full entries and over 100 in its open intermediate sections. This includes Yasmin Ingham’s world champion Banzai Du Loir – back out for the first time since being Britain’s alternate at Paris 18 months ago – and two horses from the British squad at last year’s Europeans in JL Dublin (Tom McEwen) and Its Cooley Time (Bubby Upton).
More big names will roll out at Oasby and Tweseldown the week after. Badminton entries are open, the sun is finally shining (some days) – and eight glorious months of the eventing season glitters before us.
What can horse sport take away from the Winter Olympics? Write to 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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