Adam Cromarty: ‘Showjumping deserves better than the current nationals offering’

In his latest column, Adam Cromarty shares his views on the importance of public perception and why he believes British Showjumping members deserve better

We’re still beaming with pride after the outstanding performance of our showjumping team in Paris. Round after round we saw precision, consistency and an amazing ability to remain calm under immense pressure.

Just prior to the Games, equestrian sports received overwhelming global media attention – sadly for the wrong reason with a spotlight thrown onto the training methods of dressage rider Charlotte Dujardin.

Within a couple of hours of the story breaking, I appeared on Good Morning Britain hoping to provide clarity on the importance placed on welfare and the exemplary care competition horses receive. Later in the show, host Richard Madeley remarked that when he thinks of dressage, he will think of “that video”.

I discussed public perception in a previous column and this incident is a prime example. British Dressage’s statement was on point and spoke perfectly to a variety of audiences.

Although this particular debacle didn’t involve jumping, I do think our national federation could have used the opportunity to further confirm their stance on welfare. After going to the trouble of having the strictest tack rules and being the only federation that replaced traditional whips for padded style bats, it’s perhaps time to change their strategy of silence being the best policy.

Time to capitalise

As Nick Skelton appealed for in his recent column, I really hope we capitalise on the recent success of our riders. I’d be booking our Olympic champions on TV panel shows and working with mainstream media to plug them in to any opportunity that was available.

Nick also continued recent discussions surrounding the blood rule. I fear that no matter what the rule is, it will always be divisive.

As it stands, if blood is found when a steward passes a white glove over the flank, the protocol involves the chief steward informing the ground jury and it’s the president of the ground jury that issues an elimination. This is for incidents that lack causation and are a rub or an accident. Should it be decided that the spur has been overused, then a disqualification can be issued.

When Pedro Veniss was eliminated in Paris, I don’t believe there was any speculation that his spur had been overused but there is no room for interpretation. I suspect the FEI is stuck between the beliefs of professionals and social licence considerations.

From a non-equestrian perspective, how much blood is OK and if it was unintentional, should it not be penalised? Perhaps the existing yellow warning card could be involved so if it happens twice within a one-year period then the rider would receive an automatic two-month suspension.

Para riders don’t deserve this

Back on home soil, I watched the British Showjumping National Championships online and was encouraged by the amount of talent and horsepower on display. A massive congratulations to everyone who spent all year qualifying. I’m just sorry that we can’t provide a championship event that reflects your hard work.

I believe history was made as the first championship ever to be run using two-phase rules. We had a final with more than 223 starters and no mechanism to reduce the number through preliminary rounds. This is a great way to generate income – but it is not sport.

Para riders entered to jump on a surface and were then moved to grass with less than a week’s notice. Clearly no one considered these athletes’ additional needs or even the more practical addition of the stud holes that they may now require.

The 148cm ponies had a warm-up at 7.30am and final at 7.30pm.

The surroundings are run down, the media coverage was poor, the grandstands empty and there was no social offering.

As the running of the championships is contracted out, the blame can’t lie with British Showjumping but it must be judged on its reaction. The sport has evolved beyond the current offering.

The former host, Scope Festival, was not without its problems, but I commentated in the evenings with capacity crowds and an electric atmosphere. The two offerings are simply not comparable and frankly, I think members deserve better.

● How would you like to see the national championships evolve? Write in to let us know at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and country, for the chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine

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