‘We must balance etiquette with safety in the ring,’ says top show horse producer Katie Jerram-Hunnable

Katie Jerram-Hunnable produces top-class show horses in all sections, including several for The King. In her exclusive Horse & Hound column, this leading judge, competitor and trainer has her say on the hunter championships, manners and more...

It’s been a good season overall, and we were delighted with how smoothly the Sport Horse Breeding of Great Britain (SHB (GB)) hunter championships at Addington went, and that good numbers came forward.

The new Rory Gilsenan memorial championship, in particular, was brilliant, and spectators really got behind it. It was run in a new format, with a mark given for the go-round, judge’s ride, conformation and jump. The jumping phase was conducted in the evening, and in drawn order. Those with least points went first and the leaders were last to jump.

We wanted it to be a nail-biting finale with competitors and spectators alike interacting, so we didn’t tell competitors how many points they had or if they had a fence in hand. An optional joker fence was included and gave riders the opportunity to gain a further 10 marks.

This meant that although Jasean Spraggett, the eventual winner, had a fence in hand, she took a gamble and went for the joker. The atmosphere was fantastic. Next year, there will be tweaks, but overall, it worked really well.

Good manners

While numbers overall were fantastic, I was really disappointed that not all eligible champions came forward for the Price Family supreme in-hand qualifier.

It is an honour to judge what is usually a packed qualifier, and so to have slim pickings, however beautiful they may be, must be disappointing. It’s also disrespectful to both the judge and the show organisers who have tried their very best to put on a good show if you take a championship and don’t come forward for further assessment in the supreme.

If you cannot come forward for a championship, it’s good manners to at least excuse yourself. In this instance you should inform the show secretary. Not doing so is unacceptable as it results in some championships or sections not being represented. Also, it allows organisers a chance to alert the exhibitors of the reserve animal so that they have the opportunity to come forward.

You never know, under a different judge, that reserve may go on to take a ticket.

“We must be safe”

I was also disappointed to hear that two amateur riders lost Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) tickets when their strapless hats fell off during prize-giving and at a stand-still. What a shame for the individuals involved.

In complete contrast, one young rider lost his hat at a gallop at Dublin in the main ring. Had that happened in a HOYS class, he would have been disqualified, but in this instance, he was handed back his hat and allowed to continue.

When chinstraps were mandatory for a time, it caused huge controversy, and we all wanted to go back to our Pateys or Honri hats.

Mine was measured and is fitted correctly, and I understand one of the riders had hers made specifically for her, but I see a lot of these kinds of hats sold online.

This raises the question of whether or not anyone ought to be buying essential safety gear in this way. It’s all well and good following etiquette, but we must all be safe. That said, it is a real shame for the individuals involved.

Whatever the weather

Finally, the weather has been amazing this summer, but it has made our season more difficult in many ways. I congratulate the many teams who have been busy watering our show rings and keeping them in excellent condition.

The ground elsewhere has been extremely hard, and I have found our horses have done far less work out in the fields than usual in a bid to save their limbs.

Now that we’ve had some much-needed rain, owners must be careful that laminitis doesn’t rear its head with a rush of sugary grass.

● How can we better balance safety and etiquette in showing classes? Let us know at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine

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