An Unpopular Wishlist For The Horse World in 2024
2023 was a doozy for me personally. I took on a young, green racehorse and trained him to compete at the 2023 Retired Racehorse Project’s Thoroughbred Makeover. It was an incredibly rewarding experience that taught me a lot about horses, about horsemanship and about myself.
There were lots of headlines that made a big splash in the horse world in 2023, too. While I try to wrap my head around them, here are some of the biggest takeaways I have going into a new year with some renewed hopes and dreams.
Everyone Deserves A Seat At The Table
It’s really inspiring to see new blood join the world of horse sport. And a few people in the industry have really taken this message to heart in recent years. The USHJA has hosted several roundtable discussions regarding race and varying backgrounds, fostering a community for riders from all walks of life. We can’t let the momentum of this slow down.
And I’m talking about everyone, with different life experiences. Women returning to riding after having a baby or while still pregnant (looking at you, Jessica Von Bredow-Werndl). Riders who enjoy horses with unconventional breeding (LOVE seeing those mules at the USHJA circuits). Horses are for everybody.
There’s No Need For ‘Out With The Old, In With The New’
Maybe I’m salty about another year gone without the annual spring Red Hills International Horse Trials – one of my favorite events to attend as a spectator. But the American eventing scene has been rocked by the loss of events and venues. Selling off properties, burnout of owners and staff, and difficulty managing appropriate resources, among other reasons, led to a 9.3% decrease in the number of horse trials held this year, according to the USEA.
There have been a few new venues, fancy well-funded forums like Terra Nova in Florida and Fair Hill’s resurgence under the Maryland 5* banner, that have taken off with much fanfare. But these new glitzy options (remember the WEC-Ocala/HITS drama?) shouldn’t take away from the longstanding players who have built a system that works and community support over the years. There is room to grow without squeezing out those who have been here all along.
Be Less About The Sport, More About The Horse
There’s been a lot of discussion over equipment – what’s legal and what’s not – in the show ring. One of the silliest gaffs this year was when the FEI decided show jumper Brittni Raflowitz’s war bridle set up (a leather strap or rope in the mouth with no traditional metal bit structure) wasn’t suitable to compete in. Brittni has been showing one of her top grand prix jumpers in this set up for years, but suddenly, it was no longer allowed.
I understand that show stewards have a job to do. But Brittni opted for a “less is more” approach for her horse and was penalized for it. Meanwhile, gags and other leverage-type bits with attaching martingales, rope nosebands, etc., continue to be the norm in the arena. Isn’t the job of the stewards supposed to be making the best decision for the horse? It feels a bit backwards these days, at least to me.
It Ain’t All About The Ribbons
As I brought along a green Thoroughbred this year, we were hardly “in the ribbons” at the various horse shows where we competed. Oftentimes he was too tense or made too many green mistakes. But I still left most of these events with a blue ribbon smile across my face. It wasn’t about the results, but about the progress we made every time out. I was so proud when the work we were doing at home started to show away at events, in bigger, more chaotic environments. It was those moments that felt better than any ribbon we ever earned. I’m taking that feeling into 2024 and making it my mantra. I want to be results driven – personal bests and charting individual progress – not necessarily at the top of the leaderboard.
Maybe these are my 2024 resolutions. Or maybe they’re just some things I’ve learned during a rollercoaster period of my life. Either way, I’ve come to these realizations, and hope to stick by them into the future.