Are we really a minority sport?

Hels_Bells said:
I think the success of cycling at the last olympics has given cycling quite an edge over riding for example. Also Chris Hoy got all his accolades etc and it has made loads of difference - can you imaging WFP on Tv advertising shredded wheat!!!?? Also I wish people would slow down for horses as much as they do for cyclists on the road!!
Click to expand...

Believe me they don't slow down for cyclists! I've been knocked off my bike once and had many close calls (which I hasen to add weren't my fault!) and my friend has been knocked off twice resulting in serious injuries both times I've also been sprayed with who knows what as they pass and drive straight through a puddle without slowing down, not fun believe me! Shame I can't afford to drive everywhere :rolleyes:
Yup, I mentioned earlier Victoria Pendleton doing the Hovis bread adverts, I think part of it is because people at the top of our sport just don't need the money
 
Hels_Bells said:
Despite the risk of starting an OT debate I have to say I agree, I think he comes across a bit arrogant. But then he would probably still appeal to the wider masses - you need a villain of the piece after all!!! :D
Click to expand...


Nasty Nick, Nasty Nigel, anyone? BB and Popstars references there for anyone who doesn't get it.:D

I have to agree about not slowing down for cyclists, whether on bicycles or motorbikes. No sooner had the words of 'I am going to get a motorbike licence' left my mouth had my other half and a colleague of mine both went "NOOOOOOO! It's too dangerous!". Seperate conversations, same reply.
 
vallin said:
please note I'ma acutally a very sensible driver, besides my little 106 take about an hour to get to 60 never mind anything faster :rolleyes: lol
Click to expand...
I've in a car with Vallin. That is complete lies. :p


vallin said:
People can understand F1 without the money, I think it's very hard for people to understand horse riding without the money to have tried it and as such that's when people struggle to distinguish the money from the sport.
Click to expand...
And it probably hasn't been helped by decreasing chances for people to get involved - how many riding schools are there compared to say 30 years ago? How many of us started lessons and then graduated onto the traditional 'work many many hours for one ride' type thing and how many yards do you think now offer the same sort of experience due to litigation worries? I'd guess there are far fewer opportunities around today for kids to have a go in exchange for some labour, giving them a taste of the sport without such a cost to parents.
 
HuggyBea Horse sports need to be seen as glamorous said:
Agree with all this - was chatting to people in my office about this subject and the upshot was they would all, they reckoned, be bored rigid with horse sports, they think that its an elitist sport - 'anyone can play football' and they all thought (and it may sound petty) that it looks so 'old fashioned people in posh jackets poncing about on horses'.
Gave them the option of choosing to watch showjumping for and hour or do a days DIY - most of them chose the days DIY ;(
We defo have a major image problem!
Click to expand...
 
Having worked for an OB company and we covered Hickstead for four years,
Badminton two years, and Burghley one year as our guys say it was like watching paint dry, normally sports events we never had a problem getting cameras, vision, sound guys, equestrian events very very hard to crew up, the commentary is dull and boring the general public dont want to hear "oh what a pity she didnt deserve that stop" they want excitement "oh my goodness do you believe that, cant believe she missed that jump" Yes we know are sports are dangerous, hey but that is what sells these days, how many other halfs are sat on computer games seeing how many people they can kill, stalk in woods, maime or get the adrenalin pumping.

Cross country is a prime example where they can dramatise the incidents, not play them down Mr Joe Bloggs on the street doesnt wants to hear, oh my goodness dirty stop there the horse could have gone, he didnt deserve that, we need Murray Walkers, Oh my goodness his stopped, oh his stopped, coming back round again, riding hard excitement and drama drama, that is what sells these day a bit of passion and emotion. Stephen Hadley is a fantastic commentator for any SJ fans who are horsey, put to Joe Blogg on the street he is boring, no emotion in his voice one tone and feels sorry for every stop or 4 faults.

Equestrianism needs to come into this day and age, and give the public what they want. A great concept a few years ago at South of England was a snooker showjumping class, the stands were packed as most people understood the rules, you jumped a red fence then a coloured, then a red etc etc and finished jumping coloureds in order highest score possible 147 and highest score and if a draw fastest time won, exciting fast moving class, where the audience were actually shouting out the coloured to go for for the rider to go into the lead. We need personalities, big egos, horses that the public can identify get rid of fancy big foreign names and lets just have a horse called Fred, Daisy, probably the last well known horse is Milton easy name can pronounce, add in a few sob stories and drama.

Katie Price, love her or hate her has it right, drama drama and more drama gets more TV time than SJ, eventing and dressage put together, we also need rags to riches stories, heartache and people that day to day Joe Bloggs can relate too, sadly at present there are very few.
 
scally said:
Katie Price, love her or hate her has it right, drama drama and more drama gets more TV time than SJ, eventing and dressage put together, we also need rags to riches stories, heartache and people that day to day Joe Bloggs can relate too, sadly at present there are very few.
Click to expand...

Great post and I agree 100% with what you said.
 
Men competing against women. That will never appeal to men. Sports is generally considered a test of physicality. If women can beat men, then how physical is it? Hence the perception that it’s not a sport in the first place.

Yes, darts, snooker, golf generally, even F1 by some, are not considered the most physical sports either. Yet, no women there competing against men, for different reasons. Hence these sports work for men.

Men are the main sports audience. Women, in general, just won’t sit down a whole afternoon to watch sports. So why broadcast a sport no one is going to watch?

Faces, or the lack thereof. There is just no way any guy can ever be expected to be interested in, let alone idolize, e.g. Ludger Beerbaum because he is able to beat his sister in law sometimes. It just does not work. And yes, there is no girl on this planet probably, who never had a horse poster over her bed. And when that poster gets off, some half naked boy group member takes over. I.e. no Ludger Beerbaum-poster either. Because riders just aren’t glamorous enough? Or because beating your sister in law sometimes, doesn’t really capture a girls fantasies either?

How, or who, or what, to sell to the audience then? The horse. The uniqueness of equestrian sport in the partnership of rider and horse. Reality is hire and fire. Sell and buy. Hence the perception of the horse as an expensive sports equipment for the elite, rather than a well cared for living creature enjoying what it is doing.

Personal stories, more private heartache-stories. Millions of people buy football season tickets in advance, more millions buy season pay TV arrangements in advance. Because of private heartache-stories they don’t even know about yet? No, they are just interested in the sport.

More spectacle. I can remember puissance on TV at sports prime time, about 30 years ago. Now, it is considered just about unacceptable in central Europe, because a horse just isn’t equipped to do those extreme high jumps/landing from great heights with about 600 kilos on his feet. A tiger can do it though, just put a rider on, and people will watch. Rogge will love it of course, equestrian will have it’s place secured in the Olympics, and we have saved the equestrian sport. Simple.
 
I agree 100% with HuggyBear and others.

As a sport we suffer partly because the BBC has taken a decision not to cover - the lack of even news coverage from WEG was just ridiculous particularly given how well the British teams did. But there is no point moaning and doing nothing about it which IMO is what is currently happening. F1 is DIRE to watch but Bernie Ecclestone has still managed to convince millions it is a spectator sport. So it can be done. SJ used to be really popular so why not now - in part its because we dont have things like the infamous Harvey Smith two fingered salute....

The FEI BEF etc could do a lot more to raise PR and to make the sports more appealing and increase coverage. IMO they are absolutely nowhere on this at the moment. (I vote they appoint HuggyBear as their PR rep for starters !) I actually think ending up on SKY rather than BBC is potentially good.

I completely agree that making the commentary more sensationalist, increasing the human interest factor, celebrity coverage, more spectacle would all help. Multicoloured jackets, a bit of glam, pretty girls, scandal they all help. Involvement of people like Katie Price and Toni Terry can only be a good thing for the sport overall and behaving like a bunch of snobs and turning up your nose at such people is not only pathetic (its not like any of us cr*p golden turds) but also completely counterproductive for the sport. I actually think a huge opportunity was missed as regards Katie Price. That said I think equestrian sport has had a bit of a profile boost from the likes of Katie and Zara and especially if we do well at 2012 there is a great opportunity to improve matters. Im all for the likes of Laura B doing a Maria Sharapova and promoting shampoo. Increasing the profile of the sport will increase the number of kids who say they want to learn to ride and it will attract investment and money into the sport.
 
There is a lot that could be done to improve the commentary for non horsey viewers - so often they slip into horsey jargon that means nothing to the man on the street. I often find myself translating to non horsey OH! The things he appreciates are when they really explain how & why. Like before the XC at Badminton & Burghley they will have some riders explaining the jumps & what they need to do. Also seeing them against a human backdrop emphasises the size in a way that you don't get during the actual coverage. He would also appreciate explanations of why horses find particular jumps more challenging & how the rider can over come that & yes more coverage of the dumps but with explanation of what went wrong. TBH if all you see is a "naughty horsey" stopping you won't realise that the rider was not regulating the speed well or had misjudged the angle/stride or even that getting over a fence after a particular approach was really hard & that the rider isn't just sitting there.
Don't know if they still do it but before the FA Cup Final they always used to have a "Road to Wembley" feature. It would be good to have that sort of thing, maybe on something like The One Show, on a couple of the less posh riders at Badminton or Burghley - Phoebe Buckley would be good, or maybe a one horse rider from a normal background to try & offset the posh image.
 
Just a comment on the playing up of danger, especially in XC - keep in mind that there is a HUGE difference in public perception between a highly paid, adult athlete willingly risking his/her neck for glory and putting a "dumb animal" in danger for the sake of human ambition. Racing gets away with it somewhat as most of the horses are pieces in a puzzle not individuals and they are portrayed as warriors, who are bred to fight, possibly to the death. While some people will be attracted by the risks and potential for disaster, just as many people - arguably many of the guaranteed audience now - will be put off.

It's a tricky one. At base it's not a sport that does - or maybe that should be "should" - attracts participants with a taste for violence, drama and conflict. That makes is quite hard to market on those terms, particularly as to do so would mean changing the tenor or the sport and possibly alienating the people who currently participate in it.
 
TarrSteps said:
Just a comment on the playing up of danger, especially in XC - keep in mind that there is a HUGE difference in public perception between a highly paid, adult athlete willingly risking his/her neck for glory and putting a "dumb animal" in danger for the sake of human ambition. Racing gets away with it somewhat as most of the horses are pieces in a puzzle not individuals and they are portrayed as warriors, who are bred to fight, possibly to the death. While some people will be attracted by the risks and potential for disaster, just as many people - arguably many of the guaranteed audience now - will be put off.

It's a tricky one. At base it's not a sport that does - or maybe that should be "should" - attracts participants with a taste for violence, drama and conflict. That makes is quite hard to market on those terms, particularly as to do so would mean changing the tenor or the sport and possibly alienating the people who currently participate in it.
Click to expand...

Who said anything about violence?

XC is a very physical stage of eventing, nothing needs to change, only the commentary could be more entertaining.

I really don't understand how making the commentary a little more bubbly will alienate the people who participate in it now.

Did Murray Walker encourage more violence in motor sport racing because of the way he commentated or just made it more interesting to listen to?
 
Last edited:
You haven't but the "thrills and spills" subject has come up a couple of times and the "video game" aspect of highlighting the danger of the sport has been discussed as a positive. The point was made earlier about horses as "sporting equipment" vs "partners", although I think it would probably be most useful to promote them as "warriors". Perhaps it's the horses not the riders that need promoting? Although that could get dangerous with the ongoing welfare debate and the perception of rich people using horses for their own ends.

In other sports I think it's actually been "good" for publicity when someone gets hurt - look at all the slow motion replays of crashes etc - but that might be a trickier sell in horses.

Interestingly though, I was reading an article about real and perceived danger in sport recently and how it adds/detracts to spectator interest - it brought up the point that no one has been badly hurt in F1 for decades (although the names of killed drivers still pop up in commentary on occasion) but the collisions LOOK very extreme, with bits of car flying about and (more so in NASCAR etc) the chance of flames. So it's the best of both worlds - lots of drama, no actual death.
 
Btw, I'm actually agreeing with you (okay in a round about way ;)) that the sport as it is could use some more effective promotion and a "class adjustment". I guess the problem is who pays for that? How do we get more interesting commentators and the sort of "human interest" reporting that keeps people coming back when that costs money? Is it a case of changing the sport first to make it more attractive? Getting participants to fund it?

Using the internet? I think that's probably the greatest tool we have available. It's quite obvious, reading this thread, how Phoebe's site has raised awareness and perception of her, to the point where people seem to think she's the "only" person in her situation when, in fact, she's much more the norm than more well known names. There is also a very good Canadian PR company, Starting Gate http://www.startinggate.ca/home.html , which has done a lot to promote equestrian athletes and there must be similar companies in the UK.
 
TarrSteps said:
Using the internet? I think that's probably the greatest tool we have available. It's quite obvious, reading this thread, how Phoebe's site has raised awareness and perception of her, to the point where people seem to think she's the "only" person in her situation when, in fact, she's much more the norm than more well known names. There is also a very good Canadian PR company, Starting Gate http://www.startinggate.ca/home.html , which has done a lot to promote equestrian athletes and there must be similar companies in the UK.
Click to expand...

I agree about the internet. I read a thread here on CR where someone was laughing at people who had their own websites when they were only competing in the lower levels. That irritated me because that is exactly what we need. More people becoming PR savvy and making a "brand" of themselves. Help them become more recognisable. The snowball effect. Start small and you build up the following one by one until you are the word on everyone's lips.

William Bradley Pitt could a lovely man, but "Brad Pitt" is a brand that sells cinema tickets, magazines and gets airtime.
 
Glad to see I've kicked off an interesting good clean debate! Think I will write a letter to H and H highlighting some of the things we've discussed and we'll see what the response is. If anyone has anything particular they'd like to see include PM me.
 
Some very interesting points raised!

I think a big thing is the "personalities" issues, or rather the lack of in equestrian sport. There is plenty of gossip of course, but only in horsey circles, not available to the public.

I'm not suggesting that you'd necessarily want the paparazzi and gossip mag culture, but there's no back story given, no hook to get excited about. You have faceless riders and horses with fancy foreign names. Commentators describe horses as "a good servant" - again emphasizing the notion that horses are almost just machines. In a round that goes well, to Joe Bloggs who doesn't know anything about the horse or rider, I can see why it might be uninteresting.

Back stories from the commentators and behind the scenes profiles and programmes would help - sensationalise it a bit - think what they do in boxing, with two randoms who are going to fight? All of a sudden there are all these stories about them being enemies for life, etc etc - people get excited. The sport would be helped I think by stories about "lifelong rivals fighting for the championship", "horse comes back from brink of death to compete in the Olympics", "horse snatched from one top rider and given to another" - both the horses and the riders need to be given stories and personalities, something the public can identify with. People don't see the hours and hours of work that go into making a top horse - so its hard for them to appreciate or find interesting seeing it all go right when they make it.

Bring back big rider frightener courses too - they make it more exciting to watch without being any more dangerous for the horses.

I also think it would help to have a clear league system, the way they do in other sports. I know that in both SJ and Eventing you have to qualify for certain events, the World cup etc - but I think making that process easier to follow would really help. And possibly introducing a separate kind of league table that would track progress over a certain key events over the year so that you could have a "champion" horse and rider - it would add more tension to some fairly generic competitions that don't mean a whole lot in themselves.
 
xspiralx said:
Back stories from the commentators and behind the scenes profiles and programmes would help - sensationalise it a bit - think what they do in boxing, with two randoms who are going to fight? All of a sudden there are all these stories about them being enemies for life, etc etc - people get excited.
Click to expand...

Yes, completely. People want someone to root for. A horse, rider or team.

I always loved the videos they would show before the running of the national showing some of the horses at their homes. Telling a little about them, how they got there and speaking with the people who care for them. You found yourself watching out for them throughout the race, egging them on more than you would have if you were not introduced to them previously.
 
Agree with you there xspiderx! If you want to start a brainstorm on a new game, let me know, I'll bring the biscuits too!

On another note... I was chatting to OH about this thread and he said polo would be interesting to sit on the sofa and watch. Showjumping is boring. No drama. Dressage is even worse unless they're doing something really spectacular. xc looks pretty cool, would sit down and watch that but still quite boring.... you get the idea.

Last summer I took a few of our non-horsey friends to a polo game and they loved it even though they did feel a bit out of place in amongst the tweed and the salmon trousers and canary shirts. Now, if only it wasn't the preserve of the "posh", that could potentially draw people to the sport. However, I don't think the polo crowd will appreciate a bus load of plebs suddenly descending on the field... which actually highlights a large problem associated with equestrianism... class! (Whether or not true, it's the perception)

It's probably why we will never get the coverage we want, it's not a sport anybody can pop down the local park and do.
 
tallyho! said:
.

Last summer I took a few of our non-horsey friends to a polo game and they loved it even though they did feel a bit out of place in amongst the tweed and the salmon trousers and canary shirts. Now, if only it wasn't the preserve of the "posh", that could potentially draw people to the sport. However, I don't think the polo crowd will appreciate a bus load of plebs suddenly descending on the field... which actually highlights a large problem associated with equestrianism... class! (Whether or not true, it's the perception)

It's probably why we will never get the coverage we want, it's not a sport anybody can pop down the local park and do.
Click to expand...

Polo in the Park, the 20/20 version of Polo that will be holding it's third consecutive event this summer.

http://www.polointheparklondon.com/

It is a shorter, faster, more easier to follow version that normal polo and held in London. Instead of changing ends each goal, they keep to the same side for each half like a football game. It is litterally held in a park.

They are trying to do what you say and it is has Jodie Kidd promoting it (her brother Jack Kidd is one of players who I think helped get it off the ground). So is getting the high profile names in to help.

Anyone else going this year?
 
HuggyBear said:
Polo in the Park, the 20/20 version of Polo that will be holding it's third consecutive event this summer.

http://www.polointheparklondon.com/

It is a shorter, faster, more easier to follow version that normal polo and held in London. Instead of changing ends each goal, they keep to the same side for each half like a football game. It is litterally held in a park.

They are trying to do what you say and it is has Jodie Kidd promoting it (her brother Jack Kidd is one of players who I think helped get it off the ground). So is getting the high profile names in to help.

Anyone else going this year?
Click to expand...

Lol - I think my point was missed. Average-Joe and his mates will still find it difficult to take thier ponies to park, put down a few t-shirts for a goal and play.

There's loads of games like this, last year Taunton club played at Bristol Harbour Fest, Balloon Fiesta and Ashton Court. Lets hope these continue... They also wanted newbies but it wasn't very successful. Once newbies realised how expensive it was, they lost interest.
 
Ok here's my two penny worth,

1. Even for the die hards watching numerous rounds of SJing is dull. Their is little excitement on the screen because the individuals go one at at time so not visibly against each other creating adrenaline. Behind the screen the commentary is dull, dull, dull and often littered with mistakes. We need someone like Dave Lamb from Come dine with me who has basically created a cult show from ' cooking'. If the presentation to the public has not improved by the time we get to the Olympics we are lost forever. Those chosen to be in the media should be held in high esteem by their piers and clients alike. Its not good to be promoting people others know to be less than honorable.

All out top riders need media training. Am thinking SJing here but when interviewed we have a pool of inbred looking characters who struggle to put a literate sentence together never mind creating any understanding or enthusiasm. Compare these folks to LB in dressage who is a stunning example of someone who could really be maximised to promote the sport, she's beautiful, literate and successful and exactly the sort of person I can see people wanting to aspire to be like and more importantly companies wanting to promote their brands.

2. There is still a huge number of horse owners who have little / no interest in tv viewing or what the national teams are doing and do not offer their support in moving the profile higher. They should be a priority to get on board as by having a horse they are showing interest.

3, I would have more enthusiasm for KP if she funded a top horse for AG or AN Other top potential team rider. Personally I don't see KP as being of benefit to horse sport, if you think of the demographic of people liking her they are not going to be the ones with money and influence to take part. I think horse sport should hang its hat on someone with more universal appeal.

4. We have to do more within the sport ourselves before we can expect interest from outside. You only have to read the pages of this forum to see how disenchanted people are with various aspects of the sports. If its not great for existing enthusiasts it'll be hard to encourage outside support.
 
tallyho! said:
Lol - I think my point was missed. Average-Joe and his mates will still find it difficult to take thier ponies to park, put down a few t-shirts for a goal and play.

There's loads of games like this, last year Taunton club played at Bristol Harbour Fest, Balloon Fiesta and Ashton Court. Lets hope these continue... They also wanted newbies but it wasn't very successful. Once newbies realised how expensive it was, they lost interest.
Click to expand...


I understood your point with regards to the logistics of horses and polo, I wanted the chance to show that even the Polo world is happy to bring the "plebs" in as you called them. You did, after all, say that you thought the polo community wouldn't like a bus load of plebs coming down....Seems they do, actually. That is what I was addressing.
 
HuggyBear said:
Darts is a cheap production- Even though I think it is one of the most boring "sports" on TV as well snooker, what darts and snooker share is a cheap production cost for TV. Unlike eventing for instance, where we are probably most successful medals wise, you don't need to have 20 odd at least cameras stationed over a couple of hundred acres and at different angles to show a darts match. Much cheaper to air. The average folk understands more about darts than they would about horses as well. My father doesn't play darts but, for some reason, he will watch it. He in fact said once that he watched it because the dart players earning big money looked really normal and he could be just one of them. I think that plays into it as well: Perception. It does go back to people assuming all riders are Rupert Campbell black. It is often what I get from my non horsey friends. They must be all rich and lots of Tiggys, Wiggys and Piggys.

F1- What draws people to F1 is the money involved in the sport. The glamour. The F1 drivers, lets use Hamilton and Button for examples, are akin to Hollywood celebrities because their private lives are fodder for the tabloids. They date supermodels, etc. Plus, whilst the sport may be boring now (and I do turn on now really only at the start to see if there are any crashes plus the end to see who wins) a lot of men would kill to be in Jensen's boots....Paid £3m plus a year, models hanging on to you, jetting all around the world, just for driving a car! Top gear men love it!

The horse world needs to get media savvy. It needs to promote the "pretties" and get faces recognised. It needs to draw people in by creating media names. It needs to broach the void between sports media and national media to get a chance to draw off the main stream vein of publicity.

We need figureheads. We need more WFP/AN affair debacles. It sells, it draws attention, it heightens the status of the sport in the media and then people will see what it is and decide whether they would be interested.

Horse sports need to be seen as glamorous, sexy and exciting before the main stream tunes in.

I say bring it on. The old school may back away but I think the future of the sports needs new outlooks.

Tweeds just are not going to cut it. The SJ's with the bling actually might have the right idea.
Click to expand...

This ^^^^ all the way!
 
HuggyBear said:
Is it true though that the American shows are run very business like, much more into making money? Having discussed with people who compete on the "a" circuit over there, they are much bigger events (people come from further and stay for longer) that makes them a bigger deal of money compared to what show organisers make here?
Click to expand...

Because of the vastness of America, shows do indeed run over several days, if not a week, all of which means participants end up paying for stabling, bedding, feed etc. and that's before the cost of entry classes.

The prize money is impressive. For example, "HITS", which organises summer shows in the NY area, and winter shows down in Florida, is currently offering a $500k first prize in the 3'3 hunter division. I should imagine that's more than the total purse on offer at HOYS.

From the HITS website:

"SAUGERTIES, NY (October 19, 2010)—Less than two weeks after announcing plans for a $100,000 Hunter Final for its popular 3’3” Devoucoux Hunter Classic, HITS has decided to quintuple the purse and make history again by offering the richest hunter class in the sport of show jumping.

The $500,000 HITS 3’3” Hunter Prix Final will be a culmination of more than 30 Devoucoux Hunter Prix qualifying classes offered at all HITS horse shows from January 19 through September 4, 2011. The Final will be take place September 10-11 as part of the Million Weekend in Saugerties, New York.

“Our first announcement about the 3’3” Hunter Final generated a lot of interest and excitement from around the sport,” said Tom Struzzieri, HITS President and CEO. “It became clear that the demand for a groundbreaking event for hunters is something the sport is hungry for and we needed to think bigger, so we did. We have set this class up as an opportunity for juniors, amateurs, children and adult riders to have a chance to be competitive. As I said before, our goal is to create an environment that does not currently exist for the large majority of the sport and I think with the combination of this unprecedented prize money and the unique format of this class we have achieved both.”

Struzzieri went on to explain that the $500,000 HITS 3’3’ Hunter Prix Final and all qualifying classes will be formatted as a traditional Hunter Classic with fences set at 3’3” with no higher options and beautifully decorated jumps without any spooky intentions. No bonus points will be awarded and jumper-type horses will not be rewarded based on bravery alone.

“This class will bring it back to the hunters. I envision that Adults, Pre-Greens, Juniors, and Amateurs can all be competitive in this division and Final, with no distinct advantage at the outset other than a good ride and a talented horse,” he added. “It will not be a ‘given’ before the class begins.”

Similar to the Pfizer Million, it will be the rider who qualifies for the class. Riders will need to qualify by showing in a minimum of five Devoucoux Hunter Prix classes in order to become eligible for the Final. Once eligible, it will be a rider’s leading horse based on points from their top five finishes that will place them in the Rankings for the $500,000 HITS 3’3” Hunter Prix. Details for exactly how the points will be awarded are still being finalized; however, it will be a formula that takes into account the amount of prize money offered as well as the number of horses in the class.

Archie Cox of Brookway Stables in Los Angeles, California is a well-respected hunter rider and trainer, and longtime customer of the HITS Desert Circuit, who was thrilled of the most recent news coming out of HITS.

“People in California are really excited about the opportunity to compete for $500,000 in prize money and are already making their winter circuit plans with qualifying for this Final as one of their primary goals,” said Cox. “The opportunity to compete for that much money is just amazing. I think that the structure of having one horse per rider really invites many more junior and amateurs to participate in the class. My students and I are looking forward to competing in the classes throughout the winter circuit and hope to qualify for and participate in the Final come September.”

Also to be determined is how many riders will make the final lineup for the class and if the Final will be a two-round classic, like the Devoucoux qualifiers, or a three-round classic. A rider may only ride one horse in the Finals, and like the Pfizer Million, the rider can select any horse of his/her choice.

Riders will be able to start earning points for the $500,000 HITS 3’3” Hunter Prix Final this January at the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit in Florida, the HITS Desert Circuit in Thermal, California, and the HITS Arizona Winter Circuit in Tucson, Arizona, where each week a qualifying Devoucoux Prix will be offered.

The 2011 HITS Culpeper spring and summer show series will feature five qualifying Devoucoux Prix classes from April through August, while HITS Saugerties will offer riders seven chances to qualify for the all-new $500,000 HITS 3’3” Hunter Prix Final during Weeks I through VII.

HITS also plans to offer a Wild Card class during Week VIII at HITS-on-the-Hudson where one lucky rider, not already qualified, can earn a spot in the Final.

More information for the $500,000 HITS 3’3” Hunter Prix Final, including complete qualifying specifications, will be available online in the coming weeks. The HITS 2011 winter show season kicks-off with the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit on January 19 and runs through March 20. On the west coast, the HITS Desert Circuit in Thermal, California will take place January 25, through March 13, while the HITS Arizona Winter Circuit will run six consecutive weeks from February 2, through March 13.

All HITS Winter Circuit Prize Lists will be available by mid-to-late October. To request a prize list, please visit HitsShows.com or click here.


HITS, Inc. produces high-quality, international-level hunter/jumper horse shows. Based in upstate New York in the village of Saugerties, HITS has been producing shows since 1982 and is now a nationwide company with world-class circuits in California, Florida, Arizona, New York and Virginia. In 2010, HITS took the industry to new heights when it hosted the first-ever Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix on September 12, in Saugerties, New York."
 
HuggyBear said:
I understood your point with regards to the logistics of horses and polo, I wanted the chance to show that even the Polo world is happy to bring the "plebs" in as you called them. You did, after all, say that you thought the polo community wouldn't like a bus load of plebs coming down....Seems they do, actually. That is what I was addressing.
Click to expand...


Actually I think the polo world is wanting to retain its elite status, they don't want katie Price do they. She was turned away last year and this year she is hosting a polo event for youngsters or something in Switzerland and Prince Charles declined his invitation
( funny that ) and on hearing who was associated with it Jack Kidd pulled out. I also thought Cartier made rumblings of pulling its support if the sport became too dumbed down because of course Cartier is a luxury exclusive Brand they don't want associated with the hoi poloi masses.

Don't forget people with money will be attracted to sports that have a cashe as only for the very rich, its an excellent networking opportunity for equally rich people with equally good connections and contacts. They buy into the Brand and the kudos that brings. You can't tell me people buy Mulberry Handbags just because they can't find that the style / quality elsewhere for less than £800 quid, no they are buying the kudos of owning a Mulberry. I can't see these people being attracted to chav land full of Katie Price wannabees.

The various disciplines have to decide who to aim for when promoting their sports, either the people that can fund top horses and riders and take full advantage of expensive corporate packages but there may be fewer of them, or attract a larger number of joe public grass roots supporters who spend / contribute no more than the cost of a Styrofoam coffee.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top