Young riders and Juniors taking on big name horses

[woodlandswow]

Just a muse really after reading the article recently published by HH, personally as a young rider trying to make a name for myself and having worked very hard for two years I think it is difficult to compete with others my age who take on ex-4* horses.
I completely understand they can be just as hard to ride, the riders are all good and have worked hard to get where they are at, but the competition on the circuit is so different now when people are taking on these top rides, sometimes through money or family contacts. obviously there is a lot of pressure on them taking on these horses but I do think its unfair when others are trying to compete on what seems an unlevel playing field. someone said the other day that this new generation are trying to "buy" their way onto teams. thoughts?!

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/feat...acebook&utm_medium=social#6aXL31LKFmcpiklv.99

 

[be positive]

It has always gone on to some extent and not just in eventing, if you are lucky enough to have connections that offer a chance to ride a top horse that has semi retired then who would turn it down, many young riders are now coming through in the footsteps of their parents, WFP's mother competed at top level years ago, more recently Emily King would be the first to spring to mind, the Whitaker family in SJ plus numerous others, in dressage and even racing where many of the top jockeys are children of trainers or former jockeys .
All sport is expensive to do at top level most successful sportspeople make sacrifices to reach the top, money and connections can help but without hard work and talent they will not get there, playing fields are rarely level, if you don't have the advantage of being able to buy or get given a good ride you will probably have to work harder to get noticed.

Two of the horses in the link seem to still be owned by the same owners as when ridden by the pro, the third may have been bought but is not a 4* horse and may be one who had reached his level at 2* therefore needed to move to a new home where he would be a star rather than remain in a pro yard, sometimes people do need to sell and it must be great to see the horse do so well with a different rider.

 

[HighFive]

I guess on the flip side, you have people who work hard for years, yet never manage to find an animal with the talent to go beyond Novice/1*. So to have made it beyond that level, you are reaching heights that some people may never achieve.
Just because someone is on a mount that competed at top level with a Pro, it doesnt make them unbeatable! Sometimes the best thing we can do, is worry about ourself, focus on and worship our own mount, and take hold of the opportunities presented to us and make what WE can out of them.
From my experience, squad and team selectors aren't dumb. Yes, someone on a top level mount might make selection in the immediate, but it's based on the experience level of the horse, not necessarily the merit of the rider. They will be watched, and expected to bring on something themselves to prove their worth as a rider. The riders who bring on their own mounts from scratch have already proved their ability, especially if you can have a few young horses knocking around the lower levels as well as your top horse. If you've got a horse with the ability to be solid at 2*/3*, take care of him, and produce him carefully. He is your ticket to making a name for yourself, as you can say as a YR you produced your OWN horse to top level.

 

[VRIN]

This is something that will happen in all sports - just look at F1 and who are the sons of former race drivers..
No point in debating the 'fairness' as it is what happens.
If you think about it in another way .. parents try to give their children the best opportunities - just owning a horse that allows you to compete at any level puts a person in a privileged position. there are many 'talented' individuals who will never have the opportunity at even the lower levels.
The trick is to enjoy the opportunities you have and recognise that in this world there will always be people worse and better off than you.