*Opinion* Graham Fletcher: ‘Could racing help to revitalise showjumping?’

Graham Fletcher on taking showjumping to the races and proud parenting

You know you’re getting older when you start saying things like, “This year’s just flown by…” But with Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) starting the week after next, it certainly seems that way.

With two ambitious sons, Will and Olli, wanting to go to as many shows as they can, we live life to the full, which certainly keeps this “old-timer” from getting bored.

And it really has been some year, especially with Olli winning the young rider Europeans at Peelbergen in the Netherlands. Olli kept his nerve throughout and, riding Lady Pauline Harris and Lady Pauline Kirkham’s Hello William, was the only rider to jump five rounds without having a fence down.

It really was one of the best highlights of my long career. As unashamedly proud parents, Tina and I enjoyed every second.

The championship courses were well built, overseen by the technical delegate and Olympic course-designer Gregory Bodo who is an absolute genius at his job.

We saw him in action again when Olli was on the British team for the recent European Equestrian Federation (EEF) Nations Cup final in Warsaw, Poland. The track here wasn’t dramatically big but it looked tough – and so it proved with only one double clear across the 11 nations taking part.

Olli had a clear and four faults with Hello William, a horse with outstanding form in Nations Cups this year with six clear rounds out of eight jumped.

It’s been a very successful year for Olli’s other horses too, which has helped him gain invaluable experience and learn his trade. I’ve never seen a top rider without innate talent and ability; but to reach the pinnacle of the sport, you need top horses. And that means finding owners who are willing to spend a lot of money on you.

Some people think this is a modern phenomenon, but it’s always been that way. David Broome didn’t win six King George V Gold Cups without top horses and the backing of Sir Phil Harris. And nobody has won grands prix on as many different horses as Nick Skelton, who was masterful at finding owners to invest in him.

On the other hand, my son Will sold his best horse Valento last year. So this season he’s been working hard to produce a really good string of up-and-coming horses, four of which are in multiple novice championships at HOYS.

“It’s like no other”

I went with Will to the recent Gijon show in Spain where he jumped his lovely mare Iwalinde in the 1.55m and 1.60m grands prix and was well placed in both.

Gijon is a show like no other. Spectators can bet before every 10 horses competing, so they stop each class for 15 minutes for people to get their money on. Does that make a difference? You can bet your life it does!

A morning class with no betting attracts very small crowds. But in the afternoon and evening, it’s unbelievable how many people are watching. There are totaliser booths on both sides of the stadium, all busy with long queues of punters wanting to get bets on.

At the weekend, not only were the stands full but every space around the complex was packed. The atmosphere and noise made it like being at a football match. And of course, a big crowd like this guarantees good prize money.

Could it work in Britain? Maybe it could if an enterprising racecourse got involved and they jumped 10 in a class between races. The ring needn’t be large and with the racecourse groundsmen’s expertise, the conditions would be right. Add to that some decent prize money and invitations to some good international riders and it could work. The racecourse would get more spectators and, if ClipMyHorse.TV covered it and there was a phone app to have a bet, it would open it up to a worldwide audience.

We have a great, highly watchable sport. But since the demise of the town and city shows, we don’t showcase showjumping enough to the general public. Done well, this could be a start.

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