Eventing Point of View

Dominique Visini

20-year-old Dominique is successful both on and off horses, with a Bachelor of Business Studies in Marketing having led her to a fulltime career in that industry. Despite her busy working life, she still manages to fit in her true passion - show jumping aboard her gorgeous grey Don Perignon II (Dan). She has competed up to 1.25m and is currently focused on competing in the Young Rider series, and moving up to Grand Prix in the future.

Well, we’re all falling into our winter routines now with the light fading and the cold returning. Horses are getting turned out or clipped, and riders are preparing for the winter circuit or heading overseas. Several young riders have already crossed the ditch to Australia and are proving their worth with some great results on borrowed horses. And thus we all bide our time until the next season starts! SEASON WRAP UP

Probably the greatest news from the finals this year was young rider Emily Hayward-Morgan collecting wins in the Junior Rider, Young Rider, and Horse Grand Prix series. What a phenomenal season she has had with a very special group of horses – I’m sure she’ll be one to watch in the big stuff next season. Another success story was Ally Carson who collected the majority of the pony titles in the country this summer, while her sister Drew notched up some very impressive placings in the Junior Rider classes as well.

New boutique show the Harrison Lane Karaka Spectacular went down in Auckland with much positivity post-HOY – Jaime Campbell is gaining quite the reputation as an event organiser. The location was absolutely phenomenal, thanks to the generous Van den Brinks’ who provided the use of their beautiful polo field. I think the show jumpers have dreamed of riding there for a while, and it certainly didn’t disappoint with its harbour views and super surface. While the rain made for a bit of a dreary weekend, the riders still came out and there was very good jumping to be had.

These small, single ring shows are definitely making their mark on the show jumping circuit. I suppose the big question is of financial viability, but the show had plenty of sponsorship and discarded series classes in favour of open jumping. Series classes, naturally, are the most expensive to run, with higher prize money dictated by rules than open classes. Karaka had very reasonable prize money when compared to other shows, and it could easily be argued that its ribbons, prizes and rugs were of a higher quality than many events on the calendar. There is a place for well-run, small shows that have limited classes, offering a sponsor-rich and very attractive opportunity for riders.

The North Island Championships were held by the Waitemata group at local venue Woodhill Sands, one of several post-HOY events. The idea of life after Horse of the Year is a curious concept and I suppose the shows had reasonable numbers, with Series Finals and the Championships hosting 300-400 horses each. The events did have a bit of a quiet feeling to them, however, but then again HOY does signal the ‘end’ of the season for many riders and a nasty virus took several horses out of the running. Glistening Waters put on a fantastic show by all accounts and all who I spoke with said it was well worth the drive!

Though New Zealand quiets down now in terms of show jumping, the sport will be ramping up all over the world with this year’s big event - the 2016 Rio Olympics. Unfortunately the Kiwis won’t have a representative in jumping, so we’ll have to make do with watching our eventers and sole dressage rider instead. The show jumping could be anyone’s game with some serious British, German and French horsepower. Swiss rider and current Olympic champion Steve Guerdat will be present riding the same horse he won gold on four years ago, Nino des Buissonnets. One nation missing from the line-up will be Ireland, with a black cloud still over their selection after Cian O’Connor’s controversial round in the qualifier event. With a single spot still up for grabs, it will be interesting to see which Irish team member gets it – Bertram Allen is looking like a good bet, but his teammates have also clocked up some good results. SOCIAL SINS

Poor Bertram was the reason jumping last made headlines in a bad way; this time it was French rider Pénélope Leprevost. An overreaction in the warm-up arena was caught on camera at Gothenburg, and she was crucified for it over social media. It’s a shame to see our sport painted in such a negative light, and to see such harsh and unkind statements prompting a sort of bullying culture to prevail. It’s not that these things shouldn’t be brought to light; more that some trust has to be placed in the rules and professionals of the sport. Show jumping is the most objective of all horse sports – you leave the rails up or you don’t, you’re inside the time or you’re not. The only rules that are there are designed to protect horses and their riders, and professionals of the sport are there to enforce these rules and oversee the codes of conduct. I was pleased to see that she publicly apologised and no further action was taken.

It doesn’t matter whether the rider in question was in the wrong – to some degree, they usually are to garner that much attention. What matters is that the public perception of equestrian shouldn’t be of cruelty and abuse, and that the comments on social media shouldn’t themselves be nasty, hateful or abusive. It scares sponsors away and perpetuates a culture that is very quick to judge.

Good luck to all those competing overseas this year; and to those like me who will be staying home, playing with the young horses and braving the rain and mud, I wish you luck also! C