World Cup Drama for West League Jumpers

By October 13, 2011

West Coast high performance show jumping riders are making no secret over their displeasure about 2009 Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) rule changes affecting the World Cup qualifying process. A decision to merge Mexico and Western Canada into the U.S. Western League has resulted in a qualifying season that starts June 1, as opposed to Sept. 1, and runs through April 1, creating tired horses and harried riders.
An increase in the number of qualifying events has also meant fewer exhibitors at each, less control over the show environment and stressed event managers.

It is only now, two years later, that the impact of the changes have begun to manifest. Responding to rider requests, West Coast show managers coordinated efforts to hold qualifiers indoors, to better prepare them for the tight European arenas where the World Cup Finals are held. That strategy seemed to be working: West Coast riders were qualifying for the U.S. team, and the U.S. performance improved at the Finals.
Now, those gains seem in danger of slipping away, as five outdoor summer Canadian qualifiers have made their way onto the schedule, and U.S. show managers are having a hard time justifying the considerable expense of setting up an extra venue for classes with under 20 riders.

“Those are just some of the problems, and there are several,” Langer Equestrian Group chief  Larry Langer said. “By moving the dates up riders from the West Coast have to leave their businesses in the summer, when instead of going  to local shows with their clients, they’re forced to go to Canada to try to get points, or they’ll fall so far behind in points, they’ll never have a chance. They can’t ride on the West Coast and in the League, so it’s really affecting their incomes,” Langer said. “Not to mention, if a rider and horse start winning events in June, it’s going to be very hard to keep the horse at its peak through the World Cup Finals [April 18-22 in the Netherlands].”

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has responded to the concerns by initiating due diligence on the factors and fallout of the move. West Coast riders Richard Spooner and Rich Fellers are in the working group that is exploring the issue. Though the ship has sailed this season, there is strong motivation to rehabilitate the system for 2012-13.

Tom Struzzieri, president of HITS, said he is committed to  holding his four March World Cup Qualifers indoors. He transports a giant tent to Thermal, CA, at considerable expense, expressly for that purpose. But he stresses that he is doing so strictly to please his customers. As far as the competition itself, he doesn’t seem to think it matters, offering, “I’m so over the World Cup.”

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