NARG Ranks the Top 25 Horse Shows of 2011

By Paula Parisi March 25, 2012

The North American Rider Group (NARG), a professional association of high-performance hunter-jumpers, has issued its second annual list of the continent’s top horse shows as voted by membership. The “Top 25 of 2011” is topped by two West Coast venues―albeit in Canada; Spruce Meadows is No. 1 and Thunderbird No. 2.

Three California shows made the cut, foremost among them, Palms West’s Del Mar National (May 1-6), which ranked tenth―just three slots behind Florida’s Winter Equestrian Festival. Not bad! Congratulations to (Canadian) Dale Harvey. (Should we be wondering if the NARG membership skews north?) NARG puts a big premium on spectators, and Harvey certainly fills the seats (to the tune of about 7,000).

The Blenheim Equisports shows and the HITS Desert Circuit landed at No. 23 and No. 25, respectively. Somewhat confusingly, the chart lists individual shows, such as the No. 12 ranked HITS Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix―the season finale to the eight-week HITS on the Hudson series in Saugerties, NY―alongside venues (i.e., the No. 1 ranked “Spruce Meadows,” which offers shows all through spring and summer, though presumably the NARG votes are heavily weighted toward the prestigious Spruce Meadows Master tournament, which offers its own $1 million class in September).

The shows were rated on 42 criteria, grouped into eight categories, each assigned a weight according to its impact on the show experience. Two of the top categories, Footing and Stabling, accounted for 40% of the total score. The other four are: Courses/Jumps; Technical Aspects; Financial (ratio of prize money to attendance costs); Ceremony (quality of sponsorships and VIP facilities); Marketing/Press Relations; and Miscellaneous (venue, customer service and hotel accommodations).

The top four shows scored 80% or higher, with Spruce earning a whopping 92%, largely for its ability to draw top international riders and, accordingly, to offer FEI points toward the international Rolex rider rankings.

Thunderbird’s high esteem emerged as a bit of a surprise, considering the Langley, B.C.-based venue has always been in the shadow of Spruce Meadows, which looms all the way from Calgary. Described as “overlooked last year,” NARG more than makes up for it in this most recent ranking, lauding the 85-acre facility’s management “by an experienced equestrian family” and calling out its six May-August shows (which include three CSI-Ws and award more than $750,000 in prize money). The plaudits are tempered with the observation that the footing, all-weather sand, “is good but could be better.”

Hmmmmm! And the HITS DC Circuit in Thermal, CA, with its magnificent footing, pristine grounds and lavish VIP facilities and prize ceremonies only ranks 25^th? Something tells me NARG may be somewhat underrepresented among riders who show regularly out West! In fairness, the NARG list is based on the experience at 2011 shows, and the HITS Desert Circuit definitely hit it out of the park in 2012 (which will hopefully be reflected in next year’s scoring).

NARG’s mission statement, as detailed on its website, is “to improve the quality of competitive show jumping in North America,” and kudos to them for taking on that task. The U.S. and Canada are still struggling to create a show infrastructure to rival Europe’s, and the data supplied in this report and other directives issued by the group are valuable steps in that direction.

The group was founded in 2008 “to represent the viewpoints and interests of all riders, trainers and owners in equestrian sport in North America.” Founding members include Chris Kappler, McLain Ward, Beezie Madden, Norman Dello Joio, Jimmy Torano and Kent Farrington. Membership has grown to more than 300, and is open to those in good standing with their National Federation and the governing body of show jumping for the country to which they belong. Its many services include rider grants and handbooks.

Click to access the 36-page report The Top 25 of 2011.

Visit www.narg.org for more information about NARG and how to join.

 

 

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