POINT OF VIEW
money, two things that are in short supply in a sport that consumes both at a furious pace, that spell success. With so many of our top horses getting their start on Eu-
W
ropean soil, the push began in earnest about a decade ago to develop programs in the U.S. that support young horses and assist in their development into a successful competi- tor. Not only would this help promote the sport in the U.S. from the ground up, the thinking went, it would provide all the stakeholders in the industry (breeders, owners, trainers and riders) greater opportunity as well as increase our com- petitiveness in the international arena. Now, ten years in, many throughout the industry are
asking whether or not these programs are serving their intended purpose. Are we seeing young U.S.-bred horses progress through the ranks? Are young horses here still be- ing overlooked for the more market-ready “made” horse, especially those from Europe?
A Current Snapshot In January, the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s inaugural Young Horse Championship and Festival slated for the fall of this year was cancelled. Designed to promote and showcase young talent, as well as to provide an outlet that would in- centivize the buying, training and showing of young horses, this event seemed to be a natural umbrella to extend over the disciplines and an opportunity that would further launch the desirability of the “youngins.” The primary reason behind the cancellation, the USEF said, was that the orga- nization wanted to step aside to let each discipline develop its own programs. Those programs include the Markel/USEF Young Horse
Dressage Program (for 4-, 5-, and 6-year-old horses) which began in 2002 to promote participation among the vari- ous stakeholders, as well as to encourage the develop- ment of young dressage horse prospects by identifying and recognizing talent. The United States Eventing Asso- ciation has something similar with the USEA Young Event Horse series (YEH), which provides the stage to showcase 4- and 5-year-old horses who demonstrate talent and the potential to compete at the highest levels of the sport, given time and proper training. There is also the YJC, or Young Jumper Championship series available for five- to eight-year-olds.
hat makes a successful sport horse? There are cer- tainly physical and personality traits that are very important. But at the end of the day, it is time and
By Katie Shoultz
Are American Young Horse Programs Falling Short? Independent of any of the discipline or breed specific
organizations, the Young Horse Show series (YHS) operates with a common-foundation approach. All sport horse pros- pects are invited to show, with no specific discipline track. Launched in 2009 by Jean-Yves Tola, the series offers divi- sions for yearlings through 5-year-olds, showing in hand, at liberty, in the jump chute and under saddle flat/dressage and jumping classes. This is one of few competitive oppor- tunities, outside of some breed shows, for horses not yet under saddle. For very young horses, the USDF does offer in-hand classes (the Breeders Championship Series) and the USHJA offers hunter in-hand classes, while the USEA has their Future Event Horse program, but the judges are limited in their ability to assess true potential due to the structure of the classes (i.e. no cantering or free jump). This is one reason why the YHS has gained its popularity so quickly— the all-important canter as well as jumping potential is showcased. Karen Winn, a USEF “R” li-
censed judge in dressage and eventing, as well as an FEI eventing official from Lexing- ton, Kentucky has seen a very different scenario. “I judged at the Young Horse Cham- pionships in Great Britain a couple of years ago, and they had huge full divisions of CCI* and CCI** for just young horses, plus other sections for older horses. This was a great way to showcase these young event horses. They also had a full contingent of yearling/two-year-old, etc. classes, similar to our Future Event Horse classes,” she says. A similar approach is seen throughout Europe, where breeders, trainers and owners have a more systematic pipeline that ultimately garners more popularity and support for the young sport horses across the board.
Judge Karen Winn
Taking a Cold, Hard Look The issue, though, is that each program in the U.S. is at a different stage. And perhaps more pertinently, progress is
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