KEN'S COLUMN
As a Society of Master Saddlers’ Saddle Fitter travelling extensively in this country and abroad,
Ken Lyndon-Dykes has unusually wide insight into what goes on in the equestrian world.
This month: They deserve a medal!
Spare a thought for the people who organise local shows and events. A lady who has been a client for many years has been giving up more than half her annual holiday throughout all the time I’ve known her in order to organise events for her local riding club. I recently visited her to check the saddles of her two horses and, over a cup of coffee afterwards, she told me how difficult it is to find members to help. Almost all of them, it seems, would far rather compete than get involved in the organising.
My client told me that she always gets letters of appreciation from horse owners who have taken part in the shows – but she also gets complaints. She explained she doesn’t mind if the complaint is justified - but that is rarely the case. Far more often, complaints are unreasonable. She quoted one such that involved the mother of a child who had won a show class. The prize included a very nice silver challenge trophy to be held for a year. Apparently the mother thought that her daughter should also have received a smaller replica cup that she could keep. My client commented ‘I actually thought this a rather good idea until the mother informed me that the replica should also be solid silver!’
Apparently complaints about prize money being too little are fairly commonplace. ‘I’ve even had club members complain that the prizes should be greater value but they are never the people who find the prize sponsors’ she said. Some complaints fall into the totally ridiculous category. A man in a show class complained because the judge refused to ride his horse after the animal had reared in the ring several times. ‘Purely from the safety aspect, I think the judge was quite right but, when you consider it was for riding horses, a class requiring manners and performance, it really is ridiculous.’ Apparently a competitor in a working hunter class once complained because the jumping course included a gate that had to be opened and closed. ‘What on earth was wrong with that?’ I asked. Apparently that particular competitor thought the movement involved in opening and closing a gate whilst mounted involved ‘too much dressage’ – to which he also added a few uncouth epithets! Perhaps the funniest complaint involved a lady who had badly misread the schedule and entered her Welsh section D in a class for riding ponies. ‘Most competitors would have been highly embarrassed and withdrawn from the ring as soon as they realised what had happened. Not this lady. She put in an official complaint on the basis that the judging was unfairly biased. Even more ridiculous, the schedule included a class for any type of native pony or cob which would have been ideal.’
When I was eventing I was always very conscious of the hard work put in by the organisers, the dressage and show jumping judges, the scorers and the fence judges. Sometimes it was pouring with rain, on a fewer occasions baking hot - and sometimes, on much fewer occasions, the weather was absolutely perfect, the going across country brilliant, the dressage and show jumping arenas in superb condition. Whatever the weather, organisers, judges, stewards and officials worked indefatigably before, on the day and after the event. I hope I always remembered to express appreciation – it was certainly due.
Every now and then a show or an event has to be cancelled. Perhaps the ground conditions make it impossible to proceed. Maybe the showground falls within one of the Defra restriction areas relating to Foot and Mouth or Bluetongue, maybe there is an outbreak of strangles or there are worries about ringworm. Of course, it’s disappointing when that happens - especially when horses have been prepared with a particular competition in mind - but it’s surely up to everyone to see the broader picture. The organisers will have spent a huge amount of time planning, carrying out all the administrative work, dealing with entries and booking the huge numbers of people that will be needed on the days of the event. Imagine the work involved in notifying everyone that the event is off – a colossal and unwelcome task. Insurance for such eventualities limits the financial loss of the big events but premiums are generally too high for the smaller shows and the sums lost can thus be quite considerable.
Virtually every type of equestrian sport is dependent on goodwill. Each of us can contribute – and two of our leading retailers’ slogans are very apt. ‘Try something new today’- and – ‘every little helps’.
KEN LYNDON-DYKES specializes in fitting competition horses and those with ‘difficult’ conformation. He can be contacted on 01622 844440 (head office) or 07973 501873 (mobile) and is available to give lecture, talks and demonstrations for any type of equestrian group.
