span style=”font-style: italic;”> Some of the country’s top hunter professionals and adult riders weigh in on whether the C-rated adult amateur hunter division is worthy of an A rating by the U.S. Equestrian Federation.

If the U.S. Equestrian Federation were to grant A-rated status to the adult amateur hunter division, it would mean that trainers would spend more time at the fall indoor shows, and adults would have to shell out more money and quite possibly more time in the show ring. Are today’s adult amateur riders and professionals ready for this step?

Some say yes, it’s about time, while others vehemently oppose any changes. Both sides debate the pros and cons.

One of the benefits of the adult amateur hunter division is that it provides an outlet for riders who either don’t have the time, the financial resources or the ability to compete in the A-rated 3’6″ amateur-owner hunter division. Congruently, at many horse shows the adult amateur hunter division is just as competitive as the amateur-owners, and often twice as large.

So, are the adults really the bread and butter of the industry? At most large horse shows throughout the country the adult amateur division is divided into three or more age groups and then sometimes sections within the age groups. In this respect, it’s undeniable that the adults contribute their fair share of dollars to the sport without much return.

Carol Cone, who owns residences in Wellington, Fla., and Weston, Mass., argued vigorously that the adult amateur hunters deserve A-rated recognition because of the sheer numbers of adults who compete in the division in addition to the money they contribute to the sport.

“I feel as though the adults provide the horse show management with huge dollars, and we usually never even receive prize money,” said Cone. “Honestly, we adults bring in a lot of money to the horse shows, and it would be great to be able to dress up in tails once in awhile and have more than one class at indoors,” added Ohio native Victoria Watters.

Aside from the monetary contributions to the horse show management, the adult amateurs often form the majority of a trainer’s clientele.

While he didn’t deny that his adult riders provided a great deal of financial backing for his farm and the shows he attends, trainer and rider Greg Franklin, of Canterbury Farm in Hampshire, Ill., said, “I like that the division is C-rated because many of the adults at my farm are not necessarily ‘weekend warrior’ type people and either don’t have the money or the time to compete in the A-rated divisions. They like going to shows where their entry fees are low and they can have fun.”

So does the debate over whether to make the division part of A-rated hunter competition boil down to basic economics?

Recognizing the adult amateur division and providing stakes classes would mean that the entry fees would surely increase. Of course, riders could opt to only show over the course of one day instead of two or in three classes instead of five, but many shows require that an entire division be entered, not just individual classes, so riders would end up paying for classes they didn’t even show in.

“I have the opportunity right now to show a horse that’s nicer than anything I’ve ever had,” said USEF Zone 3 adult competitor Jessi Lohman, “but honestly, I don’t think I could afford to go to A-rated shows where the adult amateur division showed for two days–between the cost of maintenance on the horse, hotel bills, trainer fees, and entry fees it would be too much.”


A “Dumbing Down”
Another aspect of the debate over recognition is whether other divisions, such as the children’s hunters and adult and children’s jumpers–all of which contribute considerable amounts of money to horse shows–would inundate the USEF with requests for A-rated recognition as well?

“We need to encourage riders to move up to the higher divisions because if we keep ‘dumbing down’ the divisions, we might soon end up with long stirrup divisions at the Washington International Horse Show and the Pennsylvania National!” theorized Lohman, 28.

Not necessarily so, said professional rider, trainer and show manager Shelley Campf, of Canby, Ore. “Adult riders are passionate about the sport and for one reason or another–whether because of work and family commitments, financial restrictions or ability–they cannot show at 3’6″, so there is another option for them. The children’s hunter division is more of a stepping stone to the junior hunters and not an end in itself.”

For many adults, there are no aspirations to move up to the amateur-owner hunters, so riders like Watters and Cone want recognition and the opportunity to aim for brighter stars over three-foot fences.

“From a horse show man ager’s perspective, having another A-rated division is difficult because of the rules that govern today’s horse shows. However, I feel that the adult amateur riders do deserve more recognition than what they receive now,” noted Campf.

At the shows she runs, Campf tries to award as much prize money as possible to the adult riders in hopes of expressing some of the gratification horse show managers feel toward their patrons.

“I admit, it’s a tough situation because there is only so much prize money we can award to C-rated divisions,” she explained. “But I do think that the adults provide the industry with a great deal of support–both financially and in terms of team spirit.”

The group dynamic that exists among the adult amateur riders is irrefutable. It’s not unusual to see adult riders watching one another go and cheering when a friend or fellow rider has a commendable round–or not so commendable round.

“Among one another, the adults have supportive social interactions both at the ring and outside the horse show world,” contended Cone, 56. “We all cheer one another on, and as a result of this, I have friends from all over the country.”

Campf recalled an incident involving one of her adult riders: “While I was in Indio [Calif.], one of my adults fell off in the warm-up ring and hurt his nose. When the bleeding stopped, he went in the ring anyway. The entire division of adults cheered him on when he finished the course. It was really amazing.”

So, perhaps giving the adult division A-rated status would help penetrate the horse show world with the good-natured spirit and encouragement that’s commonplace around the adult ring.

“I love showing in the adults because there’s room for a little mistake here and there without having to worry about destroying my horse or hurting myself,” explained Watters, who also believes that in many respects the amateur-owner division is virtually semi-pro, judging by the caliber of riders who compete regularly.

But what would an A-rating necessarily achieve for adults besides adding another division at the fall indoor shows?

“I think trying to change the image of the adult division is more at the heart of the issue,” said Campf. “The adults are huge patrons of our sport, and I think we need to find a way to showcase their division with more than just one class at each of the fall indoor shows.”

As it is now, the Capital Challenge Horse Show (Md.) offers the World Championship Hunter Rider Adult Amateur Championship, while the Pennsylvania National accepts entries for their one and only adult amateur hunter class, the NAL Adult Hunter Championship. And, of course, the much revered $10,000 WIHS Adult Amateur Hunter Championship at the Washington (D.C.) International is also an option for adult competitors–but is the industry doing enough for them?

Unfortunately, traveling all the way across the country to compete in one class is out of the question for many West Coast riders.

“If we had a national championship and were included as a real division at indoors, it would give many of us something else to shoot for,” asserted Cone.

Watters agreed: “The three-foot division is one of the most competitive divisions at the horse shows, and I would have more interest in showing if it were [nationally] recognized.”

Watters’ trainers, Ken and Emily Smith, of Ashland Farms in West Palm Beach, Fla., coached her to victory in this year’s $10,000 WIHS Adult Amateur Hunter Championship.

“I think the adults do a lot to support the business, so it’s fantastic that the indoor finals offer classes like this so that adult riders have the opportunity to feel as though they are a part of everything,” said Emily Smith.


Time Constraints
Like many other adults, Lohman competes in the adult amateur division because she doesn’t have the time to dedicate to the amateur-owner division, nor the financial resources to successfully compete in the other division let alone at indoors.

As the manager of equine marketing for Southern States Inc., Lohman chooses which horse shows to attend by whether or not she can make the trip in one day or perhaps a night and a day.

“I can’t take a lot of time off from work. I have a good job, but I don’t want to break the bank when I go to a horse show,” explained Lohman, who advocated adamantly against making the division A-rated. “I think it’s better to keep the adult division simple so that the competition doesn’t get too intense.”

Lohman raises an interesting point and one that’s difficult to answer. Would adults, many of whom are challenged with hectic work and family lives, have time to go “point chasing,” and would the contagious team spirit that envelops the adult division disappear with an A-rated status?

“I think we’re all mature enough not to let the division become uncomfortably competitive. Adult riders are a little more laid back than amateurs, and if we make a mistake, we laugh about it with each other,” said Watters.

While at some horse shows the adult amateur division includes five classes that go over a course of two days, many shows offer three classes all in one day, which is what Lohman looks for when deciding upon her schedule.

Watters agreed that the time commitment is a major reason why she competes in the adult amateurs as opposed to the amateur-owners. As a wife and mother of two young boys, she often feels torn between spending time away at shows and quality time at home with her family.

“When I have the time, I love going to the horse shows and competing, but I think we would have more opportunities as riders if the division were recognized. For instance, perhaps we wouldn’t always be stuck in the smallest ring,” argued Watters.

Unfortunately, even if the division is A-rated by the USEF, it still doesn’t mean that horse show management would have the ability to place the adult amateur classes in a different ring due to space restrictions and time constraints.

Like Watters, Cone also dedicates a great deal of time to work and her family and defines herself as a “true amateur.” “As someone who works full time and has two children, I don’t spend a lot of time in the saddle, so the adult amateur division is perfect,” said Cone who tries to find time before work in the morning, usually around 6:30 a.m., to ride her horses.

If the adult division earned recognition, it does seem unlikely that many adults would have time to show more often in hopes of qualifying for the venerable indoor finals. But what would amateurs have thought 50 years ago if you told them there would one day be a three-foot division at all of the country’s top horse shows?


To Jog Or Not To Jog?
With an average of 10 adults who compete throughout the show season, trainer Greg Franklin, of Hampshire, Ill., said that the adult amateurs are not only the perfect division for certain riders with time constraints, but also a great place to showcase older horses that can no longer compete at 3’6″ as well as pre-green horses that cross-enter between divisions.

“I think it would probably be too much to ask these types of horses to compete in five classes as opposed to only three,” argued Franklin, who competes in USEF Zone 5.

But in some USEF zones, such as Zone 4, the adults already show in five classes over a course of two days, so additional wear and tear on the horse isn’t an issue everywhere.

This situation brings up another major point of contention: Because each USEF Zone mandates its own specifications for the adult amateur division, changing the division from C- to A-rated would dictate that all zones agree to the same fence heights, number of classes and days of competition.

Competitors in A-rated sections are also required to jog their horses for soundness. However, many adult amateur horses are those that are no longer sound enough to compete at 3’6″, and recognizing the division nationally would mean that adult horses in all zones–not just Zone 3–would have to jog for soundness. This could develop into a major problem.

Perhaps jogging wouldn’t be an issue for young pre-green horses crossing over into the adults while they finish the training process, but how are adults going to feel if they start losing ribbons after the jog because their 16-year-old horse has a bit of arthritis? And who will be to blame?

“I don’t think it would be a good thing for the adult amateur horses to have to show any more than they already do,” said trainer Alan Lohman, who operates his farm out of Poolesville, Md. “Older horses are difficult to maintain, and younger horses don’t need to be showing in more classes because more showing often means more preparation.”

Elizabeth Shoudy