The Baran

[Willesdon]

@MHM Some how, that just makes it worse. There are endless comments on COTH about the outrageous cost of showing, about how even people who have a comfortable disposable income can no longer justify spending so much money on going to a horse show, there are complaints about how elitist the sport has become, a nostalgia for simpler times and cheap local shows, and now we have The International… Do the same as usual but spend even more money to get a nice photo.

Show jumping is an objective sport, with clear rules that are very easy for even a casual audience to understand, it can run to a predictable schedule within a confined space and provide enough excitement for some good TV. That is why show jumping may be held in Dubai or Shanghai or Hamburg and find an audience. That underpins the play-to-play model. American-style hunters are subjective, no one really understands what makes the difference between one horse winning and another not, even a true connoisseur can not easily explain what is happening. It is as exciting as watching paint dry and I can not see it catching on in Europe. But hey, money talks.

[Peggy]

I listened to a podcast about this event. IIRC the eventual intent is to have a series that included US venues.

Here you go: https://equestrianpodcast.podbean.com/e/ep-427-the-hunters-head-to-the-netherlands-all-about-the-baran-with-cofounder-andrew-lustig/

[MHM]

Thanks for posting the link!

[MHM]

@Willesdon

no one really understands what makes the difference between one horse winning and another not, even a true connoisseur can not easily explain what is happening. It is as exciting as watching paint dry

I beg to differ.

Anyway, I could be totally wrong about the premise of this particular horse show.

[crackerjack]

I don’t understand the point of this. Most UK people I know (and I’m making the wild assumption that the sentiments would be the same in Europe) don’t understand our hunters and think it’s boring, has terrible riding, and rather pointless. (DIsclaimer- the views expressed by those over the pond do not necessarily reflect those of this poster). I remember seeing a bit on YouTube from the FEI (I think) and they followed a very BNT at WEF. He did the hunters. I don’t personally enjoy watching this person ride as he really (to me who is an absolute nobody) exemplifies the stereotypical US hunter in a bad way. The comments were mostly from Europeans and they were basically all WTH was that and harshly criticized the riding. I did know one silver medalist (SJ-ing) who sometimes comes over to my area from Europe for clinics who stated- I will never get hunters- it makes no sense (sic).

I don’t know that Europeans or Brits would have patience or time for the US hunters and their programs. The average person showing there would not be wanting to spend 6 figures on a hunter to go very very slowly!

[nutmeg]

On the other hand they may want to GET six figures for their M-level jumper who goes very, very slowly (wink).

[crackerjack]

Very true!!

[HipNo34]

Not gonna lie, I actually miss Horse Show Diva for this one.
Diva, if you’re listening …

[Hoofbeat_Heartbeat]

Sadly, me too

[nutmeg]

Curious how the drug rules are going to apply or be enforced in Valkenswaard. Are they supplying a USHJA steward or is it anything goes? It runs concurrently with an FEI 4* but I see that the 1.50’s are all scheduled to run before the hunters which reduces the chance that Touch the Sun will sneeze dex all over Harrie Smolders at a bad time.

[HipNo34]

There’s no shame in lurking, friend. And they probably did a public service by making me never, ever want to show at WEF

[Hunterammy2020]

They don’t have many great internationals from what I’ve seen

[nutmeg]

Ironically there are several ringers in a 50 mile radius of Valkenswaard that could present hunters in a lovely style but who are working pros not scrambling for FEI ranking points.

[axl]

@Amberley

I’d watch that, especially if they brought the spiders back.

Spiders?!?!?!

[Amberley]

The RDS designers can be a creative lot and were obsessed with spiders for a while.

[Ponyplusaninch]

OK that’s a little less terrifying than I was imagining.

[Amberley]

Yeah they mostly just scared the riders. The life size realistic wooden pigs they scatter around the ring always cause more issues than the jumps.

[JBCool]

That would do it.

[StormyDay]

A great example of just because you can, doesn’t mean you should

[JBCool]

Several years ago, my trainer and I took my somewhat spooky, might-jump-the-jumps horse to a local schooling show where the host apparently emptied Family Dollar’s Halloween section. We both looked at the ring, then at each other with “We have made a big mistake” looks on our faces. Oddly enough, the horse that would stare at normal gates & flower boxes from ten feet away never batted an eyelash at fake chains and cobwebs blowing off the jumps and witches feet sticking out from under them He was kinda weird.