Show Jumping: Bringing Elite to Everyday
posted by citizen.K on Tuesday, December 30th, 2008 / 
Print & Hang in the Barn
Apparently, I’m a little behind the times when it comes to TV. I don’t watch television, primarily because it is mind numbing, but also because I have better things to do with my time than stare at a light box. The computer lightbox, at least, requires some interaction on my part, besides just sitting and shoving food in my face.
Too bad though, had I been a television watcher, I would have known about Animal Planet’s Sporthorse Cup that aired in March of 2008. It’s okay though; there is a Animal Planet Sporthorse Cup II airing in January 2009 - phew.
Seriously though, IF I had cable (yes I know - I’m a freak), I would actually watch this. It sounds fairly interesting, and potentially more “mainstream” than any other televised equestrian sporting event (outside of horse racing, of course). Animal Planet’s coverage follows one class inside the larger Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament in attempt to boil down the scope of a large horse show into TV friendly viewing (though not live; the actual horse show happened in late October of 2008).
One of Sport Horse Cup founder John (Beezie’s husband) Madden’s goals is to make show jumping “a household sport”. It’s a great idea; a “mainstream” sporting horse event could only benefit equestrian sports on a whole.
But there are a few problems with the Animal Planet Sporthorse Cup I see that will hinder it from ever attracting a mainstream/real American/Main Street (not Wall Street) audience.
Of all sports once on the fringe to go “mainstream”, each had a common, and required component: relatable athletes (see: golf, tennis, hockey, NASCAR, extreme sports, lacrosse, arena football, and hell…World Wrestling Entertainment).
Plus, of the seven riders qualified for the cup, the average age of six of them is over 45. The seventh rider is 23 AND JUST HAPPENS to be the daughter of New York City’s Mayor.
To compete at high levels in show jumping, especially for any length of time, one requires VERY deep pockets. All seven of those riders competing in the cup enjoy a combination of independent wealth and investor backing. And that isn’t to say they aren’t good riders; EVERYONE who rides as much as they do with the horses they have better be good.
The six elder/well known riders do have some followers; people that have watched them jump, have seen them win and lose, and will know the horses they have ridden. But to turn equestrian show jumping into a mainstream sport, a televised event positioned for “household success” needs something no high-level equestrian competition may ever have: an underdog
Watching these riders get through the courses and rounds will be interesting. But mainstream interesting? I’m not so sure. The drab, boring outfits worn won’t inspire many “mainstreamers” to go out and buy the colors they wear, and the competition “drama” won’t create a following so deep that fans will honor riders with clothing, patches, accessories, posters, and face painting.
Okay, okay, maybe face painting is a little more than even I want at a horse show.
Equestrian sports do have a lot to offer spectators and fans - even those who’ve never met a horse. But mainstream sporting competitions need more than TV friendly formats. And though Animal Planet plans to “connect the audience to the top players” through on course interviews and behind the scenes “showing what it takes to compete” segments, unless becoming one of the athletes shown onscreen is more “mainstream” attainable, equestrian sporting events will continue to remain on the fringe of American consciousness; a sport and pastime of regals.
Without real personalities, and a humanly relatable element, we’re just like sailing.
6 Responses to “Show Jumping: Bringing Elite to Everyday”
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December 30th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
For every person I see wearing a Mcnabb jersey, or Favre, or Peyton, etc… I find myself wondering that, if our “QB” of show jumping or eventing had jersey #’s, would I be wearing the same thing? The logistics of this idea are of course mind boggling. But it’d be pretty cool if I could go out and buy my Hap Hansen jersey with “his” #, showing my admiration for a hero.
To any self acknowledged non-horse person the horse means one thing = $$$. So whether they know Georgina has had a free ride from an infant (I exaggerate of course) or that Jane Doe has paid for every single horse related expense since her existence, it doesn’t matter. Bottom line, horse = $ to the newb horse audience. While they may enjoy watching the powerful images of show jumping on Animal Planet, they’re probably loathing it at the same time. To many people, owning or competing a horse is an unattainable dream. Just another reason for us to be great-ful who are fortunate enough to have this sport and this majestic animal in our life.
December 31st, 2008 at 1:39 am
I have been watching the sporthorse cup on animal planet since it started and I have to say that my main issue with cramming show jumping into a mainstream format is that it is often extremely edited to fit in the time allowed. While a Basketball or Football game lasts a few hours at MOST, a horse show lasts WEEKS with HUNDREDS of players. Also, most sports games rely on this nifty little invention called a CLOCK, which all horsepeople seem to have overlooked YEARS ago. I have never been to a horse show that ran on TIME. The ring always is SUPPOSED to open at 9:30 but some jackass is always LATE and it throws the whole thing off. Dressage shows are a little better–but they’re also WAY less interesting for the average American to watch.
I definitely believe that the traditional riding habit has GOT TO GO. It’s antiquated, uncomfortable, and makes riders look less like athletes and more like some oil painting in the hall of a rich person’s house. I think jumpers should be able to wear whatever they need to in order to pilot their horses correctly. Hunters and Dressage should be lumped in with ballet and other arts that are judged subjectively–to them, looks affect their placing. Jumpers are judged on a clock so requiring them to wear big wool coats while trying to pilot a flight animal at high speeds around a course of 6′ fences seems counterproductive. In order to get a coat and tall boots that actually allow the rider freedom of movement, one must shell out a LOT of $$$. And that makes us less appealing to the mainstream.
I agree that we need an underdog. I’ve been waiting for one all my life. The best riders can never afford to compete at the highest levels. It’s a shame. Hopefully, someday, I can be that underdog. But that’s years away. Honestly, I think the dignity has gone out of jumping. The people who win are usually not the best example of the sport. They just found a client with a lot of money that bought them a practically coin operated horse from some foreign country that someone else trained (that someone else who, by the way, doesn’t get any credit for all the hard work they did). Then they sit on this machine of an animal and push the right buttons and VOILA they win. Horseracing had Seabiscuit. Where’s our seabiscuit?
December 31st, 2008 at 6:52 pm
I don’t have cable either, or I would watch it too.
I really don’t think anything except Eventing (XC) would be interesting enough for people to follow.
Even then, the camera angles would need to show how big the jumps are and how scary.
Show jumping just looks so fluid and graceful to the untrained eye, it’s really not that exciting.
Also, they need to spotlight the riders like they do with athletes. Advertise with them. Have cool commericals. Etc.
I think it could be done, but it would take a lot of work.
January 29th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
Animal Planet’s Sporthorse Cup II is Saturday, February 24th at 8PM.
February 8th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
Thanks Gretchen. Let us know how it goes.
February 19th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
Other exclusive, astonishingly-expensive-to-participate-in, long (and boring, IMHO) sports like NASCAR and golf have HUGE fan bases. They draw huge crowds and TV audiences. I’m no marketing executive, but if NASCAR can be “exciting,” something genuinely exciting, like showjumping, can be with a commitment from networks. It all comes down to money, which comes down to advertising dollars. Purina and Rolex and Budweiser are great, supportive sponsors, but we need to find a way to get advertising dollars from “real” advertisers. Georgina Bloomberg is not a good example, but there are plenty of beautiful, talented riders who would make great “Anna Kournikova” stand-ins for Pepsi, for Cannon, for Buick, something. I don’t know how to get these big companies interested because they only want to support sports with large fan bases.
Would “teams” and “jerseys” help? The traditional outfits sure don’t help our “curb appeal.” I’ve heard some good arguments in favor of cross-country kits selling ad space. Some riders already have saddlepads and thier horses’ names sold. Heck, for the Belmont last year, all the jockeys wore “NetJets” on thier breeches.
I think the obstacle might be that, because many successful riders are FROM money, they don’t NEED money. Especially in show jumping, they aren’t professionals, they’re amateurs who may be able to afford NOT to get sponsored, adding peer pressure on those riders who eschew the wool coat and white pants for the sake of advertising dollars.
As an aside, I have my TiVo set for Feb. 24th. Does anyone know if TiVo counts towards ratings?