Ronnie Lee Jones: ‘Younger stars of the longer term have arduous classes to be taught’

Profitable and well-respected showjumping rider, producer and coach, Ronnie Lee Jones, shares his ideas on unclaimed HOYS tickets and producing younger horses

Hickstead has change into the place to be in Britain to supply horses and it’s solely going to get higher. The venue has simply began on groundwork for brand spanking new everlasting stables and it’s going to be some set-up. They handle to strike the precise stability between maintaining the showground conventional and maintaining with the remainder of Europe.

Organisers did an amazing job dealing with climate circumstances throughout their latest All England September Tour and the bottom was sorted exceptionally properly. Begin instances have been moved in response to the forecast and when the courses needed to be relocated to the all-weather area on the ultimate day, they opened the ring up and it nonetheless felt like a championship environment.

Loads of thought went into all of it and everybody I spoke to was very completely happy.

I took some inexperienced younger horses there they usually learnt a lot throughout their two weeks of leaping on undulating floor and dealing with good programs. Even simply driving spherical, taking within the Hickstead surroundings, teaches them manners each out and in of the ring.

It was nice preparation for this week’s FEI WBFSH Leaping World Breeding Championships in Lanaken to have the younger horse championships at Hickstead adopted by one other two weeks of competitors.

I’ve a five-year-old stallion who’s going to Lanaken and, after leaping the younger horse qualifiers, we got here again to leap the five-year-old courses on week one of many Hickstead tour, adopted by some 1.20m courses on a floor the second week. It was like becoming in six weeks of actually good basis schooling in a a lot shorter area of time.

I’ve jumped him at each Hickstead championship this yr, then he goes residence, goes within the area, covers a few mares and goes hacking. He goes spherical like a horse two years older from the schooling he’s had there.

The appropriate route

This yr there have been a variety of unclaimed Horse of the Yr Present (HOYS) tickets within the 128cm qualifiers and British Showjumping (BS) have moved in the precise route by deciding to present them to the youngsters who’ve simply missed out on a spot.

At a lot of the reveals, at the least two tickets have been left unclaimed as a result of it’s important to leap the primary spherical clear in an effort to qualify, ruling out those that have had a pole or picked up time faults.

I don’t suppose this is a matter with course-building. The youngsters do have to be taught to journey at a championship canter, step up and leap trickier distances, and be taught to journey by their eye. If we’re producing riders for the longer term, they’re going to have arduous classes to be taught.

But when they’re able to leaping two winter clears to qualify for second rounds, then some minor faults shouldn’t rule them out of going to HOYS. We’re not speaking about handing out tickets to youngsters which have fallen off or had 4 or 5 fences down, it’s those that have been constant however unfortunate and it’s good that we’re rewarding consistency.

The JA ponies aren’t getting any youthful and there aren’t a variety of youthful ponies coming by way of, so it’s essential that a few of those that have had an unlucky fault don’t miss their probability to achieve expertise in a championship environment.

Generally we see a variety of the identical riders claiming the tickets and, when you do have households with sources, it’s not a closed store. There are additionally youngsters from working class households competing at a very good degree. The particular factor about showjumping is that it’s inclusive. I’m an instance of it – I come from a travelling background and grew up on a council property – however when you’ve got a ardour you possibly can obtain your ambitions.

HOYS is each child’s dream. The dad and mom and kids put rather a lot into it, so it’s good once they get one thing again. I hope it’s a coverage BS retains in going ahead.

● What do you consider the avenues provided for junior riders? Tell us at hhletters@futurenet.com, together with your identify, nearest city and nation, for the prospect on your letter to seem in a forthcoming situation of the journal

You may also be involved in:

H&H showjumping editor

Jennifer is passionate at showjumping and her function as H&H’s showjumping editor has taken her all over the world reporting from reveals and interviewing riders, connections and people concerned behind the scenes. Since becoming a member of H&H from BBC Sport in 2005, she has written on each topic throughout the equestrian sphere — from turnout rugs to steady administration — and has interviewed gold medallists, world champions and winners galore. She additionally has first-hand expertise of working within the equestrian trade as a driving teacher and yard supervisor.