British Olympic dressage medallist Laura Tomlinson shares her thoughts on keeping the sport transparent – and making it fun
With the National Dressage Championships wrapped up, I want to congratulate Sadie Smith on winning the top title with her lovely mare, Swanmore Dantina. Having been on a Nations Cup team with her earlier this season, I can confidently say this is just the beginning for a very talented pair.
This year, I opted out of nationals and chose to compete in Germany a week later instead – partly because the first week of term is always tricky with the kids, and partly because I thought it would be a quiet, low-key international.
Well, that was a mistake; there were so many entries that they had to split the grand prix, and I must say the quality of horses never ceases to amaze me.
From a personal point of view, it was great to be out with my boys, if feeling a little ring-rusty, having not competed for three months. They were on great form, and Full Moon feels like he is developing yet another gear. We just need to iron out the over-enthusiasm in canter.
He reminds me of the child at the front of the class who has his hand up before the teacher has even asked the question, but that is what makes him so entertaining!
Both horses came home with highly placed rosettes, which is crucial when you are coming home to four children – rosettes are everything!
Seeking greater engagement
The reason the classes were so full was that another German competition that many were entered in was cancelled, and this seems to be a theme at the moment. Fewer entries at some levels, but then fewer competitions at the top level too. The expense of running these international shows with reduced numbers of spectators makes organisers think twice.
It’s wonderful that everyone can watch all these classes online nowadays, but it means fewer people make the effort to go in person. How do we get more interest again? We had a boom when the sport hit the spotlight in the UK in 2012 with “dancing horses” winning gold at the London Olympics. However, with the recent criticism of equestrian sports, and more specifically, dressage, it’s hard to keep big sponsors interested.
I think commentary is important; it needs to be educational and positive about how the horses are worked, trained and what is going on in the ring. But equally, when something is not going well or doesn’t look good, instead of glossing over it and slightly insulting the intelligence of the viewer, it should be called out.
Owning the tougher moments
The tougher moments should be acknowledged. That shows critics we care and are willing to address problems, not deny them. I’m not talking about online pile-ons without context – but rather that a commentator should be able to say, if a horse looks stressed or unsettled, that it’s unfortunate, and explain how the rider might work on that.
A horse under floodlights in front of a big crowd is bound to behave differently than one training at home. If a horse seems uncomfortable, let’s say so. Avoiding the issue only invites more criticism.
That’s what the sport’s harshest critics want to see: accountability. When something’s not right, we must own it and fix it – not defend ourselves when we shouldn’t. The same goes for post-competition reporting. In most sports, reporters don’t shy away from tough calls when players or coaches underperform. In ours, too often, we avoid negativity altogether – and that silence only fuels more online backlash.
We need more honesty in the sport so sponsors feel confident backing it – celebrating the highs and educating around the lows, with no filters.
What about some fun?
And a bit more fun wouldn’t hurt either. What about some cross-discipline demos, or even cross-discipline competitions? At the big indoor shows, there is “jump and drive” or fancy dress jumping and all sorts of fun things that dressage riders never get involved in. Why can’t we do some of that rather than just another ordinary demo?
I’m sure there are enough game dressage riders if it’s for the sake of getting bums on seats and sponsors back in. We need to make watching us more fun.
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