Monthly diary — November 2015

Having reached the end of the year Lissa and I, like many, are reviewing our season and thinking how to go forward in 2016. A key factor for any serious competitor in eventing is the sheer cost. While it has always been a moneyed sport, the expense is becoming increasingly out of hand. The outlay is comparable with racing, but with eventing there is certainty of no return.

A tot up of our year’s figures reveals it is hard to keep within the £20k budget that most feel it costs to run one horse at a reasonable level – and that’s with a small, basic lorry and camping out with friends. And these costs don’t change whether you are at the top of the tree or on your way up. Only at the pinnacle do you stand a chance of recouping some of the expenditure required to deliver you there.

While increased prize money would help, the chances of this occurring are bleak – eventing is complex so doesn’t offer instantly accessible entertainment to a wider audience. The show jumping is mediocre compared to Olympia; dressage is a mystery and cross-country has become increasingly ‘boring’. Add to this a four-day wait for the result and the costs necessary to televise the event over its duration and across several miles of countryside, it doesn’t make commercial sense.

So it’s down to the competitors to raise funds to carry on. No small task as the number of syndicates chasing a small pool of interested parties is rising. Or, riders are forced to sell their best horses, enabling them to continue while strangling personal progress. The answer? I don’t know. But like many, Lissa and I will be facing some uncomfortable questions and weighing up just how we manage next year.