I have been privileged to course design a World Cup show at Thai Polo for the last few years. Getting the invitation is always nice, and I appreciate that they are accommodating enough to let me choose from their three dates, which one I take. It is not easy to get away to course design, as unlike designing in Malaysia, means four or five days away from home and the horses, especially as I do so many polo events each year. In my busiest years, polo tournaments that I was an organiser of or an official at took up 32 weekends of my year. That’s not counting the polo I played for fun!
That doesn’t leave a lot of weekends for much else. Course Designing took a back seat. Now that my polo years are not quite as busy, I can return to a sport I really love. It is a real pleasure to be able to course design show jumping tracks, something I have been doing since 1991. As an FEI Level 3 course designer, I have to keep current. There is no better way than to keep designing, to stay involved in the sport.
This weekend I am thrilled that I get to design a 1.45 m World Cup track at Thai Polo. It will be jumped in a new arena, next to the dressage arena. It is 90 x 50 m in dimension, and when completely finished, it will be a mixed sand and geo-textile footing. I spoke to Tom Pantapa today, and he tells me that at the moment, it is mixed sand laid over sub-soil drainage, but the geo-textile has not yet been mixed in. It will still be very good footing.
I’ve designed my tracks for the weekend, which is only nine classes. A bit of a holiday!
Thailand has so many horse shows, that this, while important as a CSI-W, is just another show. There are plenty of CSI, CCI and CDI shows. Sandwiched between the President’s Cup and next month’s Princess Cup, this World Cup show will not have many classes. I was invited to build the Princess Cup again this year, and would have loved to, but it is during the period that I will be at the SEA Games Polo in Philippines.
In December, Thailand Equestrian Federation will organise the first Asian Equestrian Championships at Thai Polo. If not for the SEA Games, where I will be an FIP official, I would have loved to be building there too. But polo takes precedence.
Next season, I should get a chance to course design in what should be at least one new country for me. Having designed the AEF Young Rider Challenge, I should get to build the final, where the winning riders from each participating country get to meet and compete in person. I’m not sure where that final will be, but there is a good chance the AEF will send me somewhere exciting.
This weekend’s CSI-W is the highest level I will build for this year. I do get to fit one more show in before I take off on my polo sojourns – I will be course designing at Wan Ming’s STCEC Annual Horse Show. The STCEC show also will have few starters, but unlike Thailand, it seems to be the apathy of riders here that the numbers are smaller than usual. The STCEC Horse Show is usually the biggest and best show in the Klang Valley, so I’m really surprised at the lack of entries.
If you want to be a competitive rider, there is nothing better than competition. Missing a show like the STCEC Horse Show displays a lack of commitment to the sport. Why should clubs put on shows for riders, if they don’t support the big efforts? Unlike Thailand, Malaysia does not have enough shows that riders can afford to be picky.
You snooze, you lose. It’s no wonder that Thailand has shot past Malaysia in equestrian sports.
