‘In short, we need to do better'

Graham Fletcher on what Britain needs to do to raise standards

- Graham Fletcher

THERE are times when I’ve watched our sport lately and thought surely the standard can’t get any higher. At the Olympics we were treated to some of the best showjumping ever seen; the recent Europeans were in the same vein.

The courses designed in Tokyo by Santiago Varela and at Riesenbeck for the Europeans by the ever-reliable Frank Rothenberger were simply phenomenal. The way these two set rider problems without going too gutsy and brutal is an art in itself.

Take the first day’s speed course at the Europeans. The penultimate fence was a double of oxers; and although they weren’t too big, it was amazing how many faults were accumulated there. And that was because the previous two jumps were verticals on a short four strides.

When they’d got that far round the course and were clear, riders were starting to think “stay cool, take it easy” when in fact the opposite was needed – a change of gear to generate the power to jump the oxers.