Four clear rounds makes his day

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32536, 20 February 1971, Page 14

Four clear rounds makes his day

QHOW jumping as a sport M is growing rapidly, and with the growth of competitor and spectator interest, sponsorship will increase considerably, according to Mr D. Graham, a chief show-jumping course planner from Gisborne.

Mr Graham, who has done much of this work in the North Island, paid his first visit to a South Island show when he planned courses for last week-end’s Canterbury show-jumping championships at Rangiora. Sponsorship around Auckland and in his own area had reached the stage where it was virtually an embarrassment at times, said Mr Graham.

"We have such a glut of sponsors that it’s difficult to know what to do at times. You’ve got a local firm which has been supporting you for years, and along comes a big sponsor who offers $lOO for the main event; just what do you do?”

As the sport grew in the south, the present problem of finding sponsors would end, as firms would want to take advantage of putting their products before spectators by sponsoring events, he said. Commenting on the small number of A grade entries for the first South Island circuit show, Mr Graham said there were few • A grade horses around New Zealand at present. If a horse qualified for the A grade after lengthy preparation, it took a tremendous amount of work to maintain it at that level. Canterbury jumping courses appeared to be little different from those in the North Island—-

probably only an inch or two them—but his visit would help to bring southern courses to a uniform standard which would be {acceptable nationally, as well as help to improve the standard of jumping, he said. “X don’t like to make a course too tough; every horse having faults is no good. But I don’t like .to see too many clear rounds either, as spectators soon lose interest. ♦ >. • “If I can get about four clear rounds, with other competitors having faults , at different jumps, then I, feel that I’ve planned a good course,” said Mr Graham.