Saddlebred Hunters for Louisville 2012

The American Saddlebred breed of horse is experiencing phenomenal growth and popularity.  The number of horses shown in the US has risen from 79 horses in 2003, to 205 horses in 2010, which represents 159.5% growth in only 7 years for this division. 

The American Saddlebred Hunter needs to be represented at Louisville on the green shavings.

Let's look at the numbers recorded for 2011:

78 in five gaited junior ex show pleasure
142 fine harness open
24 five gaited pony
19 three gaited pony
114 open roadster to bike
54 amateur roadster to bike
32 roadster to wagon
44 roasters under saddle
68 road pony to bike junior exhibitor
64 road pony under saddle
53 open hackney pony
78 open harness pony
177 w/t equitation
173 pleasure equitation


There were 194 Saddlebred Hunters.

These numbers are totals that showed throughout the US for shows that reported results to Saddle Horse Report. Totals in the NATION. Those low numbers are quite sad to look at.
 
At Louisville, the 3 gaited and 5 gaited ponies have their classes, the roadster under wagon horses have their classes, but there has never been a saddlebred hunter to set foot on the green shavings.

The ASB hunter is the fastest growing division, however saddlebreds were being used for this venue for decades. The great-granddam of CH Wing Commander, a mare named Altadena, was in fact a hunter and showed over fences. She went on to produce the BHF mares Sally Cameron and Hazel Simmons.
 
At a time when we are concerned about the lack of numbers in our breed, the hunter disciplines are growing in huge numbers. One has only to look at the Morgan breed to see how numbers are represented, the hunter classes have been the largest classes at the shows. According to Saddle Horse Report there have been over 600 Morgan hunters for 2011.

Morgan barns that offer hunters as part of their training services enjoy growth in their business. Having hunters brings people into their barn and brings in more lesson money, training money, sales commissions and standing hunter studs brings in more stud fees and sales of young stock. Having hunter customers also introduces those hunter customers to the saddle seat and driving disciplines and generates additional interest in the saddle seat and driving portions of training programs and thus helps add growth to those sections of business. (example: Suzie wants hunter lessons, calls ASB barn and takes lessons in hunt seat on ASB, Suzie's mom doesn't want to ride but is really intrigued by the fine harness horses and wants to drive....)

I can personally attest to the fact that I don't have many people calling me for saddle seat lessons (unless they have already been introduced to saddle seat). Most of the calls I get are from people looking for hunter lessons.

This division is growing. It will never replace the beauty or the pagentry of the saddle seat horse, but if more trainers offered hunters it would be good for their business and would be a "foot in the door" to get more people introduced to saddle seat by already being in the barn for the hunter business.

There is a need to add the ASB hunter to Louisville. Having the hunters trot on the green shavings will offer "validity" to the ASB hunter in modern times (even though we all know how beneficial ASBs were to the hunter sceen in decades past). This could be the "breath of fresh air" that breathes life back into the ASB world and gets the numbers climbing up again. That is what we all want, right?

 There is a great deal of quality in the ASBs showing in the hunter division in recent years. ASB hunters are no longer the "rejects" or "culls" of the Country Pleasure division, people are actively seeking horses for this division. One just needs to look at Kristen Pettry's recently deceased horse, CH Callaway's Scoop The News who won on the green shavings in Country Pleasure in 2004 and was shortly thereater showing in hunter pleasure and even doing fences.

In an industry that is slowly suffocating for lack of a "breath of fresh air" let's give the industry a boost by adding classes that WILL BE SUPPORTED in numbers showing. The 3 gaited and 5 gaited ponies are cute to watch, but those numbers (and many others) are declining. Let's get classes in that will bring in the numbers, that will draw in new people to the industry and that will give ASB people a new division to train for, breed for and sell for to boost the ASB economy.

ASHA Registry numbers are down, ASHA membership is down, shows are closing down due to lack of entries, stables are closing down due to lack of business.....but you know what is going up?  The numbers of competing ASB Hunters!

I repeat, 159.5% growth in the hunter division in only 7 years.  

We need to be represented at the World's Championship Horse Show in August at Louisville during the Kentucky State Fair.


visit us on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/groups/189608947802804/#!/pages/Saddlebred-Hunters-for-Louisville-2012/151216911643775