Bramham is my happy place. I go every year and I have done since I was a teenager...
I brought Nutmeg here as a yearling just to "get that photo". I've walked miles round the various cross country courses with #TopHorseDad. My very first tradestand work began with this show (shout out to Gina at @equiclass).
Nutmeg and I competing at Bramham in 2016
It's like a networking event for me nowadays 🤣 meeting people I've worked with, friends with their own businesses manning their own tradestand, catching up with old friends who I rarely get to see anymore.
But...
This year feels, sadly, different. And I'm not just talking about Bramham in particular, but ALL of the equestrian shows I've had the pleasure of attending over the last 12-18
months.
All the cancellations of the COVID pandemic and eventual resulting cost of living crisis have impacted everyone. But the cost of running these events has also grown too. But what exactly are we paying for as spectators nowadays?
With investment in new technology (digital ticket systems, big screen TVs, digital scoreboards etc), staffing, insurance, sponsors... everything.
I don't recall having to pay for car parking as well as entry tickets?! Or if there was a charge it was a couple of quid not £10!
The shopping is definitely smaller than I ever remember. Long gone are the days when people would save up all year to shop till they dropped at events like these. Arms swamped with shopping bags or even shopping carts/trolleys. The thrill of having all of your favourite retailers - or new ones you'd never seen - all in one place was lost with the Internet. Now everyone is available 24/7 at the tap of a finger.
The price of food outlets at events has also increased astronomically. You won't find anything (vaguely substantial anyway) for much less than a tenner. I remember a huge burger WITH a plate of cheesy chips costing £4 in years gone by.
There IS definitely a lot more on offer to attract a variety of competitors; things like arena eventing or the lower BE levels now running alongside the main competition. But these aren't what draws the crowds to the grounds of these prestigious estates. From following various threads in all the Facebook groups I gather there has also been a significant increase in entry fees. To even get a horse to this level of competition costs an absolute fortune. Venues NEED to provide lower level events to continue to attract more competitors because getting to the top requires money many of us "mere mortals" simply don't have.
I noted significantly lower footfall than I remember... I overheard other spectators saying the same and when speaking to those on tradestands the general consensus wads that it seemed "quieter". The typical lunchtime "rush" just didn't materialise. Weekdays are always quieter for the dressage but still, the spectator benches were usually rammed none the less. I brought my own fold out chair for that very reason but I wouldn't have needed it this year! I managed to cadge a wristband of a friend (much love! You know who you are!) for the Saturday but even though it was clear numbers had increased, it didn't feel quite as packed as it usually does for Cross Country day.
Less tradestands...
Less general cash flowing...
What is the answer here?
What does the future of equestrian events
look like?
What exactly are spectators paying for?!
The reasons I so eagerly wanted to attend every year were: to shop and to watch the top competitive examples of the sport I love.
Many brands now focus marketing campaigns featuring influencers rather than competitive riders. Yes brands do sponsor riders, but I don't know if many young equestrians could even name 1 or 2 of the top UK or global riders, let alone the whole top 10!
Their "inspirations" are now those with a huge Instagram or TikTok followings... not the ones aboard these beautiful athletic horses pounding the grass in front of them. I'm obviously generalising and perhaps there are a few cross overs but still!
I remember queuing to get my Bramham programme signed by my idol at the time, Mary King, at the Joules stand the year I brought Nutmeg (so only 6/7 years ago). I still have it stuffed in a draw somewhere now. You just don't see that anymore. Not for an elite rider anyway.
Getting my programme signed by Mary King on the Joules stand in 2016
Is it down to brands marketing/sales strategies? Or the riders not promoting themselves? The general Social Media "generation" overall perhaps? People's consumerism habits changing?
These riders don't have time to be dancing round making reels! They've got yards to run and horses to exercise! To get to this level of competition!
But how do they stay relevant? To draw the crowds? So that people want to attend these events to be awed by such immense examples of riding and athleticism?
I wouldn't blame them for wanting nothing to do with social media after the (rightful or wrongful) battering of a few individuals in recent times... SLO (social license to operate) aside, it can be a sea of internet trolls out here!
Ros Canter flying round this year's Cross Country course
I know I'm not alone in tightening my purse strings. I didn't attend this year with the intention of spending money - the entry and car parking for just me alone for one "not-main-day" cost upwards of £30 before I even got through the gate.
I had brought some food with me but did spend £10 on the smallest burger I've ever had. I bought a very reduced £25 turnout rug because I'm pretty sure none of Nutmeg's are waterproof anymore and THAT WAS IT. Even the rug which I probably do actually need felt
like a "splurge"!
I spent near enough £100, of money that I don't really have right now, for one day, and left with a single shopping bag to show for it! It's mind blowing.
I'm worried for the future of events like Bramham. And the whole sport in general.
I don't have any answers. But I do hope I can continue to attend this annual highlight for many more years to come.
Original copy written whilst sat ringside at the Main Arena at this year's event 2023