There’s growing debate about how many over fences classes a horse should be allowed to enter at a show. The push for class limits often comes from a well-meaning concern about overuse and potential abuse, but while the intention is valid, the solution isn’t as simple as setting a number.
There has long been talk of passing a rule so that horses are restricted to a certain number of classes per day or per show. Such a rule could easily cause as many problems as it solves.
While horse welfare must be the top priority, it’s difficult—if not impossible—to define a single number that works in every situation.
Varieties of the “Right” Amount
For example, if the limit is 12 classes per show, it implies that 12 is a reasonable number, which many would argue is too many classes for a horse. 12 classes on a 2’ short stirrup schoolmaster look a lot different than 12 classes on a 1.30m jumper. A fixed class number treats them as equal, which further undermines the rule’s fairness…