It has usually been said that show jumping is a sport in which men and women are equal. Yet of the top 200 riders in the Longines world rankings, 170 (85%) are male and just 30 (15%) are female. At last month’s FEI Nations Cup Final in Barcelona out of the 60 riders taking part only eight were women.

To help me sort out this conundrum I spoke with two great Irish lady riders – Queen’s Cup winner Marion Hughes and former world number two ranked Jessica Kurten. When asked “Are men and women equal in world show jumping?”

Jessica instantly replied: “In the ring absolutely yes”. Marion agreed but cautioned that getting there can be more difficult. “It is not as easy to get a horse that suits a woman”, she notes.

International agent Robert Daly told me “I looked at a really nice horse recently but the moment I saw him ridden it quickly came into my mind that this was not a horse for a woman. They really do have to be light to the touch and easy in the approach to fences.”

Jessica went on to state that it is not a matter of just looking at the statistics in the top 200. “Rather you have to first investigate how many women register for show jumping in the first place and then see how it balances out.”

On the question of relative strength both Jessica and Marion stated they still found that they could equally ride a mare, gelding or stallion.

This certainly has been the case with the likes of top ranked Edwina Tops Alexander of Australia or Beezie Madden of the USA.

USA differs

Speaking of the USA it is interesting to note that on their young national circuit, girls outnumber boys 90 to 10. So, the numbers reaching the top there far outstrips the overall world rankings. In the world top 100 they outnumber the men seven to two.

Robert Daly notes: “You have some very rich ladies like Eve Jobs, Jennifer Gates, Jessica Springsteen or Georgina Bloomberg as role models and the girls say ‘I want some of that’.”

Regarding the possibility of Irish girls following the example of our almost exclusively male USA diaspora, Marion Hughes states unequivocally: “They would have no chance of getting a job in a big stable there.” She also notes that it is easier for men to compete at 50 shows a year than it is for a women.

On the matter of maternity, Jessica fought for the right of women to freeze their show jumping ranking points during pregnancy and won. But Marion notes: “Nature comes in here and it is still a matter of choice whether a woman concentrates on her career or on caring for a family.”

But overall, both women agree that “in the show jumping ring women and men are truly equal.”