I’ve been trying to compile an event calendar of shows happening in South East Asia in 2010. M’sian Polo has dates going as far as June 2011 but I can find very few settled dates of horse shows.
I am very involved in the Royal Malaysian Polo Association and as the League Coordinator we work all year round to create a calendar that works. This takes a lot of meetings and discussions with all the clubs that host tournaments. And we try to help them to work out a calendar for the season that works for the polo community. The 2010 calendar of International League Polo Tournaments was agreed in July this year. And our polo planning goes as far as June 2011.
Why can’t we have an Horse Show calendar? Yes, we have dates for the KL Grand Prix (4th to 7th March), Sukma (29th May to 6th June), the Youth Olympic Games (14th to 24th August), the World Equestrian Games (25th Sep to 10th October) and the biggest show in Asia, the 16th Asian Games (12th - 27th November). Other than that, nobody has been able to give me any info.
It’s not for the want of looking either. The EAM’s calendar 2009 doesn’t even tell you when or where the FEI World Challenge will be, other than it was originally planned for November this year. I’m sure everyone would love to know what is happening as it is a regional qualifier for the Youth Olympic Games! It could be four weeks away, but at the moment, no one knows for sure.
With the Asian Games next year, every potential rider will want to plan a schedule for their training. Not knowing when the shows are, or even if we will have the shows, does not help at all. If polo can do it, why can’t equestrian sports?
Anyway, Equestrian.Com.My will try to bring you all information that is given to us. So if you know of any shows in South East Asia that is happening in 2010, send me the info at pete@equestrian.com.my. We will publish our own calendar so that even if the associations don’t know when the shows are, the rest of us do and can plan our lives.
It is, after all, what some of us live for.
