Q & A with Classic Champion's Ambassador Eric Navet
Cynthia Hampton catches up with Eric Navet, Classic Champion’s Ambassador on Zoom to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic, young horses and the industry.
Cynthia
We are particularly lucky to have Eric Navet with us. I knew him when I was living in France. He is an Olympian and World Cup. Since the summer of 2012, he has had a very successful relationship with Karl Cook.
How import communication with the horse is and that the main skill for a horse is to listen to the horse and understand that they have their way of talking to us. We are meeting today because we are in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Things have changed for everybody. I’d like to know from you, Eric, how things have changed for you.
Eric
Hi everybody! It hasn’t changed for me but for many people the situation has changed much more than for us except, obviously, we aren’t going to the shows, because there are no shows. From an everyday perspective, we are training our horses every day. We want to keep them fit and it hasn’t changed much as far as the everyday training and caring for the horses at the farm.
Cynthia
Are you doing anything differently with your young horses than you would be if the circuit were continuing?
Eric
I think the young horses need more to keep training them and to keep educating them and teaching them during this period because all the horses we need to keep them fit. We are so fortunate that horses have a fantastic memory, so they don’t forget. It is time to spend on young horses and new horses that we have just gotten. We have more time educating them, we normally do that in between the shows but now that there are no shows, we can work on educating the horses on a daily basis.
Cynthia
What is the main difference that you see – you are the son of a breeder who bred a world champion that you rode, between the young jumper competition in this country and what you experienced when you were growing up in France?
“Horses are our teachers. We learn a lot from them. They are our best teachers as long as we are open to listen to them.”
Eric
I cannot speak for the whole country because it is so big and we are a bit remote from the more concentrated shows on the East Coase. Here in California, we are very far from the East Coast. Fortunately, at the shows in California we have some classes for the young horses, which is great, which allows us to give the experience to young horses. Things can be improved, especially the course building specific for young horses, the kind of fences that are specific for young horses, we don’t really have that. This is a big difference with Europe, especially the breeding countries of Europe that we have shows that are fully dedicated for young horses with course designers that have been approved to build classes and course for the young horses. It is specific. You can be a fantastic course designer at the top level and not be such a good one for the young horses because it is so specific. This is the reason why in France you have to be approved to be a young horse course designer to build in the classes and shows. That is very important. And also, you don’t have the same fences as in the grand prix courses. The fences are more basic, a little more solid. We teach the horse to take care with the fence a little bit more. Like we wouldn’t have like a rollback at the ingate to a combination and those kinds of things. We see that here sometimes. Those are the main differences.
Cynthia
And speed?
Eric
Yes, well speed is very important when you are educating a young horse over a course. Speed shouldn’t be a problem. I don’t like the way that sometimes you see riders showing young horses, getting in the turn on the wrong lead and the horse ends up changing in the front but keeps cross cantering the whole turn and the rider keeps going because he doesn’t want time faults. That doesn’t make sense for me. You should be able to go back to trot and take the canter on the correct lead before you go to the next fence. It takes time but that is the best way to educate a young horse. Not to keep cross cantering because you don’t want to have time faults.
Cynthia
Do you see major changes to our sport because of the pandemic?
Eric
That’s hard to say. But I think it’s going to be a big deal for our industry because the riding school doesn’t have its clients but they still need to feed their horses – train them and take care of them and pay the staff. There is still money going out but no money coming in. There are no shows and many people don’t have the income anymore. I think of all the industry around the sport, like all the vendors that aren’t selling, the staff, the ring crews– they don’t have their jobs anymore. So many people depend on the shows. It is going to be a very big problem.
Cynthia
Do you think it will change the structure of show jumping as we know it?
Eric
It is difficult to say. Nobody knows how long it is going to last before we resume showing. The longer it lasts, the worse it’s going to be. Some people are going to be in big trouble – many people are going to be in big trouble.
Cynthia
We are trying during this time of separation to see what we can do together to make it better for the future going forward. I understand it’s tough for you because your wife went to France right before everything happened and she’s stuck there at your property and she can’t travel now without being quarantined for two weeks. So, I know it’s been a trying time for you as well. Please let us know if you have anything else you’d like to share.
Eric
I think it is a very good conversation about the young horses and how to educate them in a better way. I am very glad that many shows provide classes for young horses, like I said, because it is very important to keep educating young horses at the shows. Some show managers make big efforts to produce shows and do a lot to encourage riders and trainers to produce young horses. Some show managers offer free stabling and free entries for young horses. I am very thankful for that. One of the problems with developing young horses in this country is the fees. It is so expensive to show. You have to work them as a 5,6 and 7-year-old and at 8, if he’s a good horse, he may start paying for his expenses. So those three years we spend educating them are crazy expensive. I am very thankful to the show managers who charge much less for the young horses because it encourages people to do this job.
Cynthia
And it ensures our future. What is the youngest horse you currently have in training?
Eric
We have 5-year olds. We start the 5-year olds. But Karl’s mom does breeding at her farm that is close to San Francisco, not far from her home. She does a lot of breeding. She does embryo transplants out of best showing mares and semen of the best stallions she can. And there she has a young horse training operation. They do a very good job with the babies. They start them when they are 4 years old. The best of them come to our place normally when they are 6 and we start training them with Karl and Jenny, who is in charge of the young horses at our farm.
Cynthia
How do you find people to ride the young horses?
Eric
I am not in charge of that but I can tell you we have very good people.
Cynthia
It is a great opportunity for young people.
Eric
Yes, horses are our teachers. We learn a lot from them. They are our best teachers as long as we are open to listen to them.
Cynthia
Thank you so much for being here today, and we look forward to talking with you very soon.