Petersen’s words still ring true 20 years on

“I ENJOY helping riders getting the most out of their horse or pony but my favourite pasttime these days is course design and building,” continued Adrienne Stuart.

“I started course building so long ago I don’t actually know when it was but the first proper horse show I helped build at was Bangor in 1979 where I worked with Raymond Jess and his assistant, Archie Wilson. I attended several course-building seminars organised by the SJAI but the one presented by the famous Dutch designer, Olaf Petersen, was so inspirational and thought-provoking that I still refer to it 20 years on.

“I built at lots of local shows before moving to Gransha but then found my time was better spent at home than on the road every weekend so I took my name off the SJAI list of course builders.

“I started to favour working hunter courses because of the variety of materials I could use, not just sticking to poles or planks. The courses had to flow and allow the horses to jump in a forward canter, slightly differently than the show jumpers. They also had to be visually interesting to spectators and judges, not just the competitors.

“There were a few course builders back in the ‘90s who liked to put in ‘trick distances’, difficult lines and/or bad combinations. These courses did nothing to improve the horse, pony or rider – I learned from them what not to do. I started to build the Balmoral working hunter courses in the late 1990s and am honoured to have been there ever since.

“The annual challenge is to get six clear rounds in the open class – the same amount of rosettes there are to give out – and I’ve achieved this goal 90% of the time.”