THERE was a time when showjumping was one of the most popular sports on television. Riders such as Harvey Smith, David Broome, Marion Mould and Worcestershire's own Alison Westwood, later Dawes, were household names. Along with their horses such as Mr Softee, Stroller and The Maverick. Televised coverage of events such as the Horse of the Year Show and the Royal International Horse Show made peak-time viewing.

It would also be no exaggeration to say that the equestrian presence at the annual Three Counties Show was among its main attractions.

Sadly, showjumping has slipped down television's pecking order over the years and this was reflected at the Malvern midsummer event, where major competitions and sponsorship for them diminished and classes were removed from the main arena programme.

For a while the outlook appeared gloomy for those who remembered the halcyon days sitting ringside on the grass with their heroes and heroines.

But in recent years the pendulum has started to swing back and much work has been done behind the scenes at the Three Counties to improve the equestrian side of the event.

This year, competitors and spectators alike are sure to welcome a vastly improved equestrian programme and even better facilities at the show, which runs from June 13-15.

New classes and qualifiers, a 24-hour online entry and results service and radical alterations to timetabling, coupled with significant regeneration of its rings and stabling, saw the Malvern showground attract a record-breaking 2,600 horse entries in 2007, and the Three Counties Agricultural Society is hoping to hit the 3,000 mark this year.

Malvern is fast becoming recognised as one of the top competitive venues in the country, and equine activity is a regular feature of the showground calendar, so keeping the equestrian content dynamic is extremely important, particularly at an event like the Three Counties Show which attracts about 100,000 visitors over its three days.

Chief horse steward, Judy Proger, of Evenlode, Moreton-in-Marsh, who has played a significant role in turning the showground into the first class equestrian centre it is today, is handing over the reins in 2008 to Emma Coates of Leominster.

Judy has instigated many changes in her role as chief steward, restructuring the timetable to link classes and sections logically, changing the infrastructure with major improvements to the ground and, in 2005, introducing the very successful Racehorses to Riding Horses section, giving ex-racehorses a new career, and opening up the competition to amateurs as well as professional equestrians.

"I am very proud of what we have achieved at Malvern so far," she said, "and the development of the racehorse to riding horse section has given me great satisfaction. Yes, I have put a lot into Malvern, but I have taken an enormous amount out too"

Judy's successor, Emma, is a former Young Judge of the Year. She first competed at Malvern aged four, and was once given a special dispensation to sit her maths GCSE exam at 6am, so that she could compete in, and win, the Intermediate Show Riding Class at the Showground.

Emma will be looking after no less than six competition rings this year, more than 300 classes, and a whole host of qualifiers for both the Horse of The Year Show and the Royal International Horse Show.

Visitors to the Three Counties Show this year can watch show jumping, scurry driving, heavy horse turnouts, and a spectacular display in the shape of the Metropolitan Police Activity Ride, to name a few, and there will also be a brand new activity arena, with talks and demonstrations about everything from veterinary advice, feeding and alternative therapies to riding for the disabled.

The show is building on its carriage driving section in 2008, with two full days of competitions on Saturday and Sunday. The British Driving Society will have classes for under and over 13.2 hands, and on Sunday, to coincide with the event's National, Rare and Minority Breeds Show, there will be ridden, in-hand and driving classes for the beautiful Hackney horse, now sadly classed as a rare breed.