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Discipline - Eventing

Introduction to Eventing

In equestrian sport, eventing or combined training is considered to be the ultimate test. Commonly seen as an equestrian triathlon, it is made up of three separate tests, covering every aspect of horsemanship: the harmony between horse and rider that characterizes Dressage; the stamina, courage and extensive experience essential for Cross Country; the precision, agility and technique involved in Jumping. Each test is scored individually but added together as penalty points for the final score. Therefore, the competitor with the lowest points wins. A true partnership between horse and rider is necessary to win.

First called the "Militaire", eventing traces its origin to the days when each country depended upon the cavalry in battle and horses were a vital part of the Army. Cavalry competitions were developed to test the horse's endurance, speed, stamina, and obedience under pressure as well as the endurance and ability of the rider. Though the sport has changed and evolved through the years, these are the same objectives of today's event horse and rider.

Eventing competitions that resemble the current three-day were first held in 1902, but were not introduced into the Olympic Games until 1912 in Stockholm, Sweden. The Olympic eventing competition was originally open only to male military officers in active duty, mounted only on military charges. When the FEI formed in 1921, eventing was one of the founding disciplines. In 1924, the event was open to male civilians, although non-commissioned Army officers could not participate in the Olympics until 1956. Women were first allowed to take part in 1964. Equestrian sports are one of the only Olympic sports in which men and women compete against one another in both individual and team events.

THREE-DAY COMPETITIONS:

In addition to the shorter horse trials, there are two types of modern three-day competitions: the classic format the recent short format.

Classic format: This competition comprises three distinct tests: Dressage, Cross-Country and Jumping. They take place on separate consecutive days during which a competitor rides the same horse throughout.

1. Dressage Test: The dressage phase (held first) comprises an exact sequence of movements ridden in an enclosed arena. The test is judged by one or more judges who are looking for balance, rhythm and suppleness and most importantly, obedience of the horse and its harmony with the rider. Points are given for each movement and ultimately the dressage score is converted to penalty points, making the goal to have the lowest score possible. The challenge is to demonstrate that a supremely fit horse, capable of completing the cross-country phase on time, also has the training to perform in a relaxed and precise manner. A good Dressage test lays the foundation for the rest of the competition and horses that are found wanting in this phase face an uphill struggle to get up amongst the prizewinners.

2. Cross-Country Test: The focus of the entire event is on the Cross-Country test, the objective of which is to prove the speed, endurance and jumping ability of the horse, while at the same time demonstrating the rider's knowledge of pace and the use of his horse. It consists of four distinct phases:

  • Phase A: Short roads and tracks (with 5 penalties per 5 seconds over time)(A sort of warm up phase).
  • Phase B: Steeplechase. This phase was designed to test the speed of horse and rider over jumps and requires horses to jump 8 - 12 brush fences, depending on the level of competition.
  • Phase C: Long roads and tracks. This is a recovery phase after the exertions of the steeplechase, usually carried out at the walk and trot. (with 5 penalties per 5 seconds over time)
  • Compulsory Halt (now the 10-minulte halt)
  • Phase D: Cross-country. This is the most difficult part of the test consisting of a course, usually twice the distance of the steeplechase, comprising 30 to 40 jumping efforts on natural solid obstacles, such as stone walls, woodpiles, water, ditches, etc. The aim is to jump all the fences within the limits of the time allowed.

The four phases are quite independent as far as the timekeeping is concerned and loss of time in one cannot be compensated for by gain of time in another. Exceeding the time allowed in any of the four phases results in penalties. Penalties are also given for refusals and falls of horse or rider. All penalties are added together and recorded for inclusion in the final classification. The first fall of a horse and second of a rider is cause for elimination.

3. Jumping Test: The Jumping test takes place on the last day after a veterinary inspection to ensure that they have not incurred any injuries as a result of their exertions on the previous day. It is usually a very formal affair, with well-groomed and braided horses, and nicely dressed riders. It is also a very nerve-racking time, as the "pass" or "fail" determines whether the horse may continue on to the final phase. Riders may voluntarily retire their horses if they seem unfit to continue. Show jumping is run in reverse order of merit and its main objective is to prove that the horses have retained their suppleness, energy and obedience in order to jump a course of 10 to 13 obstacles. Penalty points are incurred for run-outs, refusals, taking a rail down or time faults.

The winning individual is the competitor with the lowest total of penalty points. The winning team is the one with the lowest total of penalty points, after adding together the final scores of the three highest placed competitors in the team.

The Short Format: These competitions comprise the same three tests as the Classic format, but the Cross Country test does not include Phases B & C. Moreover, phase A, before the Cross Country Obstacle Test, is optional.

This change signified a major shift in the sport as of 2004 and 2005. The primary reason for excluding these phases was that the Olympic Committee was considering dropping the sport of eventing from the Olympics because of the cost and large area required for the speed and endurance phase with a steeplechase course and several miles of roads-and-tracks. To prevent the elimination of the sport from the Olympics program, the "short format" was developed by the FEI. The last Olympic Games that included the long, or "classic", 3-day format was the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, while Rolex Kentucky, the Badminton Horse Trials, and Burghley Horse Trials ran their last long format three-day in 2005. The short format is now the standard for international competition, such as the Olympics and World Equestrian Games.

The change in format has brought about controversy. Many want the continuation of the classic format, believing it is the "true test of horse and rider". Others believe the classic format is superior because it teaches horsemanship, due to the extra preparation needed to condition the horse and the care required after the several miles of endurance day. However, some upper-level riders claim to prefer the short format, as they believe it saves wear-and-tear on their horses and allows the horse not only to compete in more three-day events each season, but decreases the chance of injury to the horse. This claim has not held true in several recent studies that compared injuries sustained in classic and in short format competitions over equivalent courses. Further, some research indicates that horses are more stressed by the short format than by the careful warm-up inherent in the classic format. Regardless, many upper-level riders prepare their horses for the short format using the same conditioning and training as for the long format. The short format has also been widely urged by breeders of heavier, warmblood type horses. The long format has remained very, very popular at the Preliminary, or one star, level in the United States, and with riders who feel it maximizes horsemanship.

Non-Olympic Competition

The first annual, Olympic-level event developed was the Badminton Horse Trials, held each year in England. First held in 1949, Badminton was created after a poor performance by the British Eventing Team at the 1948 Olympic Games, with the purpose of being a high-class preparation event, and as extra exposure for the military horses, who very rarely had the chance to compete. Initially, only British riders were allowed to compete (although women were allowed, despite being banned from riding in the Olympics), but the competition is now open to all. To this day, Badminton is one of the most prestigious events to win in the world.

The second three-day competition to be held at the Olympic level each year was the Burghley Horse Trials, first held in 1961. Burghley is longest running international event.

The first CCI held outside of Britain on an annual basis was the Rolex Kentucky Three Day, held each year in Lexington since 1978.

THE HORSE

The changing format requires the evolution of the successful event horse. In years past, the courage and stamina of a Thoroughbred was required to match the rigors of eventing. With the introduction of the short format and more emphasis being placed on dressage, warmblood crosses are becoming more popular. At lower levels any breed can make an excellent equine partner as long as they are intelligent, tough and brave.