FEATURE
THE ’S
OF EVENTING A Newbie’s Guide To This Exciting Sport By Christina Keim
E
venting is a sport which is far more complex than it is often given credit for. When people think about this discipline, the first image that pops into their mind is most likely a horse and rider dropping into a water jump, launching over a ditch and rails, or simply galloping along through the woods. The cross-country phase of an event is, for most competitors, the heart and soul of the contest and what separates the sport from others. However, to be successful at an event requires much more than just being effective in crosscountry. In fact, the ideal event horse must be a versatile athlete. “The idea of the competition is that this is about creating an all-around horse,” says Malcolm Hook, Chairman of the Eventing Technical Committee and Vice Chair of the National Safety Committee for the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF). “The event horse can do more than just one thing; 42
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they must be proficient in each phase.”
The History of Eventing
Eventing is a sport whose roots lie with the training of cavalry horses in the early part of the twentieth century. Originally known as the “militaire” test, the sport was developed by military officers with the idea of assessing if the horse was appropriate for use by the cavalry. Early “combined tests” expected much of the horse, especially in terms of stamina, bravery, and obedience. Horse and rider both needed to be brave and bold, able to handle the demands of challenging terrain and imposing fences. “The sport of eventing has evolved dramatically over its nearly 100-year history,” says United States Eventing Association (USEA) Communications Manager and Eventing USA Editor Emily Daily. “What once began as a military-based training and endurance test has morphed into a sport that requires the horse and rider to excel in all three phases, possessing
SEPTEMBER 2011
the accuracy and obedience for dressage, the stamina and bravery for cross-country, and [the ability to] still jump a clear and careful round on the final day of the competition over the colored poles.” The event horse must have complete and total trust in his rider, and creating this becomes a key objective during the process of training. “The development of a level of trust between the horse and rider must come first,” says Hook. “Then horses must learn boldness and a willingness to go forward for the crosscountry phase.” Eventing’s popularity has been boosted by its presence at large international sporting events like the Olympics and the World Equestrian Games. While the vast majority of the USEA’s membership competes at a much less intense level, the essence of the original sport is retained in these more basic forms of competition. The horse is still expected to be obedient, supple, and bold, as well as trusting of their rider.