Since 1912 in Stockholm, Sweden, the “eventing competition” is one of the three Olympic disciplines of horse riding. At the beginning of the 20th century, the French military practiced equestrian raids such as Bordeaux-Versailles-Paris or Paris-Rouen-Deauville. They used their racehorses, horse shows or weapons to do so. They then imagined organizing a competition grouping together the different tests necessary to train a sport horse ready to face the demands of war on horseback. This new discipline was named “competition of the horse of arms”. Today we call it “eventing”, which perfectly sums up the equestrian values that it generates. The northern and eastern European countries still call it “Military”. The Anglo-Saxons discovered this discipline during the Olympic Games in London in 1948. They called it “Horse Trial” or “Three Day Event”. Since 1999, they call it “Eventing”.
The events of eventing
In its original conception, the Eventing Horse Trial is a form of equestrian triathlon performed by the same rider-horse pair. It consists of 3 events.
Eventing: The handling test
The handling test: intended to verify the rider’s ability to lead his mount and the horse’s good submission for parades, weapons, and combat on horseback, with a sword or a lance.
Equestrian Eventing: The Speed and Endurance Test
Warfare on horseback requires traveling dozens of miles a day. Off the roads and trails, the rider gallops across fields, woods, and jumps over natural obstacles, ditches, embankments, hedges, streams, rivers… Thus, his horse expresses qualities of endurance and skill to pursue the enemy or escape from him.
Eventing: The jumping test
The jumping test: it consists of a course of mobile obstacles. The objective is to achieve a clear round within the time limit. This test allows to check the good state of freshness of the horse. Thus, a horse that was badly treated during the previous speed and endurance test, due to fatigue, will lack reactivity and “tone”. He will then realize this course in bad conditions and will be strongly penalized. The classification is made by a complex calculation of bonus points and penalties.
As the sport evolves with the times, today’s eventing takes on another dimension, more specifically sporting, more media-oriented, to satisfy an ever-growing public. The most famous competition in the world is Badminton in Great Britain. It attracts several hundred thousand spectators.
In their modern form, eventing competitions are divided into two main categories:
- International competitions (including Continental, World and Olympic Championships), comprising International Eventing (I.E.C.) and International Combined Events (I.C.C.).
- French competitions (including rider and horse training events, and breeding events).
The International Horse Trials (C.C.I.)
They are of 4 levels, divided in an increasing order of difficulty from 1 to 4 stars: C.C.I.*, C.C.I.**, c c I *** CCI ****
The Junior Championships are C.C.I.*, the Young Riders are C.C.I.**; the European and World Championships, and the Olympic Games are C.C.I.***. The C.C.I.**** are currently 4 in the world; they are accessible especially to very experienced riders, all of them professionals. Given the physical demands of eventing, a rigorous control is carried out throughout the competition. As soon as the horses arrive at the competition stables, a veterinarian checks the horses’ registration and vaccinations. The day before the dressage test, the 3 members of the field jury and the veterinarian carry out the first inspection of the horses in front of the public, at the halt, at the walk and at the trot. Any horse recognized as unfit is eliminated immediately.
The C.C.I. keep their original spirit with the 3 tests of the “war horse competition”, which are detailed below:
International Eventing: Dressage
This is a handling test. Like figure skating, the rider performs compulsory figures, scored from 0 to 10 by three judges. These judges evaluate 4 of the 3 fundamental criteria of classical equitation, which are submission (calmness), balance and harmony of the horse in movement (forward), frankness and regularity of the gaits (straight), and a fourth criterion which is the quality of the realization of each composed figure.
International Eventing: The Feature Event
This is an endurance and speed test with 4 successive phases.
Phase A: This is a course on roads and trails. It helps to relax the horse. The imposed speed of 220 m/minute is like that of a trotting ride. Phase B: is a steeplechase course on a racetrack or large flat grassland on which a replica of racetrack obstacles is built. The speed required corresponds to that of a racehorse. Phase C: The start is on the same line as the finish of phase B. As in phase A, it is a course on roads and paths at the same speed of 220 m/min. This phase C is a period of active recovery from the intense effort of the steeplechase. It is now interrupted at the first kilometer for ten minutes to check the general condition of the horse and its ability to continue the competition. At the finish of phase C, a new ten-minute recovery period is mandatory (in an enclosure exclusively reserved for horses, jury, veterinarian, groom, and riders) to also check the horse’s freshness. A member of the field jury, assisted by the veterinary delegate (this is the second inspection of the horses), checks the condition of the horse and its ability to recover from previous efforts. If necessary, he eliminates the horse for lameness or insufficient condition.
Phase D: This is the most difficult, spectacular, and technical cross-country test. Its speed and design are reminiscent of the spirit of the hunt. It takes place in the countryside through fields, woods, and various terrains. The course is strewn with natural obstacles or those found in nature: downhill, ditch, ford, downhill, etc. The number of jumps is limited to between 30 and 45 jumps depending on the level of the competition.
At the end of the cross-country event, a veterinarian examines the general condition of the horse before allowing it to return to the stables for a well-deserved rest where the groom administers the corresponding care (putting the feet and legs in ice, dirt, bandages, etc.). The day after the ground test, the three judges of the “ground jury”, always assisted by the same veterinary delegate, check the general condition of the horses in front of the public (this is the third inspection of the horses). The rider himself presents, as in the first inspection, his horse with braided mane and groomed tail, at a standstill, at a walk and at a trot. Depending on the general condition of the horse, the jury will decide whether it is possible to continue the competition.
International eventing competitions: the show jumping test
This is a classic show jumping event where competitors can only obtain penalty points. It takes place at a speed of 350 to 375 m/min, over 550 to 750 m, with 11 to 15 jumps.
After such a competition of several dozen kilometers, most of which are done under the cover of intense effort, the horses deserve several weeks or even months of recovery. This does not mean immobilization, but the daily work is required with less intensity. Therefore, the annual participation of horse-rider couples is limited to 2 or 3 events of this type per year.
In the current context, this is a certain handicap compared to other disciplines and sporting events.
International Combined Competitions (CIC)
To satisfy the development of the sport and the media needs conveyed particularly by television, events of lesser effort have been conceived: they are the C.I.C.
The international confrontations are then more frequent. They contribute to maintain the physical condition of horses and riders, while allowing the public, sponsors, and the media to enjoy following the “stars” of international eventing.
Like the C.C.I., the international combined competitions are of increasing difficulty: C.I.C.*, C.I.C.**, C.I.C.***.
We find the same three events: dressage, cross-country (only phase D), C.S.O. Thus, the physical effort required is less and a monthly or even fortnightly participation of the rider-horse pairs is possible. The latter acquire more experience on different obstacles, in more frequent international confrontations. The more important financial endowments obtained by the riders also contribute to the development of a sports movement of professional riders that is more numerous.
French eventing competitions
They are divided into two types:
- the C.C.F. of the French Equestrian Federation (F.F.E.)
- the C.C.F. of the Société Hippique Française (S.H.F.)
French eventing competitions of the F.F.E. (E, D, C, B, A events) are intended for the training of individual rider-horse pairs and equestrian centers, from the basic level, E events, to the international level, A events. These competitions are based on the Cd.C. model.
The scale and technical requirements are progressive:
- E and D events are at the initiation level;
- C and B events are intermediate level;
- the A tests are of higher level.
The French eventing competitions of the S.H.F. are intended for young French horses from 4 to 7 years old. These competitions are held on grounds approved by the S.H.F. The objective is to promote the breeding of eventing horses from the age of 4 by encouraging the production of horses “close to the blood” such as Anglo-Arabs or French Saddlebreds crossed with P.S.A. These competitions are also open to thoroughbreds.
Some of the 4 year old classes only include an outdoor cross-country course, while all the 5, 6 and 7 year old classes are adapted to the progressive education of horses. The order of the tests is: dressage, C.S.O., cross-country.
Horses in full muscular and bone formation are no longer solicited after the intense effort of the cross-country. A national final is held in September in Pompadour to discover the champion of each generation.
The 7 years old championship is held on a C.C.I.*, usually in Dijon in May.
An international final is held at the Lion d’Angers where for several years, the National Studs have organized a very nice C.C.I.** in October and the young horse’s place is exclusive. Under the title of “Mondial du Lion”, the best young horses of 6 and 7 years old, ridden by the greatest riders, compete to designate the world champion of young horses in eventing. As its name suggests, eventing gives the horse and rider a “complete” training. The legacy of the military is very useful to have a pleasant mount for multipurpose use: “able to do everything”. The eventing horse is also a quality training horse, under “instructions for use”.
The competition of the C.C.E. is a virile sport carried out in the nature in company of a horse, friend of each moment and accomplice of strong emotions, in various and often unforeseeable circumstances. This discipline provides experiences, joys and knowledge of his mount that make a rider a true “horseman”.
The International Eventing Scale
The scale used is designed in such a way that it is only possible to total negative points. Thus, the total of positive points, acquired from 1 to 10 per dressage figure, is deducted from the maximum number of points of the competition. The result thus obtained is affected on negative sign.
For example: for a test with 25 figures, the maximum possible result is 250 points.
If a rider obtains with 1 of the 3 judges 153 points out of the 250 that the dressage test comprises, the result obtained will be 250 – 153 = 97 points, which becomes -97 points.
This same calculation is done for each of the 3 judges.
These negative points of the three judges are then added together and divided by 3 to establish the average. This result is then multiplied by 0.6 to reduce the importance of the dressage test in relation to the ground and O.S.C. test.
The penalty points are thus added up during the competition. The rider with the fewest negative points is declared the winner.
The team classification: the team leader of each nation decides the composition of his team, 3 to 4 couples from which the 3 best are retained to make the classification. However, each couple making up the team also participates in the individual ranking.
The individual ranking: in international and world championships, the number of individuals is in principle limited to 2 per nation.
If since its existence the eventing competition has globally preserved its original framework with the 4 phases of the basic test, it is to be feared that the beginning of the new millennium will bring significant changes.
The economy necessary to the increasing movement of professional rider’s risks modifying appreciably the endurance aspect of the eventing.
Indeed, preparing a horse for C.C.E. requires a daily work of at least two hours per day and per horse. This naturally limits the number of horses per rider in the same stable. It is to be feared that the C.I.C. will one day take over from the C.C.I.
This would be very regrettable because the riders would be deprived of the extreme sensations provoked by the notion of endurance and the sense of speed on a steeple.
While the notion of endurance proves the specific qualities of some very good jumpers, it allows a horse with stamina but a modest jumper to keep his limited capacities on the cross-country obstacles. Thus, the chances are equalized because they are complementary. In such circumstances, all the countries of the world will be able to pretend to participate in the Olympic Games soon. Unfortunately, our modern world, which is becoming more mercantile, is in danger of satisfying the tendency to turn the eventer into a jumper on fixed obstacles.
In this case, the expensive selection of high quality horses for jumping will deprive certain countries, such as those in the East and Africa, of entering the eventing discipline. Wouldn’t this jeopardize the existence of the E.C.C. within the Olympic Games?
Provide the best feed for your show/competition horse with the Royal Horse H-350 and C-600!
