Fourteen years is a long time to be involved in anything, whether you love it or can’t stand it. Thankfully, my fourteen years have been full of love, along with a million other emotions that have culminated into my career in the sport of eventing. When I tell people I am an ‘eventer’, I have gotten a multitude of reactions, many of them being confusion. So, when asked to do a passion blog, what better thing to write about than the sport that has shaped me as a person for the past decade and a half? Not only does this give me an opportunity to write about the best part of my life (my horse!), but it is a platform to educate all of those confused faces on the best sport in the nation.
Eventing is one of the more obscure equestrian disciplines, and is sometimes referred to as the “triathlon for horses.” For added explanation, the full title of the sport is three-day eventing, as the competition is traditionally held over three days. There are three different parts of an “event”, starting on a Friday with dressage, where horse and rider learn a set of movements and try to preform them with balance, flexibility, and suppleness, all whilst looking as graceful as possible and impressing the judges. Each movement is scored out of 10 (the higher the better!) and then the total errors are calculated and you are given your total score (the lower the better!).
From this point on, a horse and rider pair can only add to their score, which is not what they want to happen. The dressage scores are given based on a common standard, not by comparing rider and horse pairs. For me personally, dressage is the least exciting day of competition, and the place where the most bias shines through. Each judge can have a slightly different opinion of how they think a horse is supposed to move and how a person is supposed to ride the horse, and that slight difference can impact your score heavily. My stress level is usually around an 11 out of 10 walking into the arena!
Typically, Saturday brings forth the event of cross country, a test of agility, stamina and trust in both the horse and rider. They are given a course of “natural obstacles” (examples being logs, ditches, water, brush fences, etc.) and they must complete it in a certain amount of time. If they do not complete it in the given amount of time, or are unable to jump all of the intended obstacles, certain points are added to their score.Cross country is the least “proper and polished” event of the weekend, as the goal is only to make it over the jumps, no matter how ungraceful. Plus, it is very common to see riders decked out in matching colors representing their barns (as I am, pictured right), versus the classic white breeches and black jacket used for the other two parts of the event. This is the part of the event where my horse and I have the most fun, just being able to gallop and jump for 5 minutes with your best friend and teammate is a whirlwind! Cross country is where the true athletic ability of horse and rider shows through, as they blow past family and barn friends cheering them on throughout the course.
The last day of competition is stadium jumping, seemingly a mix of the prior days’ events. It combines the class and sophistication of dressage, with the tenacity and accuracy of cross country, to create a jumping phase that can make or break your score. This time, the colorful jumps are set in an arena versus a field, and rails can fall with the clip of a hoof, once again, adding to the horse and rider’s score. Stadium jumping is also timed, usually lasting 80-120 seconds. The height of the jumps and difficulty of the course depends on the level of competition, of which there are many. The first person to jump in each division is the one placed last and subsequently has the highest score, ending with the rider placed first with the lowest score. Stadium jumping is where my horse and I excel; she has a naturally stellar jump and I always tend to ride better under pressure. After the last rider finishes, ribbons from 1st to 7th place are awarded, horses and riders are hugged, and everyone heads home after a long weekend full of blood, sweat and all kinds of tears.
As I stated earlier, I have been an avid competitor in this sport since I was 4 years old. Granted, my many years of riding have been full of hardships, days I wanted to quit, big decisions and even bigger vet bills, I still would not trade them for anything.
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For more info, check out The United States Evening Association , The Official Olympic Website, and Discover Eventing
Wow, your passion for eventing not only resonated, but shone through in your post! Your descriptions of each event, intertwined with your own experiences in the events, were quite effective and fun to read. I especially laughed when you spoke of your “11 out of 10” stress level during dressage. I can relate, as I am a baseball pitcher and have felt my fair share of mid-competition stress. Overall, great job! As a side note, have you ever heard of Chantilly or La Baule, equestrian towns in France? I have family there, and I often observe events being organized and set up during the summer. Best of luck as you add to your 14-year repertoire! -Sebastien