The sport of equestrian eventing is a ridden sport which combines Dressage, Cross-Country and Showjumping.
Modern equestrian eventing has two main competition formats, the one day event (ODE) and the three day event (3DE). Equestrian eventing has also been known as Militaire, Horse Trials, or Combined Training.
Eventing Structure & Event Competitions …
Prior to 2006, top level three day events also incorporated the roads & tracks and the steeplechase which acted as a warm-up for the cross country phase. These extra phases are now only included at some lower level three day events
The three lowest eventing levels are:- Intro; Pre-Novice and Novice. The lower levels require no qualifications and subject to the age of the
rider and the height of the horse, you only have to be a member of british eventing or hold a british eventing day ticket to enter.
Beyond this, you need a certain number of clear rounds at each level before you can move up to the next level.
You can enter a british eventing competiton on a day ticket if you don’t want to commit to full membership. A sort of try before you buy scheme. There are also training day tickets available.
Dressage Phase
The equestrian eventing dressage test was designed to demonstrate that military horses are supple and obedient and suitable for use at parades ..
Cross Country Phase
The equestrian eventing cross country phase was originally used by the military to prove the courage and stamina of the horse over rough terrain …
Showjumping Phase
The showjumping phase is traditionally the final phase in equestrian eventing, and is set up to test the athleticism of the horse …
Cross Country Obstacles
The types of cross country obstacles used in equestrian eventing and a few pointers on how to deal with them …
The World Premier Equestrian Eventing Competitions include :
The Olympic Games
The Olympic Games take place every four years in a bissextile year.
The Games of the XXVIII Olympiad took place in Athens, Greece in 2004. It was the first time that the format without steeple chase was used. The 2008 Olympics where held in Beijing, China and the 2012 Olympics will be held in London, England.
The FEI World Equestrian Games
The FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) are held every four years in the even years between the Olympic Games.
The last edition of the WEG was organised in Aachen, Germany in 2006. Preparations for the next WEG are well under way and it is to be held outside Europe for the first time, in Kentucky, USA in 2010.
FEI World Cup Eventing
The FEI Eventing World Cup is a linked series for individuals, the goal of which is to develop the sport throughout the world.
It is organised as a three-star level CIC qualifiers and a three-star level Final that began in August 2002. The 2006 Final was held in the Swedish city of Malmo.
International eventing is governed by the Federation Equestrian International (FEI)
In the U.K. the governing body is British Eventing (BE). The USA body is known as the United States Eventing Association (USEA).