Eventing

The last topic of thoroughbreds will be eventing. I would say it is the second most popular sport for thoroughbreds; racing being the first. I have the most experience in the sport and have shown eventing for several years now. It is a triathlon composed of, dressage, cross country, and stadium jumping. The three competitions all relate to one another. Cross country get the horse really fit so dressage show a really fit horse can still come together and be calm and supple. In cross country there is a lot of open room before the next fence, but in stadium the horse has to have as much power, but not necessarily the same speed.
Dressage is on the first day and is held in a small arena which is 20x40. It is all about the horse listening to the rider and the rider being able to communicate to the horse what is desired. There is a certain pattern of movements that must be done in a specific way. It is judged by one or more judges and they look for balance, suppleness, and rhythm. Some example of movements done in a dressage test are half-pass, shoulder-in, flying lead changes, counter canter, and piaffe. Each specific movement is judged on a zero to ten scale. Ten is a perfect where as 0 was not performing at all. There is not a set scale on total points because it depends on how many movements there are in a specific test. It is nice to be done this way because if one movement is really bad there is still a good chance it can be made up. To start the test there is a bell that will ring and then you know you have sixty seconds to inter the ring. If you do not enter on time it will result in elimination. It is also possible to get eliminated, if horse leaves the arena, if the horse resists more than twenty seconds during the test, and if there three errors on course.
The second phase is cross country preformed on the second day. The first thing this tests is fitness. The horse has to be in shape to make it to the finish line on time and for safety reasons. There is a time limit where points are taken off for being too fast or too slow. It is also really dangerous to run a horse cross country that is not fit enough. The fences are solid and therefore if the horse slips up and hits a fence it is likely they will flip over. The rider also has to be just as in shape to direct the horse safely over the fences. There are twelve to twenty fences at the lower levels and the upper levels consist of twenty to thirty jumps. Cross country is set in an open setting involving ponds, drop banks, hills, several jumps in a row. The penalties are more severe in cross country. This is because courage, endurance, and athleticism are very important and want to be enforced. There have been a lot of rule changes because of many major injuries at Red Hills and Rolex in 2008. If you fall off the horse at any time in the cores (even not approaching a fence) you are automatically eliminated. There is also a new rule where a two hundred and fifty dollar fine will be charged to any rider not wearing a medical arm ban.
Show jumping is on the final day. It is placed after cross country for a reason; to test the stamina of the horse and rider. It also tests the suppleness, obedience, fitness and athleticism of the horse and rider. The main difference from cross country is that it is in a small space and the fences can easily be knocked down. It consists of twelve to twenty fences and are set up in a ring. The fences are brightly colored and a few distractions are placed around such as flowers. There are four panatelas taken for knocking down one jump, and the first refusal. Elimination occurs for the second disobedience, first fall of rider, jumping a fence in the wrong direction, and an error of course not rectified. The winner is determined by whoever has the least amount of penalties.
There are a lot of rules and requirements for Eventing and it is very challenging. I have been competing for a long time now and am still discovering new ways and new rules that I did not know about. I love the challenging triathlon and cannot imagine competing in anything else.