WELCOME TO EVENTING

The first time I rode cross country was on a trip to Ireland. (The picture to the right is NOT me, by the way, it's our fearless leader Michelle.) I went with group from my riding school where we were all working on being very serious hunt seat riders and rarely ever left the ring. Jet-lagged and cranky that first morning, the last thing I really wanted to do was go on a glorified trail ride.

The horse I was assigned, Dearag, apparently liked to be in the front of the pack so would I mind going first down the wooded lane? Stop when you come to a crossroads were my only instructions. And with that we were off. Dearag took me over logs, through box jumps, and flew over anything else in our way. I was having so much fun I didn’t even see the crossroads much less stop there. The wind was whistling in my ears and the blood was pounding in my head so hard I never heard the cries of “whoa” from behind me. I drug the entire group after me until we literally hit the end of the road. After just that one ride, I was hooked.

When I came home and told friends how much fun I had, a friend suggested, “We should try eventing.” Yeah, sure, I thought, that would be great. Um... what is it?

The easiest way to think of eventing is to think of it as a triathlon consisting of dressage, cross country and show jumping phases. Eventing began as a military exercise back in the day when mounted units decided borders of countries and was considered the ultimate test of horse and rider. There’ve been a few changes in the sport, particularly some controversial ones in recent years but the intent remains the same. The goal of eventing remains to test the horse’s endurance, speed, stamina, and obedience under pressure as well as the rider’s nerves and wits. No offense, hunters, but for me it’s a lot more fun and challenging than standing at the in-gate waiting for your turn to go.

A good thing to keep in mind as you watch an event is that the score is translated into penalty points. In other words it’s like golf - lower is better. So if you’re used to dressage riders longing for a 72 on their test don’t be mystified when an eventer is ecstatic at a 28. Dressage is always ridden first (to get the worst part over if you ask me) and then either show jumping or cross country, depending on the way the event is run. In a true, classic test cross country is run next on the second day and then show jumping is ridden on the third day largely as a test of the horse’s soundness and fitness after cross country.

Events can take place in just one day (typically referred to as a derby for those of us on the West coast), two days (usually called a horse trial) or the full three days. Eventers compete at certain levels, starting with Beginner Novice and going all the way up to Intermediate. Levels are set by the difficulty of the dressage test, the height of the fences and the speed you are required/allowed to complete the jump courses in. An event will allow a set number of riders in each level that they choose to run – for instance, some shows later in the year don’t include a Beginner Novice level in order to allow more riders at the higher levels. Also, some facilities only run levels up to a certain height because they don’t have the space or terrain to run the higher, more difficult levels. If you’re just starting out, most cities will have at least one facility that will run the un-recognized Intro to Beginner Novice or even lower so that you can safely give eventing a try without getting in over your head.

But eventing isn’t just about shows. If you don’t take advantage of the opportunities to go schooling just for fun you’re missing out a huge part of the sport. Schooling allows you and your horse to go over obstacles that you wouldn’t normally meet, like water and ditches, and let you confront them without the added baggage of show nerves. You can have all the do-overs you need until you feel comfortable that you and your horse have got it down pat. You also get to do crazy fun stuff like going swimming with your horse - check out "Whoopali's Swimming Lesson" on the video bar to the right to see what I mean. (And yes, that is me getting a dunking...)

Eventing is mostly a state of mind. A fellow competitor will loan you a piece of missing equipment if need be to keep you from being eliminated from the show without hesitation. Thankfully there are specific ride times for both dressage and cross country as well as a fairly sure window for show jumping, allowing you the rest of the day to relax, socialize or work on your show nerves. After the rides are over, there is almost always a formal competitors party at least one evening of the event where everyone can hang out and catch up on the latest news. The other nights there are usually impromptu gatherings traveling from one group’s mini-campsite of tables and chairs to the next. Almost without exception, eventers prefer to care for their own horses rather than having grooms do it for them. Feeding, watering and cleaning out stalls are chores you do yourself or trade off with other people in your barn. It’s really the overall friendly atmosphere of competitors cheering for one another and always being willing to lend a helpful hand that converted me to eventing for good.

Best of all, eventing is a sport for riders of all ages and riding skill levels. So if you know which end of the horse to saddle and like to color a little bit outside of the box give eventing a try – you won’t be disappointed!