Eventing or horse trials
Eventing or horse trials ist without doubt very demanding. The French use the term concours complet -the complete test- a succint and accurate description of the most comprehensive test of horse and rider.
History
From the 19th century, the armies of France, Germany, Sweden, and the US staged „endurance rides" as part of their cavalry training. The rides varied from 181/2 miles to 450 miles. No jumping was included but these rides were designed to test the horse´s endurance, speed, stamina and obedience under pressure, as well as the endurance and abilities of the rider. In 1902, the French organized a more comprehensive test in the country around Paris: the Championnat du Cheval d´Armes, which was a military exercise comprising 4 phases: a „dressage" test, a steeplechase, then a 30-mile ride over roads and tracks followed by a jumping competition. This exercise formed the three-day event for military riders, which was included in the 1912 Olympics.
After the Second World War, civilians started to participate and therefore, the sport grew with remarkable speed.
The sport derived its greatest impetus from the Badminton Horse Trials in the UK, first staged in 1949 on the Duke of Beaufort´s Gloucestershire estate, and still held there annually. There are more opportunities to ride in horse trials in the UK than in any other country.
Organization
The organization of horse trials is now very sophisticated. Great emphasis is given to safety in the construction of cross-country fences. Event horses are graded according to performance records, and there is a carefully devised progression from one-day pre-novice events up to full three-day championships.
In one- and two-day events the dressage is held first, followed by the arena jumping phase and then the cross-country course. Horses that are eliminated in the jumping phase are automatically ineligible to start the cross-country course. In the three-day event, the dressage tests open the competition. On the following day the cross-country, or speed and endurance phase, is ridden. This phase starts with a roads-and-tracks section that leads to the steeplechase course, and then there is another section of roads and tracks before competitors set off over the cross-country fences. On the final day, after a veterinary inspection, the arena jumping phase concludes the event. The relative influences of the three phases are calculated as being in the ratio of dressage 3; speed and endurance 12; arena jumping 1.
The philosophy of the event is founded in its military origins. The dressage test proves that while the horse is at peak fitness it is nonetheless obedient and submissive enough to perform a series of controlled movements in a small arena. . The speed and endurance phase tests those qualities as well as the courage and the ability of both the horse and its rider. The final jumping phase confirms that after the exertions of the previous day the horse remains fit.
