Eventing

Eventing is a sport that requires a wide range of athletic abilities. It consists of three different phases: dressage, cross-country, and stadium jumping.

In dressage the horse and rider perform a series of movements in total unison and harmony. The horse must be happy, obedient, and free of tension.

Cross-country is the heart and soul of eventing. The horse and rider gallop over varied terrain. They must negotiate eighteen to thirty six solid, fixed obstacles that are often incorporated in combinations with banks, ditches, and water complexes.

In stadium jumping the horse and rider jump over a course of pole fences set at moderate heights and widths. This is done at a slower and more collected pace than cross-country. The horse and rider put their dressage skills back to use to stay balanced through the tighter turns and closer jumps of the stadium course.

Eventing goes back to cavalry days, when training in these three disciplines was used to prepare horses and riders for combat.

In 1912 eventing was included in the Olympics (at Stockholm, Sweden) for the first time. In 1959, The United States Combined Training Association (USCTA) which is now the United States Eventing Association (USEA) was founded. It is a non-profit organization to help promote and develop eventing across the United States. More information can be found at theUSEA web site: www.eventingusa.com.