The modern event horse

The modern event horse is a unique athlete, in fact, a triathlete. Event horses must perform in the three different disciplines: (1) dressage, (2) cross-country, and (3) show jumping, each to a high standard to be competitive on the world stage. They must be absolutely sound of body and mind and possess a natural athleticism on flat ground and over fences to excel in the demanding sport of eventing. Although they may not possess the same scope of movement on the flat surface compared with their pure dressage counterparts or have quite the same level of excellence in their jump as the pure show jumper, event horses must be good to excellent gallopers and brave, careful jumpers to succeed in the cross-country phase, which is the core discipline of the sport.

Official eventing competitions begin at the pre-novice level and increase in level through novice (called preliminary in the United States, one star in Australia), intermediate (two-star 3-day event), to advanced (three- and four-star 3-day event). “Star” levels are typically denoted as CCI/CIC* and CCI/CIC** with asterisks representing the star level. Moves are planned at the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) level for the pre-novice level to become 1*, with current star levels moving up to reach 5*. CCI is the abbreviation for the French “Concours Complet Internationale” and refers to a “long” format event. CIC (Concours International Combiné) is a “short” format event, which is more like a regular one-day event or horse trials (also termed CNC, with the N standing for National).

Dressage, cross-country, and show jumping phases

The dressage phase in modern eventing has reached a very high standard; the world record score in international championship competition of 20.8 (approximately 86%) set by Bettina Hoy at the 2002 Jerez World Equestrian Games reflects the excellence that can be attained by an event horse and the competitor’s degree of focus in this first phase. The difficulty of an eventing dressage test increases with each consecutive level of eventing, the highest level using a test that equates to a medium level in pure dressage. Although the standard of dressage performance and the difficulty of the tests have certainly risen in recent years, the movements required during this phase must still reflect the training to make a horse an event horse and not a pure dressage horse.

The cross-country phase has increased in technical difficulty in recent times (Figure 23-1), as fixed fences are designed to be more natural than the pure jumping fences and are built over variable, mostly undulating terrain. Although the actual sizes of the fences have not increased, the variations of terrains where the fences are placed have been cleverly utilized by course designers to create challenges for the horse-and-rider team. Essentially, course designers are aiming to test a horse’s training and rideability as much as its courage since the jumping effort asked of the horse may be potentially dangerous. The current courses demand absolute accuracy of stride rhythm and line, which would enable the horse to reach the correct take-off point and successfully negotiate the obstacle. Major championships, for example, the 2006 Aachen World Equestrian Games and the 2008 Olympic Games (where the equestrian events were held in Hong Kong), have developed cross-country courses of high technical difficulty combined with a tight course time to provide a discriminatory phase of the competition.

Again, the standard of the show jumping has improved markedly in recent years. Gone are the days when an average jumper could get lucky to have a pole or two down in the final phase. The occurrence of eight or nine fences down is not unheard of at an international-level competition. At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, New Zealander Andrew Nicholson’s “Spinning Rhombus” had nine fences down in the show jumping phase, which led to the Australians winning the gold. At the 2004 Athens Olympics, Australian rider Stuart Tinney lowered nine rails on his horse “Jeepster,” which had won gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. On many occasions, after the round begins, the horse may panic and lose its jumping technique; penalties can mount quickly! Being the final phase, the pressure on competitors can be intense, as it was at the 2008 Olympics, where just 10 penalties separated the top 15 competitors, with 4 penalties separating the top 4 in the show jumping phase.

Weighting of phases and scoring system

The traditional weighting of phases of 3:12:1 among the dressage, cross-country, and show jumping phases of any event has, for the most part, changed significantly as the sport has become more professional and the standards of riding and training in the dressage and show jumping phases have improved. Although it is difficult to reassign the weighting accurately, the author of this chapter recommends that the dressage and show jumping phases be at least as influential as the cross-country phase and sometimes more so, especially at the lower levels of the sport. Each individual competition has a slightly variable weighting of phases, which may be influenced by weather and the resultant footing on the cross-country course, the terrains of the venues, and the variable difficulty of the cross-country course itself from year to year at the same venue. In general terms, the higher the level of the competition, the more influential the cross-country phase becomes; a higher proportion of jumping and time penalties and eliminations or withdrawals are expected at the CCI/CIC**** competitions compared with those at CCI/CIC***, CCI/CIC**, and CCI/CIC*.

The scoring system of the event itself rewards dressage excellence more than it does jumping excellence. In dressage, a mark out of 10 is awarded for each movement in the dressage test (up to approximately 25 movements) as well as 4 collective marks at the end of the test for paces, impulsion, submission, and rider position or effectiveness. These are added up and converted to a “good marks” percentage, which then has a coefficient of 0.6 applied to give a penalty score.

Jumping excellence is rewarded to a greater extent over the tough cross-country and show jumping tracks in that the better jumping horses are less likely to accrue jumping penalties; however, no penalty difference exists for the round where a horse just scrapes through compared with another horse that performs a foot-perfect round. Cross-country jumping penalties are, however, significant—20 penalties for the first refusal or runout at a fence, 40 penalties for a second refusal or runout at the same fence, and elimination for a third refusal, either at the same fence or a total of 3 refusals or runouts on course. A fall of horse or rider also now constitutes elimination, as does a course error (jumping a fence or parts of a combination out of order). Time penalties can also accrue quickly with 0.4 of a penalty per commenced second over the optimal time.

The show jumping phase has also become more demanding and influential as the heights and technical difficulty of this phase have increased. Lowering of the height or width of the fence—a “rail down”—results in 4 penalties, as does the first refusal. The second refusal, fall of horse or rider, or a course error constitutes elimination. Time penalties can also become very expensive with each second or part thereof over the optimal time resulting in 1 time penalty. The intense pressure of the show jumping phase, where riders enter the competition arena in reverse order of merit, has caused many riders to plummet down in the final standings or even become distracted and lose their way on course, resulting in elimination. The show jumping is especially important at the Olympic Games, where, since 2004, a second show jumping round has been used to decide the individual medals.

Fence characteristics and course distances

At the pre-novice level, the maximum height of fences is 1.05 m, with a moderate level of difficulty. Combinations such as water, banks, and sunken roads are included in a relatively encouraging manner, although the difficulty of these fences does vary from event to event. Straightforward narrow fences and apexes or corners are also used at this level. The cross-country speed is set at 500 m/min for a distance of about 2500 m, which requires a good gallop, efficient lines, and confident jumping.

CCI* and CIC* cross-country fence dimensions increase in height to 1.1 m and width to 1.4 m, with a corresponding increase in the difficulty of the fences. Water and bank complexes may include surrounding fences that are closely related to test a horse’s balance and its ability to hold a line. The cross-country speed increases to 520 meters per minute (m/min) with course lengths from 3640 to 4160 m in CCI* classes, with a maximum of 30 jumping efforts. CIC* classes run over approximately 2800 to 3200 m. The show jumping phase has the maximum height of fences at 1.15 m and width 1.4 m or 1.9 m for triple bar fences, with the speed being 350 m/min. The course must have 10 to 11 fences, with a maximum of 13 jumping efforts.

CCI** cross-country courses have maximum fence dimensions set at 1.15 m high and 1.6 m wide, with increased technical difficulty of both the fence types and placement of the fences in relation to the natural or man-made terrain. The speed on course increases to 550 m/min for 4400 to 4950 m, with a maximum of 34 jumping efforts. The show jumping phase has the maximum height of fences at 1.20 m and width 1.5 m or 2.1 m for triple bar fences with the speed being 350 m/min. The course must have 10 to 11 fences, with a maximum of 14 jumping efforts.

CCI*** cross-country courses have maximum fence dimensions set at 1.20 m high and 1.8 m wide, with a further increase in the size and technical difficulty of the fences. The speed on course increases to 570 m/min for 5700 to 6840 m, with a maximum of 40 jumping efforts. The show jumping phase has the maximum height of fences at 1.25 m and width 1.6 m or 2.3 m for triple bar fences, with the speed being 375 m/min. The course must have 11 to 12 fences, with a maximum of 15 jumping efforts.

CCI**** cross-country fences remain with a maximum height 1.20 m but the width increases to 2 m. The fences, in particular combinations such as the water jumps, become more demanding of a horse’s bravery and trust in its rider. The speed on course increases to 570 m/min for 6270 to 7410 m, with a maximum of 45 jumping efforts. The show jumping phase again maintains the same maximum height of fences at 1.25 m and width 1.6 m or 2.3 m for triple bar fences, with the speed being 375 m/min. The course must now have 11 to 13 fences, with a maximum of 16 jumping efforts.

Short versus long format

Short-format events are one-day events and CIC classes that are generally considered preparatory for the long-format or CCI classes. Long-format (CCI) classes, which maintain a longer cross-country course, are held over 3 to 4 days and can be run with or without Steeplechase. Very few CCI classes have been run with Steeplechase to this author’s knowledge, since the tragedy of a rider fatality at Burghley CCI**** in 2004, where the course was run over maximum length in sticky going that proved very tiring for the horses. This was in direct contrast to the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, where the cross-country was under 10 minutes for the first time.

Although the new long format of the 3-day event, without the Roads and Tracks and Steeplechase phases, demands less endurance from the horses, the longer cross-country courses, especially at the championship level, remain taxing, requiring significant speed and stamina from the horses.

Future direction and potential implications

The fact that the sport has changed much in recent years is undeniable; the level of professionalism shown by both individuals and their country’s teams at international competitions has reached new heights. The dressage and show jumping phases are far more influential than they have been in the past and are likely to continue to become even more demanding, as these phases are least likely to impact negatively on the welfare of the horse. Although it is hoped that the sport will retain the integrity of its core phase, the cross-country, with reasonable length courses that require true horsemanship to ride and to train horses to compete successfully, the new reality of the sport is that the standard of riding in all phases of competition is so high that a competitor needs to be in the top few after dressage to have a realistic chance of winning.

Conformation

Strong conformation of the event horse is paramount given both the amount of preparatory fitness training necessary to perform successfully in the cross-country phase and the varying ground conditions that they will compete over during their careers (see also Chapter 15).

On physical assessment, a potential event horse should look naturally balanced—its front end (neck, shoulder, and forelimbs) should mold with its back end (hindquarters and croup), both ends joined by a strong moderate length back. All limbs should be straight, with large, clean joints that possess a full range of free movement. To assess limb straightness, one should imagine a plumbline dropped down the limb; assess the balance of the limb on either side of midline and look for any rotation or torsions or medial or lateral deviations. Although very few horses have a perfect conformation, some traits are less desirable than others, and the significance of such conformation faults is often a matter of degree. This author would prefer toe-out than toe-in forelimb conformation from the view of long-term soundness and would avoid overt sickle or cow hocks, as these are likely to represent a biomechanical disadvantage to hindlimb strength and impulsion and may predispose to injury in the long term. The slope of the shoulder and the corresponding slope of the pastern should not be too upright, as these may predispose to greater impact forces, leading to degenerative joint disease, whereas too great a slope of the pastern places increased strain on the suspensory apparatus, predisposing a horse to tendon strain, suspensory ligament strain, or both. The old adage “No foot, no horse” is also well worth remembering; feet should possess adequate width and depth of heel with a well-developed frog and a reasonably thick, concave sole.

The tubera sacrale (the bony prominences that make the “jumpers bump”) should be level; a steep angle between the tubera sacrale and tubera ischii may reflect potential good jumping ability. An excessively long back should be avoided because this may predispose to back muscle problems. Although this is not related specifically to soundness, many good event horses have had a very prominent wither. Ideally, an event horse should also have a well-conformed neck of reasonable length. This will help the horse move with the correct outline for dressage and avoid the criticism of “neck too short.”

Temperament

Trainability of the event horse is paramount as it must perform to a high standard in all three disciplines. A calm, relaxed attitude for the dressage phase is ideal so that the atmosphere of the competition raises a horse to produce its best work, without causing overexcitement and the resultant tension to spoil the quality of the paces or lead to disobedience. Harmony between horse and rider leading to a soft, pleasing picture is generally rewarded in contrast to tension with outstanding paces in eventing dressage. Enthusiasm and a genuine desire to gallop and jump are important traits for the cross-country phase as the horse must “dig deep” to finish the course at full pace, whereas the jumping phase primarily requires the horse to be careful. A horse with an exceptional attitude and rideability will often outperform the talented but difficult horse which leaves its best work in the warmup arena or the home environment.

Breeding

As the sport has become more professional, we have seen a significant increase in the number of purpose-bred event horses. With speed and stamina remaining essential traits for the modern event horse, Thoroughbreds (TBs) tend to dominate. Breeders have recognized this and have utilized many “jumping line” TBs (i.e., sires that have produced a number of progeny with success at jumping, jumping being a consistently inherited trait) in conjunction with both the Warmblood and Irish Draught to produce the modern sport horse. German Olympic gold medalists from Hong Kong (2008 Beijing Olympics) were mounted on horses that were up to 63/64 TB; Gina Miles (USA) on her Individual Silver Medal horse “McKinleigh” and Megan Jones on her “Kirby Park Irish Jester” (fourth individually in Hong Kong) represent the best of the Irish Sport horses with approximately 75% TB blood. Pure TBs have still been successful at the highest level, Kristina Cook’s “Miner’s Frolic” (individual bronze medalist in Hong Kong) being an exquisite example of the modern event horse. The Selle Francais have also produced some impressive event horses; Jean Teulere’s 2002 World Champion Espoir de la Mare and Nicolas Touzaint’s European and World Cup Champion Galan de Sauvagere are prominent examples.

A great example of a jumping line TB is Brilliant Invader which sired Blyth Tait’s “Ready Teddy” (individual Olympic gold medalist, Atlanta, 1996; and World Champion, Pratoni Del Vivaro, 1998). Many Brilliant Invader horses have been successful eventers in Australia up to the 4* level.

Starting the young event horse

A varied training education is important for all young horses, especially the event horse that needs to be multiskilled. Ideally, the horse will begin regular, structured training as a 4-year-old, progressing according to its physical strength and balance and how well it accepts the training mentally. Young horses will progress at different rates; the experienced trainer appreciates that in the long term, some horses will benefit from more time, but some others may need to be constantly challenged to avoid their becoming disinterested or ceasing to improve in performance. A variety of training sessions should be included in the young horse’s program to prevent its becoming bored or overtrained; riding out on roads or in fields should be interspersed with arena work. Informal cross-country schooling can also begin as part of these riding out sessions; an older horse providing a lead over natural ditches and through waterways may help the young horse have positive training experiences. Working on slopes while riding out may be as beneficial for the development of a young horse’s balance as more formal schooling sessions on a flat arena.

Flat and jump training

As the horse’s ability to successfully carry itself and rider in a balanced way is central to its performance in all three phases, flat work forms the basis of the young horse’s training. The easier the horse is to ride on the flat and the greater its suppleness, maneuverability, and general obedience, the greater the likelihood is that its jumping performance will be rewarding. Primarily, the young horse must be trained to travel freely forward from the leg into the hand in a straight, rhythmic manner in all three gaits. Preliminary lateral work such as leg-yields and shoulder-fore exercises are often best begun at an early stage. These establish movement away from the rider’s inside leg and to help engage the horse’s hindquarters by requiring its inside hind leg to step under its body. With consistent flat training the young horse will gradually develop improved postural strength and coordination of its body, which lead to better balance and movement in its paces.

Pole work is an excellent training tool, as it can provide both an interesting variation to flat work and a degree of gymnastic work; sequences of trot poles, especially when raised, require a horse to move with greater suspension in its gait. The introduction of canter poles is a precursor to jumping with the pole, in effect, being a very small jump. Repeated cantering over a single pole helps the horse and the rider develop judgment with regard to the distance to the fence and to be able to adjust the canter stride, making small corrections on the way to the pole. More advanced canter pole exercises, where a sequence of poles are set a certain distance apart, provide an objective measure of how successful the lengthening and shortening of the horse’s stride is. With careful progression in the degree of technical difficulty, these exercises teach the horse to remain relaxed and travel in a constant rhythm to the fences. The added advantage of pole work is that even with mistakes, injuries are rare.

Jump training is then a natural progression from pole work, with the jump being just an elevated canter stride. However, it is best that the young horse begin jumping out of trot so that it can remain balanced and straight on its approach to the fence. Once the horse has been convinced that it is best to go over, not around, these new obstacles in its path, then cantering over small single fences and straightforward related lines can begin. When these exercises are performed consistently with good rhythm, then combinations and more complex lines can be included in the training in preparation for show jumping and preliminary competition days. In conjunction with jumping single fences and lines to simulate those encountered in competition, gymnastic or suppling jump exercises should be introduced to encourage the young horse to fully use its body to jump the fence. These exercises generally involve jumps that are much smaller in size; in effect they are low-impact exercises and so can be performed with higher repetition. Small, narrow corners and relatively wide-faced arrowheads (narrow-faced fences with wings) can also be introduced as part of the young horse’s jump training. These fences are best set up in an arena starting with the use of plastic drums or blocks. It is a sound training principle to train the young horse at a higher level than that which is expected in the competition arena; extra time spent in training should provide the young horse with a solid foundation prior to beginning its competition career.