The Wonderful World of Eventing

As one of the Olympic games and arguably the most competed horse sport in the world next to horse racing, eventing is a three-to-four-day whirl of equestrian prowess, high-action jumping, and rider-horse coordination. And with such high stakes and popularity nationally and around the globe, it’s no surprise that eventing has been included in countless equine fiction books.

But… what exactly is eventing?

Eventing in a Nutshell

Eventing is a three-to-four day event consisting of three different disciplines: dressage, which usually takes up two days if its a four-day event, cross-country jumping, and show jumping.

It would take several articles to go into each discipline in detail, but for the sake of the article here is a basic rundown of each:

Dressage is an old form of classical riding meant to showcase the connection between horse and rider. They are hosted in special, marked arenas and every rider is given a set pattern with various movements, gaits, and turns to perform– all while keeping the horse and rider in a certain form. Special saddles and bridles are used to give the horse and rider optimal contact– saddles are longer and flatter to allow more room for the rider’s leg, and bridles are usually double reined. Some versions of it are performed to music, called “freestyle dressage”, and the end result can be quite a show, as is seen in this horse and rider’s performance.

Cross-Country Jumping is probably the most physically taxing of the events, and is a true test of both horse’s and rider’s endurance and skill. Several jumps from regular fences to water ditches and logs are placed in a long trail arena. The idea is to get to the end in the shortest time possible with the fewest penalties (e.g. missing a jump, going in the wrong direction, jump refusal). With the uneven terrain, it tends to be the event that the most horses and riders get injured in. Riders are required to wear safety vests and a fall anywhere on the course leads to immediate disqualification.

Show jumping is the final event, and a spectacular finale it is indeed. Brightly colored fences, usually 12-20 depending on the level, are set up in an open arena in a certain pattern the horses must follow to a T. Fences can be up to five feet high or over in some competitions and like cross country, the idea is NOT to earn “points”, aka penalties. Even brushing against a jump can add to the points, which is a hard task to accomplish when the jumps are higher than the horse’s withers. Also, some jumps have extensions on them to mess with a horse’s depth perception and make it harder for them to learn to jump it.

And if you thought that show jumping was a neat and easy little sport where horses jump over fences easy as you please… think again. These horses are intense athletics, and the ability to launch twelve hundred pounds of horseflesh off the ground over these massive jumps (and the ability for their riders to stay on) is truly an amazing feat.

History

Originally, all the sports were held separately. It was only in 1902 that they decided to combine the events together into the ultimate test of human and horse. Dressage tested elegance and coordination; cross country, a test of bravery and endurance. Showjumping pushed the horse to his limits and tested how he could endure after days of grueling competition beforehand. It was added to the Olympic roster in 1912 at the Stockholm, Sweden Olympics. Interestingly, only military officers could compete in the sport– this may have been because at the time of the sport’s introduction, most military officials were trained in the art of horsemanship similar to the disciplines, especially in dressage-type drills and cross-country. Non-comissioned Army officers were not allowed to compete until 1956. Also interestingly enough, women were not allowed to compete in the equestrian Olympics until 1964, and today it is one of the few where men and women compete against each other instead of in separate categories.

The original format took place over six days, with an endurance and cross country test the first day, a “rest” day, a steeplechase day, a jumping test, and to finish it off, dressage. The 1924 Paris games changed the formatting slightly, with dressage the first day, the endurance test the second day (the endurance test was made up of a five-phase combination of cross country, endurance, and steeplechasing, with mandatory heartrate checks and cool downs in between the third and fourth phases), and show jumping the final day. This system wasn’t dropped until 1971, although some of the phases were eliminated one by one over time.

In 2004, horse and rider safety became a major concern (as well as cost for the Olympic committee, who were considering dropping the event from the roster) and the sport was once again changed to the format we know today: dressage, cross country, and show jumping

Eventing Today

Today, eventing is still a horse world favorite among equestrians. 49 Olympic committees participated in the 2024 Paris Equestrian Olympics, with over 200 horse and rider combinations. It’s also a popular sport among Pony Clubs and novice horse shows.

The most common horse breeds in eventing are usually huge Warmblood breeds like Hanoveranians, although the sport is mostly dominated by Thoroughbreds and Thoroughbred crosses. Some people also prefer drafts, since large horses are favored for the jumps. However in recent years, more unique horse breeds have come onto the scene, especially in the dressage world. There has been an interesting surge of dressage mules, especially after the Breyer model creation of the mule Buckeye, a world-renowned Appaloosa dressage mule.

Both horse and rider have to be in peak physical condition, and unlike some sports, looks are just as important as skill– especially in the dressage. While safety has been more prioritized in the last few years, horses and riders are still required to have formal attire. Horses will often have their manes braided (this is actually just as much a safety protocol as an aesthetic one, as a long mane could get tangled in the bridle), and sometimes their tails will be braided or half braided. Penalty points can be added for inappropriate saddles and gear, and riders can even be disqualified completely. Cross country riders must wear helmets and body protection, as well as a medical armband should the rider fall unconscious and require medical attention.

Bonus: Writing tips

(this is a new section I will be adding to my equine nonfiction articles when applicable, as I’d love to make these articles an easy resource for writers to reference as well as being enjoyable for the horse crazy readers)

As a note, I have never competed in dressage myself– this is just a collection of thoughts and observances from reading horse books that feature eventing fiction.

• Don’t go through every event in deep detail. Non-horse crazy writers will be lost, and using too many techinical terms can slow down the story. Focus on the action of the scene, and how it relates to the plot as a whole. Is the point of the scene to make the rider fail and have their dreams crushed? Build up the anticipation– showcase the nervousness, how the rider tries not to fumble with their hands during the dressage phase, build their confidence up and dash it at the last moment. Is it a victory? Show every mistake, every anxiety telling the MC that she won’t be able to accomplish her goals.
• Do research. There’s no faster way to annoy horse crazy readers than with incorrect information. Have the research so you can write the technical terms in a way even your non horse crazy readers could understand. Be accurate, but don’t overwhelm.
• Show the action. These horse shows can be a thrill ride in their own right. Horse shows are action scenes too, so lean into the action so the reader can feel like they’re flying right beside the rider, taking the jumps on a horse of their own.
• Dressage doesn’t have to be boring! One of my favorite book scenes was a dressage test in Bonnie Bryan’ts Saddle Club series. Even though the overall plot was about horse kidnapping, I remembered the dressage scene because one, it was from my favorite character’s point of view, and two, the writer really showed her anxieties and resourcefulness. The character made silly mistakes and found a creative way to fix them, and the writer painted a beautiful picture of a girl and her horse, dancing in the arena. Dressage may look stiff, but add the emotion! There’s a lot going inside the rider’s head that we can’t see from the screen.

I hope you enjoyed this article! Have you ever done eventing before? And if you don’t ride, what was your favorite eventing-related scene in a horse book you read?