The History of Eventing

There are three equestrian disciplines contested at the Olympics, with an individual and team event in each, making six events on the Olympic programme. The three disciplines are jumping (or show jumping, or Prix de Nations as a team event), dressage, and Eventing. Jumping consists of negotiating a series of obstacles with the goal being not to disturb the fences. Dressage is a sort of ballet on horseback in which the rider guides the horse to perform certain intricate manoeuvres of stepping. The scoring is done by judges who evaluate how well the horse executes the moves. Eventing combines the above two disciplines, and adds a third competition of riding a cross-country course on horseback. Scoring is by a series of tables evaluating each day's performance.

photo courtesy of Al Bello

History of Dressage in the Olympics

Equestrian is the only Olympic sport where man and animal are established team-mates, and one of the few where men and women compete on equal terms. It is the ultimate in team sports, a horse and rider working together for years to hone feats of grace, daring, agility and speed. Chariot races and horse riding appeared in Greece's ancient Games, but most of the equestrian programme as we know it began in the Olympic Games of 1912. It includes three disciplines - dressage, jumping and three-day event - each with individual and team competition. Often described as horses performing ballet, dressage has changed little since the Renaissance. The term stems from a French word for training, and European cavalrymen developed the idea for use on the battlefield and the parade ground. The horse performs set movements, or tests, in response to its rider's subtle aids and signals. The event is conducted over three rounds. In the first two, horse and rider perform a set routine of dressage movements, including passages, pirouettes and piaffes in a walk, trot and canter. The third round is freestyle, with routines individually choreographed and performed to music. The scoring is done by judges who evaluate how well the horse executes the moves. During the Olympics four days are devoted to dressage.

photo courtesy of Olympic.org

HIstory of Equestrian as an Olympic Sport

Equestrian events were included in the Olympic Games for the first time in 1900 and then in 1912, in a format very similar to that which was used at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. In the past, the three-day event (Eventing) was restricted to military officers, while the jumping and dressage competitions were open to civilians, but only a handful of civilian riders competed up to 1948. Up to that time, the growth of modern sport had been rapid, but relatively few competitors were involved in international competitions. They all knew each other and the judges and were accepting of local variations to the fairly simple rules which existed. With the inclusion of the sport in the Olympic Games, it became obvious that some internationally recognised rules for the three Olympic disciplines were essential. In May 1921, delegates from 10 national equestrian organisations met in Lausanne to discuss the formation of an international federation. Equestrian consists of three disciplines: Jumping, Dressage and Eventing (Three-Day Event).

photo courtesy of Olympic.org

Olympic Rider Suffers Serious Injuries

An Olympic equestrian rider, Edmond Gibney, who competed for Ireland in the 2004 Athens Olympics, is in the hospital with serious head injuries after a motorcycle accident in Southampton, England. He is understood to be in the intensive care unit of a Hampshire Hospital.

Gastric Ulceration Common in Racehorses

A recent veterinary study of 171 New Zealand racehorses revealed that 88% of the animals had some evidence of gastric ulceration. The study, reported in the February 2007 issue of the New Zealand Veterinary Journal, revealed little difference in the occurrence of ulceration between horses that were stabled fulltime and those spending some of their time on grass. It focused on 171 racehorses in work with 24 trainers. Thoroughbreds totaled 133 (78%), with the remainder being standardbreds. The animals were examined using gastroscopy during 2003 and 2004. Evidence of gastric ulceration was present in 151 (88.3%) of the horses. Ulceration was evident in 89% of the horses kept at pasture for at least four hours a day, in all 13 (100%) of horses kept at pasture full time, and in 16 out of 17 (94%) of horses stabled full time. The prevalence and severity of ulceration did not differ between horses stabled full time, kept at pasture for part of the day, or kept at pasture full time. The severity of ulceration did not vary significantly with the quality of the pasture, nor with the duration of training. Despite the high prevalence, the cause of gastric ulcers in adult racehorses remains unknown.
photo courtesy of HorseTalk

New Wellington, FL, Showground Plans

Stadium Jumping, Inc., and its board of directors have unveiled a first look at the proposed new world class showgrounds and facilities that will become a showpiece for the community. The new showgrounds will have one grand prix field of about four acres, and one derby field around five acres. In addition, there will be eight show rings with special riding surface and adjacent warm-up areas. There will also be about six acres of training facilities, to allow riders to prepare their horses adequately. To extend the show season, a large covered arena will allow for night classes and attract different breeds. This multi-use building will have the capacity to also host some small trade shows. This show grounds also has the capacity to comfortably provide parking for 5000 spectators and ample parking for exhibitors, vendors and vans, which represents about 40 acres. Easy access to the site is essential. It provides for over 2200 permanent stalls onsite with supporting facilities such as wash-stalls, grooming areas for horses and bathrooms. There will be extra space available to host the overflow and portable tents and stalls. The total area required to operate a quality event is about 170 acres plus over 30 acres of retention. This is the minimum requirement to maintain and improve a show ground of international standard and reputation.

photo courtesy of Stadium Jumping, Inc.

An Attempt to Save Rare Horse Breeds

Colonial Spanish horses were the horse responsible for the Spanish conquest of the Americas. They changed the culture of Native Americans, were used on cattle ranches measured in miles instead of acres, and moved cattle across half a continent to make cowboy history. "The Spanish colonial horse can go and go," says Phil Sponenberg, who set out three-plus decades ago to help save the breed. The legendary horses arrived with Columbus and Cortez. Columbus left his on the Caribbean islands. Cortez brought 32 to conquer Mexico, and these and later imports multiplied to thousands. In 1680, the Pueblo Indians revolted and stole the horses. From New Mexico, the horses were rapidly traded north. By the time Lewis and Clark headed west, the horse culture had advanced. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) contacts Sponenberg to identify Spanish-type horses in wild herds to help the bureau conserve the horses. The work has taken him to Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, and Arizona. His task has been to evaluate the overall conformation of the horses and to assure that good candidate populations follow up with detailed bloodtyping or DNA typing by colleague Gus Cothran at Texas A&M. They have never disagreed. As a result, several new strains of horses have been added to the conservation effort. "Equally important, several strains have been excluded," which also helps conserve the bloodlines, Sponenberg says.

photos courtesy of Phil Sponenberg