Understanding eventing in the UK

The show venues are BIG!

UNDERSTANDING EVENTING

IN THE UK

WITH ALEX MUNN

Moving to the UK in 2019 seemed super simple at the time: • Hop on a plane. • Muck out some stables. • Ride some horses and groom for one of the best riders in the world.

Easy peasy, right? I couldn't have been more wrong!

ARRIVAL IN ENGLAND

I arrived at Fox-Pitt Eventing in the dead of winter in an unfamiliar environment - snow. Moreover, the rainy season happens to be over winter in the UK, which results in a lot of mud; knee deep, stodgy and sometimes partially frozen mud. Add some snow on top of this mess, and you have the perfect recipe for equine disaster. On snowy days, the

horses in work are restricted to the confines of the barn, walker and indoor school. We were instructed to throw salt down to melt the ice and snow blocking the walkways.

The horses out in the fields for the winter holidays get checked every day and given supplementary hay should they look particularly miserable. Every morning was a mission to smash all the ice that had formed on the top of the water buckets and troughs yard-wide and top up the hay as needed.

Thermals, five pairs of socks, a beanie, a scarf, gloves and several layers of waterproof clothes didn't seem to keep this South African warm, especially when it started raining. I had soon purchased several coats that I would rotate through over a couple of days to ensure I stayed dry and relatively warm. The wet ones hung over the radiator to dry. Luckily, as we approached spring, the temperatures gradually began to rise, and the prospect of my first season of British Eventing was my main source of motivation.

SPRING HAS SPRUNG

As spring approached, the horses began to fall into a backto-work programme which loosely translated to two weeks on the walker, two weeks of hacking, two weeks of trot work, two weeks of canter work and then back to jumping. The Badminton horses were already in full work and gradually building up their gallop training by this time, of course, which involved reps up a mile-long gallop track on a fairly substantial hill.

The younger horses were treated to days out with crosscountry schooling, which provided my first insight into the standard and sheer scale of the eventing world in the UK. The training facilities within a two-hour radius of Fox-Pitt Eventing (FPE) were spectacular. Every style of fence and technical question at every height (70cm - 4*) plus all-weather crosscountry arenas fully installed with water jumps, banks, steps and ditches were the norm. The horses are always prepped and plaited the day before their event and spend the night with snuggly Lycra hoods, and leg wraps to keep them clean, although plenty of 4am leg washes definitely occurred!

FIRST SHOW

My first experience of a British event was fairly awful! The venue I went to was Tweseldown at which William had five horses to ride in one day in a range of different levels. It rained the whole day, and the temperature didn't rise above 5°C. I was terrified that I would do something wrong and totally naive about how the event day ran in terms of expectations and how the horses would respond to the weather. The venue was massive, nothing like the venues in South Africa, with grooms and riders using electric bikes to get between arenas and the lorry park! Our day ended, rather spectacularly, with our 26-tonne fully loaded horse lorry being towed out of the parking lot by a trusty John Deere tractor as the mud was just too deep.

HOW EVENTING WORKS IN THE UK

The levels in British Eventing are 80, 90, 100, Novice, Intermediate and Advanced. These are all national classes and equate to the international classes as follows: 105 = 1* (only short format), Novice = 2*-S, Intermediate = 3*-S and Advanced = 4*-S. The only way to run a long format is at an international event at the respective height. The qualification requirements for each level can be found on the British Eventing website: https://www.britisheventing. com/compete/minimum-eligibility-requirements.

A handful of venues will run three or four events per season but most only host one big eventing festival, or fair. This attracts the general public as there is usually a large shopping area, which is referred to as 'the trade stands'. This makes hosting such events more affordable for the venues that only host one eventing show annually. The volume of sponsors and volunteers is incredible. Most venues can run up to 300 horses per day. Depending on the number of entries, each level is then subdivided into different pools or sections consisting of not more than 40 horses. There can be up to five sections of the same level that are run on different days, and all ride the same dressage test, the same showjumping track and the same cross-country course. The tracks and arenas get totally trashed in spring and autumn, so one always hopes to be early on in the day and weekend to avoid the sludge! Gaining a top 10 finish at a British Event is the main goal and something to be very proud of if achieved.

International events put all entries into one class but split the competitors onto different days for dressage and usually run over two days to accommodate the volume of entries. This means you can be in an international class with 200 other competitors, so a top-20 finish is outstanding! The difference between short and long formats is the same globally. Long formats are always run over three to four days (2 days for Dr, XC & SJ). Short formats can be run in a single day or over a few days to accommodate entries but maintain the same order of events (Dr, SJ & XC). British events always run on a single day and follow the same order as short formats (Dr, SJ & XC). Trot-up is only required for long-format events prior to dressage and showjumping. There is a fantastic tradition in Britain of impeccable turnout and out-there fashion choices for every trot up, with sponsored prizes for the best dressed and best turned out. Many top riders receive fully funded outfits to wear at their respective trot-ups from top equine fashion brands.

FIRST 'STAY AWAY'

By the time I was chosen to go to a stay-away event, I was totally clued up on what was expected of me at events and the general jobs that needed doing while away. I was lucky enough to sleep on the converted couch in the living area of Kazu's lorry rather than camp, as it was still very cold

Snow! There’s nothing more satisfying than removing the piece of ice whole!

outside in April. Belton International Horse Trials was our first destination, and we were fortunate to stable off-site at a private yard belonging to a good friend of Williams. 3am starts and midnight finishes for five days on the trot were exhausting, but seeing the size of the lorries in the parking lot and all of the top riders warming up together was unbelievable. At this point, I was itching for my own horse and actually tried Basil in the Belton warmup arenas!

COMPETITION TIME

After a successful first international trip to Ballindenisk in Ireland, I returned to start my partnership with Basil and start competing myself. Due to my record from South Africa and Basil's existing qualifications, we were able to start at BE100. We finished 9th at our first event, which also happened to be at Twesledown! The rest is history, and you can follow Basil's progress up the grades by viewing his record here: https://www.britisheventing. com/about/people-and-horses/horse-profiles/THE-SPICEMERCHANT-104886.

The wonderful thing about British Eventing is that there is an array of different events to choose from every weekend from the beginning of the season in March to the end of October. If one has the means and motive, one could easily compete every single weekend in the UK in eventing. This is not recommended due to the wear and tear on the horses and, of course, the cost. It does mean, however, that planning an event season can be very fun as there are so many events to choose from. After having been in the UK for three eventing seasons, I am very aware of what each venue offers at different times of the year. Some venues may be too boggy in spring and autumn but perfect in summer. Others are too hard over the dry summer months. The technicality of each cross-country course also becomes more familiar. For example, I would never step a horse up a level at Tweseldown, as this venue is bright, bold and gets more technical as the season progresses. Instead, I would step a horse up at Aston le Walls.

I aim to run two events a month with my young horses, resulting in ± 14 events per season. The more established horses will run fewer but at the more prominent international events resulting in ± 10 events per season. Some events are used to get the horses going or keep them ticking over but are not treated as actively competitive

events. Therefore, riders will run slowly around the crosscountry to save their horse's legs for when it counts at a big international event. Harry Meade is a prime example of conservative cross-country riding. Not all riders follow the same method, and many go a whole season without incurring a single cross-country time fault. Long-format events/3 day events (DE) are usually at the peaks of a season. Generally, riders will aim for two long formats a year, one mid-year and one at the end of the year. Then if something doesn't go to plan, the riders reroute to other long-format events to gain qualification. Therefore, having plans A, B and C is vital for a season. Most riders in the UK give their horses time off after a long format or 3DE and then gradually build back up towards the next planned long-format. These breaks are usually two weeks, but this depends on the outcome of the previous event and any injuries sustained.

END OF THE SEASON

Many turn their horses away (out 24/7) for a couple of months over winter but some are too concerned about potential risk of injury so they keep their horses inside 24/7 with a walker programme. Horses in the UK go out overnight in summer and stay in during the day to avoid the heat (UK horses don't cope very well over 24°C). The opposite occurs in winter, when the horses are out during the day and in overnight to avoid the freezing temperatures. The horse blankets or rugs come in varying shapes, sizes and weights. These are brilliant tools to keep horses dry and clean on the foulest of days. The turnout routine is particular to the facilities available and the personality of the horse.

The mud is no joke in England!

NEXT TIME

Next time I will explain what a typical day in both summer and winter can be like on a DIY yard in the UK, as well as explain the rugging system, dietary requirements and typical weekly routine for an event horse!