What's your opinion of eventing?

Question

I know that there are a lot of stereotypes in the horse world and I was wondering if you'd hear any about eventing, or failing that, what you're opinion is.

Answer 1

I am  not sure what you call "eventing", but, all of our kids and myself had horses that we competed in different events.

I had a Foxtrotter that won several competitions, my children had Quarter Horses that won in several catagories. We did this for about 3 years. There were many things to be learned, how to handle failure if your horse lost, how to be humble if your horse won, grooming, training, it all took responsibilities from everyone to get to the next competition, as they are not cheap to be in, time you feed, house, keep shots up, keep horse shod, gas, tack, and entry fees. Our kids learned a good lesson in being very observant, obedient, confidence, responsible, and had great fun at it also! We loved it.

Once the kids started leaving home, we sold most of the horses and moved from the big place to a smaller place. Our grandkids were not interested in the horses in the least, you can not get them away from those darned TV video games.

We did not ever allow those in our house, too many outside activities and chores to do. Our kids made good grades, were not fat, and had a personality, unlike some of our grandkids....they sass their parents, are sullen and rude, i would have busted their butts if it had been my kids doing that. Maybe times change, as they are all living in the city now...so I wont be too hard on them.

Answer 2

I love the sport, and I have followed it as a spectator for most of my life- though I can't participate in it because of a bad fall I had in college. That accident caused me to lose my nerve over fences, though I still ride and do dressage. From the time I was very young, almost all of my personal heroes in the sport of riding came from the Eventing world- indeed, some of them are still doing it, almost 30 years after I first noticed them.

But on another front, I am deeply saddened and hurt by what has happened to this sport over the last decade or so, with the loss of the classic or long format, and with all the deaths and injuries- and there have been far too many of those for comfort. Lately, I have been wondering why we keep seeing so many injuries and horse deaths, not to mention human deaths. When I was growing up in the 70's and 80's, during the sport's Golden Age, we didn't have these problems. We didn't have people getting badly hurt and killed every month, sometimes every week, for months and years on end then. We didn't have horses dying on course from things like heart attacks, the way Tigger Too did this past May. And we sure as h**l didn't have the waves of horrendous publicity that we keep having to endure week after week after week. So, I ask, what's changed? Why the deaths? Why do we keep having to endure so much pain- pain that is KILLING the sport that many of us love so much, whether we want to admit to it or not.

Eventing has always been, and will always be, a high risk, extreme sport which can never be made totally safe. To ask that the sport be made totally safe is to take something away from what it means to be a competitor, or to ride a horse at all. Think about where Eventing came from, and you'll understand a little of what I mean. This sport didn't start out as a sport- it began as a test. Originally, it was called the Militare, and the sport evolved out of the tests given to cavalry officers and their mounts, at or near the completion of said officers' and mounts training- for WARFARE. In essence, it was meant to be a final exam of sorts- and those who couldn't or didn't pass, regardless of the reason why, DIDN'T GO ON TO LEAD TROOPS IN COMBAT, PERIOD. In the early days of this test, no one worried about distances, or meters per minute in speed, or the number of obstacles, or even what their design was. Safety, in fact, was VERY LOW on the priority list, because one of the purposes for this type of test was to separate the strong from the weak. But even given this, it was rare in those early times for anyone to get seriously hurt, and certainly, it was even more rare that anyone died, whether on or off course, as a result. This was before the invention of the helmets and body protectors we have now, and long before the development of the lightweight, synthetic clothing, etc, that are so commonplace today. Even in later years, during the first part of the sport's development, it was almost unheard of for anyone to get hurt or killed, the way we keep hearing about today. Something is clearly wrong now- I am just not sure what it is precisely. I do know this, however- most of the deaths and serious injuries are happening to younger and younger people. They say that age brings wisdom, and it appears that eventing reflects this truth, both in word and in fact. Most of the people who have a lifetime of experience- the Denny Emersons, the Mike Plumbs, the Tad Coffins of the world- are still healthy, active, and riding- and some of them are nearly 70 years old !! Contrast this with the younger people, many of which have gotten seriously hurt or died before they ever got to 50. What does this say about the quality of the younger generation, or the lack of it??

It may not be the riders' fault- but it is a sign of the changing times. Riders today don't get the kinds of opportunities that the previous generations before them did. Most of them don't grow up with horses, and they don't grow up doing things like riding to hounds or competing in horse shows from the time they are old enough to walk. Many of today's competitors grew up in cities or suburbs, where there simply wasn't enough land available to allow them to really learn to ride and jump safely at high speeds. Kids today don't get to learn the ins and outs of horse care and management from the older generation, simply because there often is no time or chance for them to do this. It's sad, but that's the way life is right now. Adding to this problem is the loss of land for riding, as more and more of America's open spaces are swallowed up for development- whether for houses, strip malls, office parks, or whatever. Horses are becoming relegated into expensive toys for the super elite, and the sports which involve riding are fast going the same route. Eventing, as one of those sports, is facing the same pressures they all are.

Yes, I love Eventing- as it used to be, not as it is now. I still remember with great fondness what it was like to watch the live broadcast of cross country day from the Fairbanks Ranch outside LA in 1984. Do you know that this ranch no longer exists? It was sold for development right after the Games ended- and there are expensive houses sitting on what used to be the cross country course there. But it will live on forever in my memories, because that day was such a wonderful day for everyone involved. Our team won the Gold that year. There has never been another broadcast of a 3 day Event like that one- at least not that I can recall. Certainly, NBC has never done anything like that.

Good question !!

Answer 3

This is a touchy issue that can be approached in many ways. My opinion is that every is dangerous. Think about it, theres risks to just about everything that we do. Even walking across the room has its on risk, like you could trip. Now about to horses, working with horses is dangerous. Even the brokest horse can freak out. In my opinion I say that a older broke horse freaking out is worse than a young horse acting up. The reason for it is, with a young horse you can expect a  horse to act up but with a older horse, your not paying attention and its unexpected.

Now for eventing I believe that sorta bad. Meaning that I think some of the riders need to relax a bit. But theres always dangers. Even with western pleasure theres risk of the tack breaking.

What I like about eventing  is how people wear safety gear. Its not frowned apon unlike in some western classes like in western pleasure, its frowned for wearing a helment in the class. Its neat how pro's make wild color safety gear

Answer 4

I believe that english riding is WAY over priced and WAY to fancy.... i dont mean to offend anybody tho! I do western and barrel race... many people believe that speed peolpe dont take care of there horse, that they just show up throw a saddle on a ride... i am not that kind of rider I brush my horse befrore i put the saddle on and after I take it off! I dont know what kind of riding you do or what the other people who answer this question ride but I REALLY dont mean to offend anybody and if i did "I'm Sorry!"

Answer 5

i am an eventer and i have jeard things like "you guys abuse your horses!" "eventing is wicked dangerous because the jumps in cross country don't fall down" so on and so forth. these things couldn't be farther from the truth! yes, our sport is a challenge, but so are other disiplines. for eventing, we just have to make sure our horses are extremely fit and conditioned. also, an event horse has to love his job and want to do it, and not all horses and ponies are cut out to be eventers. and the cross country jumps in the lower levels that i do are safe, and for the massive jumps in the higher levels, pins are being introduced so that if a horse hits a fence, it will fall down. the leaders of eventing are taking precautions to make the sport safer. i will never stop loving eventing! all the people at shows are wicked friendly and congratulate you if you won or lost. and its not all about beating your competetors either, you go for points, so you are pretty much competing against yourself.  so i guess my moral is that yes, eventing (just like anything you do) can be dangerous. the key is to be smart about it, and take measures to be a safe competitor. do this and eventing is soo much fun!! and most important- put your horse's well being first!!!

Answer 6

Eventing is an awesome sport! The higher levels do get way to over the top with the horses. You have to know what you are doing and try your best. If you take care of your horse and yourself nothing can go wrong.

Answer 7

my personal opinion:

it can be fun, it is dangerous, and it takes alot of time and skill to compete at top levels. i did some lower level eventing for pony club/fun.  i did like it, but due to personal choice i stopped jumping.

i know at least one of my trainers did upper level eventing, i also know years ago she lost a good friend when the horse caught it's leg on the jump, flipped over the jump, and crushed the rider's chest. ( it was a cross country jump, they dont fall down when you hit them) like i said it is dangerous, and not every horse/rider is cut out for it. but those who are have to be at the top of their game and are really good riders.

and to eventer: the rider and horse were well taken care of, they were pros/trainers. i'm just saying that accidents can happen at any time, no matter how good you prepare yourself and your horse. there is always the chance something may go wrong.

Answer 8

i ride western and do barrel racing too. i have heard that eventing can cause a great deal of stress on a horses legs, but if you think about it so does almost every equine sport (including barrel racing). As long as you take good care of your horse and his legs, who cares what anyone else thinks.

Answer 9

The only one I know who loves eventing more than me is my horse!  Running cross country and leaping over things is his favorite thing.  He'll even jump things out in the pasture for the sheer joy of it.

Dressage and stadium jumping are ok, but basically we both view them as the ticket of admission to the main event, the cross country.  Doing both WELL means we're in good shape for the CC.

Yes, it can be dangerous, particularly at the high levels (which I don't do).  But so is walking across the street.  We  pick what risks we'll take and what we won't, and I would never fault someone for choosing differently than me if they've evaluated and prepared for their choice.

I frequently hear "People who event don't care about their horses."  "I'd never gallop across an open field like that; there might be holes."  "Only idiots do that."  or "You have to be very brave to do that."  Usually, though, they mean foolhardy! ;)  

I care about my horses; I only event the ones who LOVE it because they're the ones who are good at it.  My horses gallop around their fields all day; course planners carefully look for holes before the event.  I'm not an idiot, and I'm not brave or foolhardy.  I'm prepared, and I ride horses that are brave.  

It's a great sport, but like all athletic endeavors can be overdone.