Eventing For Dummies

Eventing For Dummies – with Sharon Ridgway

Illustrations by Andrea O’Meara

Eventing is a wonderfully rewarding blend of challenges requiring so many different skills and emotions. The calm, controlled precision of the Dressage, the adrenalin rush and thrill of the Cross Country and the all important accuracy and skill required in the Show Jumping phase makes it in my mind the best sport in the world.

I am a little biased as it has been my passion for over 25 years now and in this series of articles I hope to provide some stepping stones to assist any newcomers to the sport. Don’t be deterred by thinking you don’t have access to one of Australia’s leading Equestrian Centres, Eventing for fun is perfectly possible with a few basic facilities and a bit of creativity.

I for one learnt to event on a tiny group of windswept islands in the far north of Scotland with little more than a shaggy pony and a few milk crates as jumps.
Determination and persistence will get you a long way as the likes of Greg Watson will attest to. His humble beginnings were in outback Queensland on a $700 ex racehorse. He had to make an 8-hour trip to Brisbane to receive coaching, turn around, drive home and work a full day as a fitter and turner on his return. Greg eventually moved to the UK and trained with the legendary Richard Meade, he went on to ride at two Badmintons and a World Equestrian Games. So it can be done.

Firstly there are a few important criteria to weigh up. Have you the necessary time to devote to what is a fairly involved sport? You really need to be able to ride at least five times a week to tackle training level eventing properly, so forget those long lie ins in the morning and those few relaxing beers on the way home from a big day at the office. You will have to be prepared to forget at least one of those to realize your dream of becoming an event rider.

Next, have you access to good instruction? Eventing is a sport with so many different skills to develop, you will find it impossible to blindly claw your way through the early stages without help. Any high-risk sport requires a great deal of respect towards the safety aspects, and what better than to have a knowledgeable mentor to guide you through the process? Where do you find a suitable coach? I am a great believer in letting a coach’s work speak for itself. Look for an Instructor who is either out competing themselves at a decent level or producing riders successfully. The NCAS system can be a starting point for your search, but don’t be fooled; a piece of paper with some letters on it is no substitute for experience. I would chose a non NCAS coach with tonnes of experience and a list of successful students all day long over a Level III that has never produced anyone!

Next, and quite obviously, you need a trusty partner in crime. A horse preferably with some eventing experience to help save you in those early fumblings when ignorance is bliss! They say, the more that you know about eventing, the more things that can go wrong. Confidence is a vital ingredient in the enjoyment of this sport, so make sure your new found friend is sensible and trainable and well within your comfort zones.

Don’t bite of more than you can chew with your first event horse; err on the side of caution and chose a well proven schoolmaster. Some would say a good schoolmaster is harder to find than a Unicorn, so good luck searching! I do believe there are suitable horses out there but be careful and take an experienced rider with you when you are trying out a new horse.

Unfortunately the really good ones are usually sold word of mouth, so get your name and number out to as many ‘In the know’ people as possible. You can scan the FOR SALE columns, but be warned, there is a lot of second-rate rubbish on the market. You may need to buy a horse with a little bit of age on its side for your first eventer, but as long as you have it thoroughly vetted for any reasons why it would not give you a couple of serviceable years, then age should not be an enormous problem within reason. (Within reason being the operative term, a 22 y.o. is well past its use by date and is nearly ready to push up daisies!) Remember too, that you may lose money on this initial purchase as it will be a couple of years older by the time you are ready to sell it on. Factor in an amount of money that you are prepared to throw away for the experience of learning on a great old timer!

In my experience, a great schoolmaster can really help to make a rider; I sold a lovely old advanced horse once, which at the age of 13 went to a junior rider Vanda Morgan. She came all the way through the Junior ranks on this great old chap and at the ripe old age of 17, (and Vanda was only 18) he came 2nd at the 3* at Gawler 3DE. Vanda has gone on to produce several other tremendously successful eventers and I’m sure she feels she owes a lot to having such a great partner to ease her into the big time.
Your budget will be a guide to the market you can search in, but I’m afraid I subscribe to the good old ‘you pay for what you get’ theory. A well educated, well mannered, serviceably sound, experienced eventer will probably not come cheaper than $7,000 nowadays and the flashier it is the more it will cost.

You would do well to choose something which has already competed at a level higher than you are planning to go to with this first purchase, for example at least Pre-Novice or Grade 1 Pony Club would be ideal. You can trade this one in at some point if you feel you have outgrown him and the flashy new updated model can follow on later in your illustrious career!

With your diary freed up, your mentor chosen and your trusty new four-legged friend by your side, you are now ready to embark on your newfound pursuit. Remember that first and foremost this is a hobby, and it should remain fun at all times, try never to lose sight of that. (Hard I know, after 40 minutes of sitting trot with no stirrups, a stitch and a very sore bum!)

The first few weeks will involve getting to know each other, building up you and your horse’s fitness and starting to work on a regular basis with your chosen coach. A lesson once a week is sufficient for now but try not to leave it any longer than that, as misunderstandings and developing bad habits are common in these early stages.

Presuming you have some previous riding experience, your coach will probably spend the first few months on the flat sorting out your position, balance, communication and control of the horse. This may seem a little boring but stick with it as a solid understanding of dressage is the foundation of all your new skills to come. Practice as often as you can but be wary of drilling your poor horse to the point that he gets sour and fed up. If you have access to hacking or rides out away from the arena then do this at least once a week or so, you can still concentrate on your balance and position while he enjoys the change of scenery!

A valuable way to learn is to watch the experts, so get yourself a copy of your State eventing handbook and find out where and when you local events are. We are so lucky here to have such depth of talent Australia wide, and I’m sure a visit to your local One Day Event will not only be educational but also fill you with enthusiasm and desire to get out there and have a go. Set some goals and plan which events you would love to ride at the following year. There is also plenty of literature available around about eventing and many educational videos. Beg, steal or borrow these and start to develop your own critical eye of what works and what went wrong. Don’t watch too many “Fall after Fall” videos just yet as although quite amusing, we don’t need to freak you out just yet!

In the next few articles we will talk through all the basics of evening, fitness including a training programme, saddlery and equipment and all the choices available, and finally your first competition and the preparation leading up to it.

Having now purchased our trusty schoolmaster, chosen our coach and hopefully started on our way to getting to know our new friend, we need to start setting ourselves some goals. Depending on the time of year, there are several options of where we should go for our first big outing!

In the winter most States have many little unofficial Dressage shows, Freshmans Show Jumping days and XC training schools. During the warmer months there are plenty of EFA competitions that run Preliminary and Introductory One Day Events.
Scan your local country paper and/or your Horse Trials Handbook for what is out there and pick a show you would like to aim for. Remember most ODE’s require you to enter several weeks in advance so pay particular attention to the close of entries date. Try and enter in plenty of time as poor event organisers have major panic attacks when we all send our entries in the day before the closing date.

Check to see if you have to be a member of the EFA (Equestrian Federation of Australia) or the ARC (Adult Riding Club) for your chosen event as some events you do and others you don’t depending on the organising body. If you have a good local Riding Club then it is probably worth joining as this will give you access to a lot more competitions, however be prepared to go through a fairly lengthy process of being graded before you are allowed to actually compete. This is purely to make sure you are competing in the grade most suitable to your capabilities.

Most clubs also expect you to turn up each month to rallies, so make sure that you can fit that into your busy social calendar. Obviously this will give you access to other coaches and at this stage you should be able to gain a little knowledge from most teachers but be careful not to get confused, if there is something you don’t understand or something that differs from the way your own coach has taught you, then make sure you discuss it in detail. Your personal coach will be happy to help sort out your confusion, remember there are many ways to skin a cat!

The main reason to go to rallies is to get out and gain as much valuable experience as possible. Loading your horse on the float, towing and all the joys of learning to back a trailer are all lessons you need to learn to make your day at your first ODE as stress free as possible.

If you choose a Freshmans Show Jumping day as your first outing then you need not enter in advance. You just show up at the required time, buy a ticket for each round and put your name down on the board, which has the running order. Most of these competitions start with the lowest height and work their way up, so I would be getting there as early as possible so you can do a nice low course for your first go. If all goes to plan and there are not too many hiccups then you can hang around and attempt the next height. Most organisers are very sympathetic to people with L-plates and will be happy to lower any obstacles you are having trouble with.

In a perfect world it would be nice if your coach could be with you to help out at your first show, but they are busy professionals so this may not always be possible, but there is no harm in asking if you can have your next lesson at the show. They may have some young horses they want to school and can kill two birds with one stone.

If you have chosen an unofficial Dressage show as your first outing then there is a little bit more preparation required. The dreaded PLAITING of the mane must occur. If you are a girl then you will find this relatively easy, as at some point in life you will have played with either your own or some girlfriend’s long hair. If you are a guy then you are in trouble! In my experience most guys are slightly lacking in talent in this department, a bit like ironing or washing up, a skill they have deliberately declined to learn or practice for obvious reasons! Have someone help you first time with your plaits and show you how to do it and I promise they will improve with practice. Make sure your horse’s mane is not too long or thick as you inevitably ends up with the golf ball plaits, not a good look!

Why plait at all I hear you ask, well Dressage judges (who by the way are a breed of their own!) need to think that we have made an effort to present ourselves in the neatest possible way and for centuries this has included plaiting. Wouldn’t we all love to find the guy who came up with this top idea in the first place!

Now you can get up at the crack of dawn and plait up, or if you are not a good morning person do it the night before, but make sure you put a neck rug or hood on your horse to cover the plaits or they will look very shabby by the morning. 24 hours is about the maximum time I would leave plaits in as they do become very itchy and uncomfortable for the horses after that.

I have heard stories of guys who’s significant other’s have done their plaits before they leave for a three day event and have kept the same plaits in all week, convenient I’m sure, but very mean to your pony!

The final type of competition you could choose is a proper ODE. This may possibly be a bit much to bite off for your first outing as there is so much to pack and so much to remember when you get there, but if you do chose a ODE there is an important issue to consider. Is your horse fit enough? A ODE requires a much greater level of fitness as you will be on board at least three times for lengthy periods and the XC phase takes quite a bit out of them.

If you have managed to ride five times a week then your horse should be OK but it would certainly be worth doing a little fast work in the lead up few weeks. By fast work I mean cantering your horse off his back for short periods of time to replicate what you will have to do on the XC phase. It will also improve your balance and stamina in forward position, which will help you on the day.

One fast workday a week will suffice for Training level eventing, find yourself a suitable place to canter. A proper racehorse training track is fantastic but a luxury most of us don’t have, you will find timing a problem as most trainers like to maintain their tracks during the day as their own horses will have all worked in the early hours of the morning. A large paddock is also suitable if the going is ok; try not to canter on muddy or shifting ground or the opposite, rock hard ground.

Keeping an event horse sound is something we will keep for a later article but it is very important to canter on a good even surface, a gentle slope is fine but not too steep as anything you canter up you have obviously to come back down. On your fast workday give your horse a good half hour warm up in trot, and then depending on his existing level of fitness, you need to build him up to about three X four-minute canters.

I’ve chosen four minutes, as that is about how long your XC phase will take at your ODE. In between your four minute canters you will need to leave three minutes for your horse to recover but be prepared to take longer if he is still not fully recovered in that time. Watch his sides to see how he is breathing and if he is puffing really hard wait a while longer. The speed to travel is important, you should be going at 450 metres a minute, now that may sound a bit technical bearing in mind your horse doesn’t have a speedo but in reality it is just a notch above working canter, more like a forward show jump canter. You can measure out an area if you want to get really clever, say 900 metres, just drive around and use your car speedo, that should take you exactly 2 minutes when on horseback. Two laps around will complete each four minute canter, repeat that two more times with your three minute gaps and hey presto, you are an eventing fitness whiz!

WHERE TO GO
In Victoria, I would recommend these three Introductory or Preliminary events: Wandin – Victoria’s premiere event with a fantastic separate training course out the back, including mini versions of all the challenges you will meet in the harder grades. Yarra Glen and Lilydale – Great friendly event with inviting, well built obstacles. Designed by Wayne Copping and over undulating terrain. Needs a relatively fit horse.

Wangaratta – A fair drive from Melbourne but always worth the effort. Good hard working committee who always make you feel welcome. A fun event to camp and yard horses at. Weather usually lovely and a nice kind course for the first event of the season.

Niki Chapman selects her fab three in Queensland:
Kooralbyn – one hour form Brisbane or the Gold Coasts via Beaudesert. Goondiwindi – five hours from Brisbane. Warwick – two and a half hours from Brisbane. These three events have excellent facilities for both horse and rider. All have friendly, enthusiastic committees, but most importantly they are wonderful events with good level dressage arenas and ample warm up areas. They all provide well built and inviting cross country courses, that offer a wide variety of fences (the courses are not just log after log…) Goondiwindi does not have an intro course but the prelim is very inviting. The showjumping tracks at all these events are always very well designed – we are lucky to have Derek and Rita Dobson in Queensland.

Gill Rolton has a favourite five list of good start out courses in South Australia:
Early in the season – Jupiter Creek, Echunga
Mid season – Grand Cru, Mt Pleasant
May – Reynella – and in October, Reynella 2, and Wirrinna Cove on the South Coast.
All are up to height for each grade, but are well built with relatively good going. For a great fun event to camp at, nothing beats Waikerie in the Riverland on the Adelaide Cup Weekend – as long as it doesn’t rain!

In NSW, Shane Rose is our resident expert and he likes these few events:
Close to Sydney there are two suitable start up events. Macarthur which runs several events a year and Sydney (held at S.I.E.C) which also has multiple events. Both have great first start courses and a friendly atmosphere.

North of Sydney Dungog would be the best pick, nice friendly committee who will make you feel welcome as a newcomer.

South of Sydney Worrigee One Day Event is a must. Good Intro and Prelim track that is pretty straight forward on flat terrain with a dynamic bunch of organisers who will make sure you have a great day.

And in Western Australia Fiona Gerrard selects her best three events:
Brookleigh is centrally located only an hour from Perth and is a nice first run, relatively flat going with a not too testing course.

Woroloo is located in the Darling Ranges and is about 1 hour from Perth. A well constructed Wayne Copping course that will provide heaps of confidence for those starting out. The track includes lots of mini versions of more senior fences, great for educating both horse and rider.

Capel is built on a fantastic all weather sandy surface great in all seasons. They run two events a year and although a good three hour drive from Perth, a worth while drive for your trusty supporters as you can see nearly every fence on the course from one vantage point.

All your hard work and preparation for your first proper One Day Event is nearly complete and this month we will put together an all-important checklist to help you plan a smooth debut.

Four weeks before the big day, enter your chosen event and book stabling and accommodation. The relevant information should be available in your Horse Trials Handbook or on the entry form. Some events may be just for the day but most require an overnight stay. Check the close-of-entry date well in advance to avoid disappointment, as most events will not accept late entries. Check all your gear for any repairs that need doing, remember you will undergo a gear check at the event and stirrup leathers and reins must not have worn stitching.

Two weeks before check your horse’s shoes, a nice fresh set of new shoes with stud holes would be great, as studs may be required depending on the ground conditions at your event. Book in your farrier for early in the week leading up to the event, always avoid shoeing the day before just in case your horse is a little uncomfortable in his new set.

Organise a couple of extra lessons with your coach: a cross-country schooling session would be very valuable the week before to iron out any bumps. A dressage lesson where you can run through your test is also a very good idea, hopefully by now you will know your test off by heart.

Remember eventing tests cannot be called; you must perform it from memory. There are several clever ways to learn them, doodle them on paper or on a purpose-designed wipe off pad with the arena marked out. (Available in most tack shops) Another option is to mark out your kitchen floor with paper letters secured by any useful object available like soup cans or tins of baked beans! You then proceed to dance around them tracing out your test hoping that none of your neighbours can see in and think you’ve gone potty! At this point I always find the dog joins in and it all ends in disaster with pieces of paper and bean cans everywhere!
Try and see if your coach can set up a whole course of show jumps for you in a lesson so you are familiar with finding your way around the many twists and turns.

One week before check you have enough feed and some hay available to take with you to the event. Your horse will spend a significant amount of time hanging around either in a yard or tied to the float, some nice hay is a great way of keeping him amused and more importantly keeping you in the good books! Remember he will be missing out on his normal grazing time so hay is a useful substitute for his bulk intake.

I always pack some molasses, as I have found not all horses will drink strange water when they are away from home. It is vital to their well being that they don’t get dehydrated so a little molasses in the water often sweetens it and does the trick to get them drinking again. Give him a couple molasses drinks at home and he’ll soon look forward to his treat.

Do a washing check on your show gear, are your white saddle blankets clean and your show jumping and XC boots clean and ready to go? Some basic checks regarding your float are best done the week before, if hiring one book it in advance and check to see if you require electric brakes on your car. Most modern floats do require them as a safety measure and it is a relatively simple and cheap option to have them fitted to your car. If borrowing one check your car and the float are compatible, there a couple of different electric fittings and occasionally the chains are not quite long enough.

Also in the lead up week I like to do any trimming up that is required. You may wish to pull or neaten up your horse’s tail, trim his fetlock hair and any unsightly whiskers that are sticking out of his chin and ears. Be careful you can get a little carried away trimming, God put most of that hair on your horse for a reason so beware of making him look like a skinned cat, but a little less like a bush pig would be nice!

The day before is always a busy one, make sure you have left ample time to ride, wash, plait, clean your tack and load the car and float and pack your own riding gear. I love to have everything organised the night before so I can just get up on the morning of the event and load my trusty horse up and get going. Sometimes it is nice to stable your horse the night before you go, this will keep him clean and tidy and save time in the morning. Beware that the occasional horse becomes uncharacteristically wild after a night of solitary confinement so make sure you have practiced it once before, some also get very unsettled inside if they are not used to it, so play that one by ear. Another time saving trick is to plug your stud holes the day before, this will allow you to avoid wrestling with dodgy dirty feet on the big day. A piece of cotton wool dipped in Vaseline will push easily into a clean stud hole with a clench (horse shoe nail) and can be quickly and efficiently removed the next day as you need it. Studs should never be put in the day before as the horses can cut their elbows when lying down or badly rip up the rubber on the floor of your float or truck.
As a summary I will now provide a checklist for your first event and don’t forget to enjoy yourself!

Four Weeks Before:
* Enter event.
* Book stabling and Accommodation.
* Check gear for repairs.
* Two Weeks Before:
* Book farrier – stud holes.
* XC school with coach.
* Ride a Show Jump course in lesson.

One Week Before:
* Learn Dressage test and practice in a lesson.
* Order feed and hay.
* Clean show whites.
* Clean XC boots etc.
* Trim hairy bits!
* Organise float and check compatibility.

The Day before:
* Ride.
* Wash.
* Plait.
* Clean gear.
* Plug stud holes.
* Stable horse if suitable.
* Pack clothes in car.
* Pack car and float with gear including:
* Saddles, bridles, girths, breastplate, boots etc.
* Feed and feed bin.
* Hay and net.
* Change of rugs (prepare for all weather)
* Competition whites. (Saddle blankets, boots and bandages)
* Grooming kit.
* Stud box.
* Hoof grease.
* Whip/spurs.
* Bridle number set.
* Bandages and wraps for on the way home to ease tired legs.
* Ice tight/Swell down.
* Medical kit for horse and rider.
* Buckets for water (2)
* Washing bucket, sponge and scraper.
* Medical armband.
* XC back number holder.
* EFA documentation if required.
* Times and info with number etc.
* Horse Trials Handbook.

Happy Eventing…
Sharon Ridgway

There are those who call her the Hebridean Hurricane, since Sharon is never anything less than full on. If you’ve spent any time on the Australian eventing circuit, the chances are you have seen her (or more likely heard her – Sharon’s ability to keep the flow of words flowing is legendary). Sharon grew up on the Orkney Islands, but established her sound basis in horsemanship working for 5 years at the famous Yorkshire Riding School, where she accompanied Christopher and Jane Bartle to major international competitions in Europe. After migrating to Australia, Sharon produced a number of Advanced eventers, and placed third at Britain’s prestigious Blenheim *** on Kilkenny Castle. These days, Sharon leaves the three star tracks to the heros, and keeps her hand in bringing on a few select ‘babies’. She is one of Australia’s most successful agents in the business of buying and selling eventing horses and has a large national and international client base.