Eventing

horses · sports · skill · competition

Three riding challenges. Eventers compete in dressage (precise, dance-like movements), cross-country (galloping over outdoor obstacles), and show jumping (leaping over indoor fences). Each discipline tests different skills, so the best eventers must be well-rounded riders.

One or four days. A one-day event (ODE) packs all three disciplines into a single day, while a three-day event (3DE) now typically spreads over four days, with dressage first, cross-country second, and show jumping last.

Born from cavalry training. Eventing started as a test for cavalry soldiers who needed to ride well in many different situations. The sport kept that tradition of testing complete riding skill.

Same horse wins all three. The same horse and rider combination must compete in every single phase. You cannot swap horses or riders partway through, so trust and teamwork between horse and person is everything.

Also called Combined Training. Eventing used to go by the name Combined Training, and many smaller competitions still use that name. Sometimes people mix it up with 'Combined Test,' which is just two disciplines instead of three.