Express Eventing, Good Intentions, Bad Idea

By Nicole A. Musmanno

On November 30th the Inaugural Express Eventing International Cup was held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. It was a joint endeavor with the British Eventing Association. Designed to showcase a “fast-paced, glamorous new format for the sport” (“Revolutionary equestrian event unveiled”) and create a more spectator friendly environment complete with all the bells and whistles of typical “stadium” events. Early predictions and statements had riders and organizers extremely happy and excited for this format, a chance to revamp an already revamped sport to make it more appealing to the masses.

The original hope was to introduce Eventing to a broader public, generate larger spectator following and create sponsorship revenue. However, following the event, there was a different tone set with eleven out nineteen horses eliminated and the loss of one of the world’s top Event horses. Mary King’s Olympic mount, Call Again Cavalier fell during the cross-country phase of the competition and was later euthanized for a fractured femur. King was obviously mournful.

Was this the introduction to the public we wanted for our sport? This current format nowhere close to resembles Eventing except in name. It calls for a “freestyle” dressage test, judged on accuracy and artistic interpretation, followed by a condensed stadium, pit stop for a tack change and off to cross-country. The idea, take three days worth of competition and cram it into a half a day.

Problem 1:
All the powers in the universe have not figured out how to make three days into one half. Should Eventing organizations be tampering with such things? Though many of us would like to cram as much as we could into one day to be more “efficient” it does not belong in Eventing. That is unless, Eventing is looking for a more “efficient” way to injure horses and riders, and hastily destroy itself.

What is the biggest danger discussed lately in Eventing with regards to accidents? SPEED! Yet, organizers thought it best to “speed” up the format, as it were, in order to condense it, in order to make it more “sellable” to the rapidly decreasing attention span of the general public. What that is saying is that people will not watch something that follows a three day format, or that they cannot be bothered to watch something that takes all day. Is not Baseball America’s favorite past time? Many in the public have sat through eleven or more innings, into the wee hours of the morning, to see their favorite team triumph. If the public is properly motivated or educated, they will lengthen their attention span and watch.

Problem 2:
Has the stress of a “quick costume change” on horses been evaluated or tested? Anyone in theatre, professional or amateur, can attest to the stress of a quick costume change. Often multiple people flying around, stumbling over each other, a few swear words flung about, and several bobby pins stuck not too comfortably into place. Meanwhile the “actor/actress” stands there trying not to flinch and disturb the motion of events taking place around them. Then they are thrust back on stage, requiring of them to look as though the last thirty seconds in the wings was not a completely flustering experience.

An actor sits back and says, “My job, I did this to myself and I love the heat of the lights.” A horse might view this scene a bit differently. Consider that most Event horses tend to be a bit high-strung by nature. They know their job. They love their job, we hope. But it is not a relaxing job. If it were relaxing ulcers medications for horses would not be in high demand. This new format takes an already stressful situation and amps it up by 250%. Horses stand there while people move around them at warp speed to get them to the next phase. Then they are trotted out to the spotlight and told to perform as they would have had all this activity happened over the usual three day format, but remember, it is a half day. The best performer in the world would have rattled nerves and their performance could/would invariably suffer.

Problem 3:
Astro Turf. Since when is it a good idea to put an animal that is absolutely conditioned to the natural terrain of its environment on artificial turf? Did anyone test the effects on a horse performing at speed on Astro Turf? In fact, could not the change in footing even effect the movement of a horse in the dressage phase? Football players can tell the difference of their performance on artificial versus natural grass. This being said, horses would invariably feel the difference and since none have been trained on it, they, unlike a human athlete, would not know how to adjust to the change.

We have no idea how the change in footing affects horses galloping at speed or performing the extended trot, but it was attempted regardless. Untested variables, tested in front of the public equals eleven horses eliminated out of nineteen.

Amateurs Humble Opinion:
Compiling the effects of the rapidity at which Express Eventing takes place, the quick costume change and the unfamiliar “footing”, there is reason to consider that while the intentions were well placed, the outcome was disappointing at best, and very sad. Eventing does need to explore how to generate more spectators. However, Eventing would be better served to educate the public through public outreach and perhaps host exhibitions where multiple horses perform individual tasks, not one horse doing everything in a half day. These could be held during multi-disciplined shows and club functions, held at horse parks or facilities that also have a cross-country course.

A sport that seems to show a need for individual glory at the expense of another creature will never sell well to the public; this is not the Age of Rome and Gladiators. Eventing is beautifully athletic with an adrenaline rush. This is what needs to be marketed, not the “spectacle” but the “spectacle of athleticism”. Admittedly Eventing is hard to market because it takes place over multiple days, though there are one day shows, and is spread out over large areas of land. That is the nature of the sport; nature cannot be changed without dramatic, often disastrous, results. While human triathlons take place in one day, we cannot in good conscience ask the same of our horses in a fast-paced, condensed format, without knowing the effects on their mental and physical status. We are already asking enough of their courage, stamina and friendship.

The biggest draw, spectator pull and perhaps the biggest problem facing Eventing is the cross-country phase. Yet this above all phases cannot be bastardized to attract the masses. Cross-country by definition is to cross the country side. Since when is the countryside covered in Astro Turf and a dome with seating for 50,000? We should not pave the paradise aspects of our sport in order to perform it in a parking lot for the general public. The public will take interest, for the right reasons, if we take the time to build the public relations and education required to enjoy the sport. If we “build it, they will come”, but we must build it with the welfare of the horse in sport in mind, not the bottom-line.

Sources:
“Revolutionary equestrian event unveiled”. Express Eventing. August 28, 2008.
December 10, 2008. http://www.eeicup.com/20080828news.asp.

Additional Information:

http://www.useventing.com/

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/article5263579.ece

http://www.chronofhorse.com/index.phpcat=40511032791602&News_ID=1210112084553076