I feel like half a million people are yelling that eventing is bad, and there are a handful of riders saying it’s not the sport that’s the problem – it’s the individuals in it. But we’re whispering, and we’re not being heard. Every second article you read says we need to change the sport of eventing. We’ve got to make it safer. And I agree wholeheartedly – but I’m not convinced that it is entirely the sport that needs to change, it’s the way the sport is played. You can’t make enough rules to force somebody to think. And no matter how well you train officials – it seems to be impossible to teach them what ACTUALLY constitutes horse welfare, or what produces safer sport. I’m not sure we even have the answers yet.
What makes a rider want to pull up when things are not going well, rather than just press on and see what happens? Is it the knowledge of falls before them? Perhaps having experienced a bad fall previously? The knowledge of their horse not being quite fit enough or a lurking injury? Or perhaps they are frightened that an official will accuse them of abuse or dangerous riding. I guarantee you former Event Riders’ Association (ERA) president Francis Whittington’s decision to pull up Easy Target at the huntsman’s close during the cross-country at Badminton Horse Trials in 2014 while in a very competitive position was based on an understanding of his horse and the sport. He was aware that his horse was tiring, and that continuing on a tired horse would increase the risks of falls and injuries. He didn’t do it because he was scared of an official or a rule. He didn’t do it for fun or publicity. He did it through horsemanship and common sense, despite the potential pay cheque, or Olympic berth, had he continued without fault. That was the best piece of horsemanship I’ve seen in a long time.
What makes a rider want to pull up when things are not going well, rather than just press on and see what happens? Is it the knowledge of falls before them? Perhaps having experienced a bad fall previously? The knowledge of their horse not being quite fit enough or a lurking injury? Or perhaps they are frightened that an official will accuse them of abuse or dangerous riding. I guarantee you former Event Riders’ Association (ERA) president Francis Whittington’s decision to pull up Easy Target at the huntsman’s close during the cross-country at Badminton Horse Trials in 2014 while in a very competitive position was based on an understanding of his horse and the sport. He was aware that his horse was tiring, and that continuing on a tired horse would increase the risks of falls and injuries. He didn’t do it because he was scared of an official or a rule. He didn’t do it for fun or publicity. He did it through horsemanship and common sense, despite the potential pay cheque, or Olympic berth, had he continued without fault. That was the best piece of horsemanship I’ve seen in a long time.