Eventing

Maarsbergen Horse Trials is an international top-level equestrian event in the discipline of eventing. Eventing is the triathlon of equestrian sport and therefore its most complete form. It originated in the days when horses were used in the army: military competitions were held to strengthen the bond between horse and rider and to improve the rider’s skills. The military is the forerunner of eventing. A modern eventing competition combines a dressage test, a classic show jumping course and a cross-country course. The rider rides the same horse in all three phases, spread over several days. This ultimate challenge demands stamina, courage and trust, which only come from a strong bond between the rider and a well-trained horse.

The levels indicate the difficulty of the tests and courses. Eventing has five international levels, shown by stars: the lowest international level is 1* and the highest is 5*.

There are also two formats: a short (S) and a long (L) format. The difference is the length of the cross country and the order of the phases. In the short format (S) the order is dressage, show jumping and cross country. In the long format (L) the order is dressage, cross country, show jumping, with an extra veterinary inspection before the dressage and another the day after the cross country, before the show jumping.

A combination must first earn qualification results at a lower level in the short format. The progression in levels and formats is therefore: 1*, 2*-S, 2*-L, 3*-S, 3*-L, 4*-S, 4*-L and 5*.

The course designer of Maarsbergen Horse Trials is Briton Eric Winter, a well-known name in the eventing world. Eric started out as a show jumper (competing at the Horse of the Year Show and Hickstead, among others). In 1986 he turned to eventing. In 1989 and 1990 he rode at Badminton and Burghley, and he represented Great Britain several times as a team rider. After his riding career Eric focused on designing cross-country courses.

Eric has designed many courses, including the Asian Games, the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials and ten times the cross country of the Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials. He was Technical Delegate (TD) of the Badminton Horse Trials from 2011 to 2014. In 2016 Eric was asked to become course designer of the Badminton Horse Trials. This CCI5*, together with the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event and the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, makes up the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing.

Together with his wife Lizzel, Eric runs the Severnvale Equestrian Centre: a busy training centre with more than 50 horses where lessons are given at every level, from children starting to ride to event riders at CCI5* level.

Eric Winter uses his experience to improve safety in eventing. He is a member of the British Eventing Cross Country Safety Advisory Group, a course designer and Technical Delegate (TD) for the FEI, and an A-list course builder and Technical Advisor (TA) for British Eventing.

Depending on the level, the cross country usually has 25 to 45 fixed fences such as logs, woodpiles, steps up and down, water complexes and ditches. The levels differ in the size and number of fences on the course. At Maarsbergen Horse Trials the 1* is the lowest class, with the lowest and fewest fences; the 4* is the highest class, with the highest and most fences.

Our building team consists of enthusiastic volunteers who, led by Aert van der Goes, roll up their sleeves on one of the many work days to build beautiful fences. We are helped by Briton Dominic Moore of Jump 1 Equestrian Construction, a colleague of our course designer Eric Winter.