Love the sport of eventing. Have been involved in it for over 40 years now. My pre-marriage USCTA number was 3 digits. I understand that gaining more sponsorship is great for the sport. I love professionals having earning opportunities from “Faux-Events” showcasing the sport. IMO this is not eventing - nor does it reflect well on our sport.
6 Likes
No one is holding it against the riders…a lot of people in the thread said the riders rode well with what they were presented with. So not sure what you are going on about.
FYI Rolex was the title sponsor and part of their contract was the name…so thats why it was called that.
1 Like
This isn’t fair. Here is someone holding it against the riders:
And I thought the Rolex example is a good one. The argument is the same - Fite Group was a title sponsor and it was part of their contract to have that name be said a lot. The only difference is it’s new, so instead of colloquially referring to the event as “Fite Group” like we did for “Rolex”, announcers still have to work it in.
3 Likes
And another one holding it against the riders.
ETA: @JER - I don’t mean to single you out or be argumentative. I really enjoy whenever you post on any thread because you are so articulate, interesting and thoughtful. I think we just disagree on this particular topic. Sorry if I seem like a snotbag!
3 Likes
We all have our opinions on these things. One person’s ‘showcase’ is another’s ‘bastardization’. 
I would like to know if anyone can cite an actual example of how/when/where one of these portables-in-an-arena classes had any kind of measurable positive effect on the sport of eventing or on the participation in the sport of eventing. Anyone?
These showcases are nothing new. A different version gets rolled out every few seasons, whether it’s the ill-fated Arena Eventing in the UK or the indoor winter melees. None of them are anything even close to eventing.
I’m tired of sport orgs devoting more resources to trying to appeal to people outside the sport than to caring about the people who actually participate in and support the sport.
11 Likes
Therin lies the exact problem!!
5 Likes
I was gifted tickets from a friend who works for a sponsor, so I went in person. It was totally packed - when I arrived to pick up my ticket they were selling standing-room-only spots.
I found the whole thing pretty stressful - the bank was way too small and it’ll take me a while to forget the sound of Dom’s horse colliding with that house. Riding over fixed 1* obstacles like you’re in a pure SJ jump-off is playing with fire from a safety perspective, especially in a ring this small. It’s a testament to the riders and horses that nothing went seriously sideways.
I don’t at all begrudge the riders the opportunity to ride in a cool venue, make some money, and get in front of new clients, owners and sponsors. They are professional athletes trying to make a living and they seemed to be having a great time.
The crowd was super, super into it - I have video of half my section leaping to their feet screaming when Boyd went clear, and after Jennie’s second round people were actually stomping their feet on the bleachers. There was a crowd of folks people watching from the path on the big rock overlooking the ring. My H/J friends and non-horse friends who saw video all thought it was insanely cool.
Speaking of Jennie, I’d never seen her ride in person before and she is an absolute phenom.
6 Likes
So it was fun, the crowds loved, it and we don’t know if this has a positive impact on the sport of eventing or participation in the sport.
Some say that these seem dangerous. What is the accident rate in “arena eventing?” Have there been serious injuries to horses or riders?
This isn’t eventing, no one is saying it is eventing, and it just seems pretty harmless yet fun and engaging. No, I would not go out and buy tickets to watch arena eventing. But is it really hurting anyone or anything? Data?
3 Likes
Call Again Cavalier ridden by Mary King was killed in a similar type - Express Eventing http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/equestrianism/3539236/Mary-Kings-heartache-as-Olympic-horse-Call-Again-Cavalier-is-put-down-at-Express-Event-Equestrianism.html
5 Likes
When destination venues like Richland Park are quitting eventing because the USEA/USEF/FEI aren’t allowing them to expand the offerings. And you see expansion of arena eventing where there are sponsors and $$$$. It certainly appears that it’s a conscious effort by the PTB to steer the athletes to arena eventing. I hear the arena eventing was packed. I watched 90 mins of the jumpers last night - and it didn’t look 1/2 full, but it was hard to see. I think it’s a huge threat to eventing as we know it. We’ve heard talk for years about how to make eventing more spectator friendly…think maybe someone figured that out. drop the dressage and do it in a stadium.
4 Likes
Just can’t seem to wrap my brain around the term “arena eventing”. It’s in an arena, but it’s not eventing.
4 Likes
That was horrible - in 2008, actually, and more than 2/3 of the horses failed to make it around the course. This seems a far cry from arena eventing where eliminations seem far less likely. I am not saying that arena eventing is safe, but I just haven’t seen evidence to the contrary.
I also do not think that this is a deliberate attempt by powerful others to steer us to arena eventing. Arena eventing is not new yet the entries in horse trials and the number of horse trials are not in decline. I love doing the Derbies at Loch Moy in the winter but I certainly do not intend that these fun diversions take the place of horse trials.
2 Likes
What freaks me out is seeing these new arena events, and then seeing how the freakin AECs thought that putting BN and Novice inside a Derby field…sure you can claim TIEC is (still) somehow not ready to put those levels on a real XC course, but I don’t think they ever intend to. I see trickle down and I don’t like it.
7 Likes
I just cannot make myself like this on any level. Maybe it is just me, but it gives me the heebie jeebies to see horses and riders charging at these SOLID obstacles in show jumping fashion. Just seems to fly in the face of everything it stands for. And I get it, this is not eventing, but for pity’s sake, take out those solid obstacles. Sheesh.
4 Likes
The AEC’s BN and N freaked me out too! I hope they learn their lesson this year as the response has been really negative and I doubt Tryon will have the entries in the future unless they can guarantee a real cross country course for all. But the fact that the reviews have been so negative means that no one is willing to consider arena eventing as a replacement for horse trials.
2 Likes
Winding Dow, you’re being willfully blind or gaslighting us, I can’t tell which. The Derbies at Loch Moy don’t offer $50,000 prize money. Do you understand the concept of "if you build it (i.e. prize money) people will come? Bellissimo is already talking about a 3 leg series of this nonsense-how many more existing eventing weekend events will that conflict with? No one is offering up prize money that exceeds all but our most important events to be a fun complimentary side show. They’re aiming to replace the sport. And if you can’t see how a jumpoff over fixed obstacles at 1 star height is dangerous and ill advised, I don’t know what to tell you. People liked it because there were multiple instances each round where it seemed like the horse and rider were going to faceplant. It was incredibly unfair to the horses. What is that selling?
5 Likes
Agreed. To make it worse, the commentary seemed to suggest this was all about speed and thrills to liven up the crowd. When Clayton almost went lawn dart after running his horse at the first fence, for once I was hoping he’d come up just to make the point that this is just plain reckless. It’s not fair to horses who have been trained to do this type of jumping in a large open space. Not once did the commentators speak about properly balancing the horses or any talk of safety. Just lots of praising of speed, speed, speed. Why did we spend all these years trying to make the sport more safe only to turn around and create an event that encourages recklessness? I feel badly for these horses having to haul around that tiny arena with people shouting all around them, when they are used to stadium jumping to a pin dropping silent crowd.
When I played fast pitch softball, they didn’t let play slow pitch in our spare time because it threw our timing off. I wonder if this same thing will happen to either horses or riders as a result of this new circus act.
2 Likes
NCRide, Why don’t we check back on the status of this new sport in about 5 years and see if your doomsday “repeal and replace” Horse Trials, really occurs. I really don’t think that arena eventing will be absorbed into the USEA or FEI as a form of eventing. So… I call your bluff, with my 20/20 vision. LOL.
“If you build it, they will come” made a fun movie but we are discussing predictions of real events and not fiction.
I’ve known plenty of Bellisimmo’s in other domains and they come and go, usually losing interest when the novelty of their playgrounds wears off. I’ve neither seen nor heard any discussion about changing the sport from horse trials to arena eventing.
I really don’t think the sky is falling on our sport.
1 Like
And this arena BS at the AECs has gone on for two years in a row now. It’s the eventing equivalent of Marie Antoinette’s ‘let them eat cake’.
That the USEA finds this an acceptable or tolerable situation is quite indicative of how they really feel about their grassroots.
The USEA should be put out of the HT organizing business and the AECs should be abolished. This is not an acceptable mission for the organization.
3 Likes
Well it’s been 9 years since that death about 5 years ago we had the Royal Winter Fair, now we have Ocala, Devon, Central Park…so YES, it is growing here. No one is asking for it, its being done and offered only to a select few. In 5 years my guess is the CCI is rare and almost dead.
Entries are at record lows for events
Horses and people are dying all the time
courses are being built in one field and looking like glorified derby courses.
Pros are getting injured severely at least once a year. A rider hardly makes it two years without serious injury now
There is more money in these side shows than the big events.
I would say that yes, the sky might be falling, at least a little bit. But if you are into this type of thing, then of course you won’t think that.
1 Like
