POINT OF VIEW T
By Amber Heintzberger
DX Eventing: The Way Forward for Eventers? JB: Jennie Brannigan is a four-star level eventing com-
he sport of eventing is composed of distinctly different phases: dressage, cross-country and show jumping. The long format, which used to be the pinnacle of the sport but
now exists only at Training level three-day events, includes an en- durance phase, adding roads and tracks and steeplechase to the cross-country phase. The United States Eventing Association (USEA) has established
a task force to develop a proposal for a new recognized competi- tion/test which would consist of two phases: dressage and a hybrid of show jumping and cross-country. A number of names for this proposed competition have been debated, but DX Eventing (DX for Dressage and a crossing, X, of cross-country and show jumping) is the current title. At the USEA Annual Convention in Washington, DC in Decem-
ber, the idea was “tabled” and there was no vote on the subject. But still, the seed has been planted and there are plenty of opinions and controversy surrounding its potential implementation. In fact, some U.S. events have already featured hybrid compe-
titions, such as the Wellington Eventing Showcase and the Event Derby created by Wendy Wergeles in California. These are meant to demonstrate the sport of eventing and hopefully attract new par- ticipants and supporters to the sport. The USEA Young Event Horse Program features a hybrid jumping section that incorporates both show jumping and cross-country obstacles as a part of the compe- tition, as does the New Event Horse Program. While the USEA offers organizers the option to register Com-
bined Tests (CT) with the association, those competitions only consist of dressage followed by show jumping, thus excluding the cross-country phase altogether. In their ongoing efforts to make the sport as inclusive as pos-
sible, the USEA is looking into whether DX Eventing could be a worthwhile option. We talked to the following eventing enthusi- asts to get their take on this potential new format:
Q: Is there a need for a new format in eventing? WW: I think they’ve got to do something. There’s a bigger
population all the time but it doesn’t seem like our numbers in membership are growing like they should. I started doing these 20 years ago when I was living in Las Vegas because outside of the event I organized, distances were five hours, eight hours to Coconino, 12 to Wild Horse, and we needed something to work on our skills. I can’t find a downside to it. It’s a friendly way for riders to get involved and try the sport. I typically have Saturday as a clinic day so people can school
petitor with a talented string of horses. At the 2015 Young Event Horse Championship at the Fair Hill International Three Day Event, Jennie and Nina Gardner’s Luna (by San- dro Hit out of Maisie Grey) took home the top prize with a total weekend score of 78.39. In 2015 Jennie and Cambalda participated in the inaugural $50,000 Wellington Eventing Showcase, placing fourth out of a seasoned field of competi- tors. Jennie will also be riding in the 2016 Wellington Event- ing Showcase. Jennie is currently based in Ocala, Florida.
WW: For the past 20 years Wendy Wergeles has been
organizing the Event Derby, first in Las Vegas and later in Southern California, in the same format as the proposed DX Eventing. In the jumping test at the Event Derby, there are typically 12 to 22 obstacles, often including banks, ditches and water, on varied terrain. Courses are approximately two minutes long. She is a member of the USEA Strategic Plan- ning Committee for DX Eventing.
BM: Adult amateur eventer Barbara Miller lives in
Maryland and is an attorney. She grew up riding hunter/ jumpers in Connecticut and started eventing after grad school. She’s currently competing Training level on a green horse that she bought a few years ago.
DB: Daniel Brown and his wife Lara Anderson own Full
Gallop Farm in Aiken, South Carolina, where they host horse trials, schooling events and U.S. Eventing Team High Perfor- mance Training Sessions. Daniel is both a rider and a course builder.
around the course they’re going to compete over, and I of- fer a dressage clinic—everyone has the option of doing this so if they’ve never tried eventing before they have an easy introduction. DB: First off, I would say that traditional eventing is al-
ready gone. I would completely agree with both Denny Em- erson’s and Lucinda Green’s takes that eventing now is an en- tirely different sport than when it originated. I would also say that there are both good and bad things about that: the good being that without roads and tracks, smaller farms that had
Warmbloods Today 45
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100