Eventing for Beginners: Expert Advice for Getting Started in Eventing

Article: Anna Sharpley.

With the Paris Olympics looming later this year, sporting fans are thinking of a possible medal tally. Swimming for sure and also eventing for sure, as Australia has had a wonderful track record in this tough three-phase event. No other country has managed the hat trick of Team Gold Medals won by Australia at Barcelona in 1992, Atlanta in 1996 and Sydney in 2000. We won our first Eventing Team and Individual Gold Medal way back in 1960, and at Tokyo in 2021, we won a Silver Team Medal, and veteran Andrew Hoy took out Individual Bronze. This success has led to a lot of interest in the sport, but how do you get involved, and what do you need to begin your eventing career?

Horse Deals asked the 2008 Beijing Team Silver Medallist, 1996 and 2003 Eventing Rider of the Year, and the 2018 WA Equine Athlete of the Year, Sonja Johnson, to give us a leg up on a burgeoning eventing career.

Sonja had a perfect introduction to eventing, but nowadays, not everyone is so lucky. “When I was young,” begins Sonja, “the property (near Albany in WA) was underdeveloped, and a lot of it could only be mustered on horseback. Because more than one rider was needed, and I have photographic evidence of this, I was riding along shifting cows at four years old. We had a wonderful English lady, Jennifer Lucas (always Mrs Lucas), who farmed down the road. She decided that the local children needed to get to know each other and started the Many Peaks Pony Club. She got me going and convinced my mother to take me eventing. I had success, but it was not because I had a particular talent; it was just that my mother was a wonderful horsewoman and was very good at picking ponies for me.”

What skill level does someone need to have their horse at to safely ride in their first event? How long is a piece of string? How well you have to ride depends on the horse you are sitting on. If you have a great schoolmaster that is concerned about looking after number one, you don’t have to be as established a rider as you do if you have a green or difficult horse. To be safe, you need to be able to stop a horse in open country and control it on a variety of terrains. You need to be able to canter around a 50cm showjumping course, be confident enough to canter over open country, and have control of your horse. It needs to be willing and able to jump a small log or a ditch and go through water. If you can do all that, you should be fine. Remember, EA starts at 60cm, and pony club is a good place to start.

What equipment is required? People think you have to have a dressage saddle and a jumping saddle, but I have had kids compete and win at two star level riding in just a dressage saddle. The EA rule for dressage, which includes the dressage phase of eventing, is that only a dressage or all-purpose saddle can be used. If you only have a showjumping saddle, I can’t imagine a gear checker at the low levels being so pedantic as to pull you up because of your saddle. If indeed you only have one saddle, it is all-purpose.

You must have a tagged, approved helmet, and you must have a Level 3 body protector. It does not have to be flash, but you have to make sure your gear is safe, especially reins, stirrups, and leathers. You must have heeled boots, and you must wear jodhpurs. Your horse has to wear a number. The horse is not required to wear boots.

What memberships are required? EA, PCA and especially in Victoria, the ARC (Adult Riding Clubs) all run events, and you need to be a member of the relevant organisation running the competition. Membership does give you some personal injury insurance cover. Some events run open/unofficial classes for which club membership is not required. However, above your entry fee, you will most likely be required to pay an insurance premium to compete.
What rules do you need to know? The rule book should be compulsory reading for every rider and parent. You need to know the rules relating to the three phases: dressage, cross county, and showjumping; you don’t have to worry about the judges’ and officials’ rules. It is the responsibility of the rider to know the rules.

How do you prepare for your first competition? You need to ensure that you are fit enough and that your horse is fit enough for the level of competition you are in. To prepare, go off and do some pure dressage days and go to showjumping days. If you are competing in an 80cm event, I would like to see that you are really comfortable jumping around 90cm-1m. Make sure you have gone to several cross-country training days with good trainers who will help you with jumping ditches and going through and jumping in and out of water, etc. You need to do the training with a good coach.

What do you do on the day of your first competition? I suggest writing yourself out a really clear timeline. Time to get up, time to plait, time to tack up and what time to be on the horse with enough time to warm up for the relevant phase. Have a real plan for the day. Know that if your dressage test is at 9 am, you need to be on your horse and warming up at 8.30 am, or however long is needed for your horse. Timetable every phase and have a system because the more you have a system, the less you will panic. Also, having a helper on the ground is a real bonus. And remember, proper preparation prevents poor performance.

Nowadays, there are Riders Reps at every event, and they are usually chosen because they are really approachable people. If you are going to walk the course and are not sure of something, don’t be frightened to ask the Rider’s Rep or a senior rider. I know most of the senior riders are always happy to help but don’t ask them as they are just about to enter the competition arena themselves. We are happy to help because we want to see people come into the sport; we want to support them and make sure they have a good time.

What advice can you give during the competition? People assume the top riders don’t get nervous; we do. When you are nervous, don’t feel like an idiot; just work on the theory that everyone else is as well. Some people, when they get nervous, become lethargic, and I have developed games to raise their arousal levels. Others are so revved up they forget to breathe, and I have exercises to teach the people to breathe and lower that arousal level. When I was young, you could not find any information about sports psychology, but nowadays, there is plenty on the internet to help. Just search ways to not feel so nervous in a sporting context.

Just remember, too, that the most important thing about jumping a fence is getting over it. If you manage to get over the fence, preferably on the first attempt, and you land on the other side, still sitting on the horse with his four legs pointing to the ground, give yourself a little pat on the back. Then and only then, think, how can I improve that? If they are not perfect, riders think they are a failure and are hard on themselves. Everyone needs to remember that even today’s best riders like Shane Rose had to start somewhere, and that somewhere is probably just like you.

Competing should be fun, and if things don’t go as planned, there is always another competition, and you learn from every event.

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