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Introduction Books Journals Online Resources |
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| Scope
Introduction Books Journals Online Resources |
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In my hypothetical situation, a rider sees part of the 3-day event portion of the Olympic equestrian teams on television. She is intrigued and goes to her local library to find out more about the sport. In this context, I don't feel it's crucial to give a huge amount of information. I want to direct this person to resources useful to a beginner to the sport, including Web sites for some large regional events she can attend as a spectator, online information about the sport's governing bodies and how to join, magazines that keep up with the national or regional eventing scene, and books to help her develop the necessary skill set for competition. I would like to answer the typical newcomer's questions: What is three-day eventing? Where can I watch upper-level competitions? Can I compete in eventing? What type of horse and equipment do I need? How can I find events and eventing trainers near me?
Three-day eventing is an equestrian sport that developed out of the needs of the cavalry to produce a well-rounded and capable horse/rider team that could go from technical parade maneuvers to long gallops across rough terrain. Now it is an international sport, included in the Olympics and practiced widely in many countries, especially in Europe, North America, and Australia. It consists of three separate tests of the same horse/rider combination: dressage, a series of prescribed movements and figures in an arena; cross-country, a test of galloping over terrain and jumping natural obstacles like ditches, banks, logs, or hedges; and stadium jumping, a course of moveable (and knock-down-able) obstacles in an arena. Levels of competition range from small, simple novice events at the local level to the complex maneuvers and huge obstacles of four-star competition.
LC Subject Headings: three-day event (horsemanship)
Frequently mentioned texts: There are many good books available on eventing and its related disciplines, dressage and showjumping. I will list just a representative sample, written by the most experienced event riders and trainers.
Green, Lucinda. Cross-Country Riding. London: Hamlyn, 1995.This book instructs the reader on jumping various types of cross-country obstacles.
Harris, Susan E. USPC Manuals. New York: Howell Book House, 1995.These manuals are written for the United States Pony Club program of horsemanship. The D level is the most elementary, followed by the C level. The B, HA, and A level book gives upper-level instruction.
O'Connor, Sally. Practical Eventing. Boonsboro, MD: Half-Halt Press, 1998.Written by the mother of one of the greatest American event riders, David O'Connor, this book leads the novice eventer through choosing a horse, preparing for the first event, training for all phases, and conditioning routines for up to Preliminary level competition.
Wofford, James C. Gymnastics: Systematic Training for Jumping Horses. Henley-in-Arden: Compass Equestrian, 2001.This book gives specific jumping exercises to improve the horse systematically and logically. It describes progressively more challenging exercises, how to set them up, and which skills they are designed to develop.
Browsing Areas: Davis Library, SF295.7.B4-but we only have one book on the subject, and it is quite old. I recommend that the researcher start with the online resources and get the books through interlibrary loan. Many of these books are only available from a few different sources, but colleges with equestrian programs, such as Otterbein, Findlay, Lake Erie, and William Woods, may have them. Some tack shops and local eventing organizations also have lending libraries.
Guides, Encyclopedias, and Dictionaries: This topic can be found in encyclopedias under "three-day eventing" but the information is usually very general in nature. No encyclopedias exist exclusively for this sport.
Here I will include not only journals but also a catalog. No blatant
commercialism-the new competitor needs all this gear, and sometimes it's
hard to find. All of these journals (except the catalog) are on the SPORTDiscus
database at the UNC library page. Some, not all, have the full text available. Also,
the US Eventing Association and Chronicle of the Horse Web sites include many of these
articles in full text.
Bit of Britain: Yes, as promised,
it's a catalog. It has everything the
event rider needs, from books to bits. It's educational in that the novice
eventer might look at some of the items and think, What is that? and then
hopefully do some research in some of the other resources. Hint-often
these items can be purchased cheaper in other catalogs, or secondhand
through other event riders. Check the classified sections of the online
resources, e-groups, and local organizations. But the catalog itself is interesting
browsing online at www.bitofbritain.com
Chronicle of the Horse: This weekly magazine is sort of like the
Time or
People magazine of the horsey set. It's primarily east-coast in
scope and
covers news, show results, and other topics related to horse sports,
including eventing. You probably won't find how-to type articles here, but
lots of valuable information on upcoming events and current issues. It
also has a large classified section. See also the online
resources.
Eventing USA: The official publication of the United States
Eventing
Association, this magazine is billed as the only American magazine dealing
exclusively with the event horse and rider. It includes both news and
how-to articles. Subscriptions are available through the USEA, and a
subscription is included with USEA membership.
Practical Horseman: This basic English-riding magazine often
includes
articles useful to the event rider. It has been getting somewhat
simplistic and lower-level in recent years, but rumor has it the content
has improved recently. It gives good information to those new to the
sport.
This list is probably the best collection of resources available. It
includes eventing organizations both local and national, major events in
the U.S., and some online forums for meeting and socializing with fellow
eventers.
The official Web site of the United States Eventing
Association. In addition to membership information, it includes an
omnibus, or schedule of recognized events, all of the dressage tests for
the current competition year, an online rule book, information on trainers
and clinics, and links to regional organizations. This is absolutely the
first stop to anyone wondering, "What is eventing?"
North Carolina is in Area II on the USEA map, along with
Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Area II is one
of the most active regions in the USEA. This site gives regional news, a
calendar of events, a classified ads section, a directory of eventing
barns, trainers, and practice courses, and an extensive list of links to
Web sites including related organizations, other areas' Web pages,
publications, competitions, farms, businesses, pony clubs, and other
relevant sites.
The North Carolina Dressage and Combined Training
Association sponsors unrecognized competitions and learning opportunities.
This is a good site to get a new competitor into the world of eventing. It
includes local eventing and dressage news, a list of classified ads, an
event calendar, competition results, a community bulletin board, a database
of local equestrian businesses, and a list of educational videos and books
available for member use. Interestingly, none of the books I've listed is
available here, but I suspect their collection may be older, and also with
a slant toward the straight dressage riders that make up half the
organization.
The Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event is the only 4-star
competition in North America. This site features up-to-the-minute
multi-media reports throughout the event, and also lists information about
spectating.
Here is the online version of the magazine. Same
great features, online! Even better, to get to the COTH bulletin board,
click on Discussion Forums in the left-hand column or go to
www.chronicleforums.com and then click on
the
Eventing forum to connect
with thousands of eventers worldwide. Basic membership and posting
privileges are free.
This is the Web site of the United States Pony Club.
Membership is limited to young people under age 21. However, the older
rider could still contact the USPC to find local contacts. Pony clubs are
well known for promoting good horsemanship and education at the local
level, and they also often host small introductory-level competitions. At
the very least, the new eventer could find "someone who knows someone who
rides with so-and-so who boards at Trainer X's barn" who could provide them
with good local eventing information.
The Eventers-L listserv is a group of
eventers who broke off from the Equine-L listserv to form a more focused
discussion group. The group is a long-standing community of event riders
who chat about various eventing-related topics. The newbie can ask
specific questions or just read and learn. Any eventing-related post is
acceptable. To sign on, send a message to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU
with SUBSCRIBE EVENTERS-L Firstname Lastname in the body of the message.