Eventing at a crossroads
IT’S crunch time for eventing’s cross-country phase. High-profile horse falls and an increased awareness of social licence have led those who mastermind the sport’s development to weigh up how to manage eventing’s inherent risk with the unanimous resolve to keep crosscountry at its core.
While the overall number of horse falls has decreased over the past decade from one in 75 starters (1.3%) to one in 125 (0.8%), at five-star level this year it remains stubbornly high (one in 18; 5.6%).
Geoff Sinclair is chair of the FEI’s risk management steering group, a collection of experts in different fields – from medical and veterinary to technical and scientific –set up in 2016. Despite the overall improving picture, his “concern is five-star”. One in 13 (7.7%) starters fell at Badminton.
“That rate is not acceptable,” says Geoff. “Four-star is down to 1.5% and our target for five-star was 4%; we’re miles off. The sport has to make a decision on what is acceptable risk, especially at five-star, which is highly televised, and people have phones in their pockets, so images go around the world in seconds.
“We need to decide what is acceptable to us eventing aficionados, and to society, including non-horse people and how they regard horses falling. They are more concerned about the horse, because the rider understands the risk; the horse has no choice.”
This year’s World Championships coursedesigner Giuseppe della Chiesa agrees the sport is at a crossroads.
“The values behind the sport do not have great appeal in modern society: courage, bravery, dedication, patience, and accepting injury.
