The eventing Europeans include both team and individual competitions open to qualified horse and rider combinations from around Europe.
Nations can field up to six pairs. All riders are eligible for individual medals. Teams consist of three or four pairs; the best three scores count. Teams cannot mix and match between pairs for scores from each phase – the final team score consists of the nation’s best three total scores across all phases. The lowest score wins.
The competition takes place at four-star level, which is one level below the highest in international eventing competition.
The format
The competition starts with the horse inspection on Wednesday, 9 August, when the ground jury – Britain’s Judy Hancock, Austria’s Katrin Eichinger-Kniely and Finland’s Seppo Laine – and vet delegate (Sweden’s Lisa Lidbeck) assess each horse’s fitness to take part.
On Thursday, 10, and Friday, 11 August, riders perform dressage test CCI4* B, marked by the ground jury.
On Saturday, 12 August, riders tackle Pierre Le Goupil’s cross-country course, taking on 35–40 jumping efforts, with a maximum fence height of 1.20m (1.40m with brush) and a maximum top spread of 1.80m. The course will be 5,700m to 6,200m, to be ridden at 570m per minute, so the optimum time will be between 10 and 11 minutes.
On Sunday, 13 August, after a final horse inspection, those still in the competition showjump over Quentin Perney’s track in reverse order of merit. There will be 11 to 12 numbered obstacles (15 jumping efforts).
• What is eventing?
