Events being cancelled is a fact of being a rider — especially when the weather gets wet, it’s inevitable that sooner or later, you’ll lose a planned run.
Of course we all feel desperately sorry for organisers in this situation. A huge amount of time and effort goes into running a horse trials and cancellation can also be catastrophic financially.
But ultimately, we’re all selfish beasts and our main concern is going to be for ourselves and our horses. Let’s be honest, we’ve all had at least one of these thoughts when we’ve heard an event has been cancelled…
1. My horse was going his best ever. I was definitely doing to win this time.
2. Those plaits were my best ever. Now no one’s going to see them!
3. Can I just put my clean tack away and not use it until my next event?
4. Is there an unaffiliated dressage or showjumping show on nearby, or an indoor cross-country competition? Can I get a late entry and re-route? Then my packing and polishing and preparing won’t be entirely wasted…
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5. I could have had a lie-in.
6. I could have gone to that party last night/attended that wedding/made it to my best friend’s hen do.
7. What on earth am I meant to do with this horse now today? I suppose I need to take him galloping or do some canter work to replace the run so he stays fit for his next event…
8. I need to take photos of this horse looking all clean and smart before I put him back in the field.
9. These sandwiches don’t taste as good off a plate as they would have done out of the Tupperware after cross-country.
10. Should I just give up eventing? Am I cursed? (Particularly likely after a run of cancellations…)
11. Ultimately, though, we’re all addicted, so the main question running through our heads will probably be: what can I enter now to do instead?
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Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.
