Many horses are wary of water, to the extent that they lose all momentum, dropping back to trot or even walk rather than cantering through. For an eventer, this makes negotiating any obstacles positioned before, after or in the water extremely tricky. Watch top riders and their established horses negotiate a water crossing and they will barely break their stride. But how do you teach horse who is wary of getting his feet wet to keep up the forward momentum and stay in canter?

The first stage to unpicking the issue is understanding why it happens in the first place. British eventing performance coach Chris Bartle and Olympian Nicola Wilson explain where to start when it comes cantering through water with confidence.

How to train your horse to canter through water

“Think about a row of children lined up on the edge of a swimming pool,” says former Badminton winner and European team gold medallist Chris Bartle. “Some will jump straight in without a moment’s hesitation, while others will linger on the edge and carefully lower themselves in. It’s the same with horses. Some will be more cautious than others. That doesn’t mean the cautious ones won’t be happy to leap in eventually, but it will take time.”

Training a horse to canter through water, travelling forward, is a process built on confidence and trust. It is not simply a case of kicking harder.

“Water jumps can be busy areas and most young horses need time to process what is going on around them, which is why they want to drop back to trot and even walk,” continues Chris. “Make your schooling sessions frequent and fun and they will quickly get the hang of it.”

Former European eventing champion Nicola Wilson agrees.

“You need to build up slowly and make sure all the building blocks are in place before you ask your horse to move up a gear,” she says. “If he is not yet happy to canter through water, don’t put him in a position where he might be over-faced, for example don’t ask him to jump anything that he won’t have enough impetus to do safely.”

Cantering through water: troubleshooting

Sometimes horses dislike water splashing on their faces – and the faster they go the more likely they are to get splashed.

“I had a horse called One Two Many who was seventh at Badminton, on the silver medal-winning team at the Blair Europeans [in 2015] and a beautiful jumper, but he hated getting his face wet,” reveals Nicola. “Every time he jumped into water he would pull his nose forward so that it was almost parallel with his ears to try to avoid that initial splash.

“He was a bold horse, but this wasn’t something he ever grew out of, so I had to adapt my training and riding techniques to support him. I had to prepare early and make sure my reins were long enough jumping into water so that I didn’t catch him in the mouth because by the time he was halfway through his jump he would have pulled his head forward.

“For the same reason I stopped using a martingale on him as it would have come into play at the wrong time and potentially brought him down, which was the last thing I would have wanted.”

This is just one example of a horse reacting to water in a way the rider might not expect.

“It is your job to ask yourself why he is reacting the way he is and work out how to facilitate rather than hinder him,” adds Nicola.

Chris has discovered that wetting a horse’s legs with a bucket or jug of water before he goes cross-country can be helpful.

“It may sound crazy, but if you can get the horse used to the feel of water on his legs right before you set out to negotiate water then then it won’t come as such a shock,” he says.

By the same logic Chris also points out that young horses, in particular, can be spooky or shy at water when they’ve not been exposed to it for a while.

“This can happen in the summer or at the end of a particularly dry spell,” he explains. “If they’ve not seen a puddle for months and you suddenly ask them to canter through a large expanse of water, it’s not surprising that some are hesitant.”

Training at home

Nicola advocates making the most of opportunities that the weather provides to get creative at home.

“After a lot of rain you might end up with large puddles in your field or arena, which you can incorporate into your training,” she says. “So long as the surface underneath is safe you can make your session really fun and even incorporate some fences, too.”

Chris points out that sometimes it is easier for a horse to learn to stay in canter through water having jumped a small fence in rather than running down a slope.

“With a fence you’ve already got forward momentum, so if you sit up and keep your leg on when you land the horse is more likely to keep the canter,” he says. “Train your eyes to look high and ahead of you rather than down or to the water’s edge.”

Being in the right place at the right time with your body position will help the horse and instil confidence.

“Always support the horse with your leg by keeping it on his sides,” says Nicola. “Sometimes a little tap down the shoulder can keep him focused and energised.”

Water training checklist

Is the training venue/situation suitable?

“Choose your cross-country training venues carefully — pick waters that are open and spacious, and where there aren’t too many extra distractions to take the horse’s focus away from you,” advises Nicola. “Some people take their horses to the beach, which can be good for some but it doesn’t suit every horse.

“With the spooky types who find it hard to settle and concentrate then you are better off practising at a quiet schooling venue where there is not too much else going on.”

Is the surface/footing secure?

Wherever you are training, ensure the water has a sound underlying surface.

“It’s really important that the horse trusts the surface because as far as the horse is concerned you could be asking him to jump off the White Cliffs of Dover,” Chris points out.

Do you have the right tools and equipment?

Whether you’re utilising a newly-formed puddle at home or using a water complex at a training venue, having the right support and tools at your disposal is really important.

“This might be in terms of help on the ground, another horse to follow or ensuring you’re wearing the right tack and equipment,” says Nicola. “If you enter into a challenge ill-equipped to see it through then you are setting yourself up for failure. Remember, whenever you are training your horse you are always training his blueprint.”

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You can use the scales of training to self coach and improve your own riding, say two of Britain’s top eventing coaches.

British eventing performance manager Dickie Waygood and coach Chris Bartle talked about this and the importance of the basics in every day training in a webinar published by the Lucinda Green XC Academy, hosted by six-time Badminton Horse Trials winner Lucinda Green.

Dickie spoke about how he encourages riders to incorporate the scales of training – rhythm, suppleness, contact, impulsion, straightness and collection – into their own progress and how you can use them to improve your riding.

“When people come to me and don’t know the scales, I ask them to print three copies and laminate them – one for in their horse box, one for their tack room and one for their bedside locker,” he said.

“You can look at the sales of training just before you ride, or when you’re in the horsebox on the way to a show or before going to bed. You can look through your scales and give yourself a mark for where you are – I got a six today for straightness, so in my training tomorrow, how am I going to make that a 6.5 or a seven? Where am I for rhythm? It keeps fluctating, I’m on a five – so how can I get that to a six?

“So you can use the scales to self coach – it’s a really easy way of using the scales of training, using the basics.”

Lucinda asked what the equivalent was of the scales of training for cross-country performance.

Chris said: “Frankly I think it’s an important point that the word dressage comes from a French word meaning training. The training we want to make our horses effective on the cross-country – to go clear inside the time – that training is very much connecting the three phases. The dressage training that we want to see, the dressage performance we want to see in the arena, is one that’s going to lend itself to that effective cross-country riding and then of course showjumping.

“I keep emphasising that in my cross-country training as much as in the dressage arena, that starting point of the scales of training.”

Dickie added – and Chris agreed – that he would slightly change the order of the scales for event horses: “It’s part of a jigsaw, but for me with an event horse, straightness comes before impulsion in the scales of training because of the nature of what we’re doing with our horses – the back legs following the front legs, even on a circle. That way we know the horse stays on railway tracks and biomechanically can shorten or lengthen.

“We know the horse’s job is to avoid a skinny fence and if they go out through the shoulder, they lose the ability to shorten or lengthen. You see many brave horses glance off fences across country, because their biomechanics will not let them shorten or lengthen when they’re out through their shoulder and not straight.”

Three rules for cross-country

Dickie also spoke about his three rules for cross-country and again how as a competitor, you can use these to improve your riding.

“The rules all have sub paragraphs, but firstly the rider must sit in balance, secondly the rider must put the horse in the correct way of going for the question in hand, and thirdly the rider must provide the line,” he said.

“I hear Chris saying to riders, ‘Which rule did you break?’ So again you can self coach and if you stick to those rules the outcome looks after itself. It’s a simplistic way of looking at it, but it seems to work.”

Dickie also spoke about the fact that the best athletes are not necessarily those with the best technical skills, but those who have the attitude and temperament to follow the system at events.

“You only need enough technical skills to get the job done – if the fence is 3ft high, the horse only needs to clear it by 3ft and half an inch,” he said, mentioning the example of Michael Jung at the Rio Olympics, who did not have a stellar score in any part of his dressage test with La Biosthetique-Sam FBW, but delivered consistency.

“The horse only had so much in his trot, so much in his canter, so much in his walk, but he delivered and just had enough technical skills. But most importantly, both horse and rider had the character to deliver on the field of play under pressure.

“So we go back to you need enough technical skills to get the job done, but that attitude and character is absolutely essential to deliver on any given day of 365 days of the year.”

Dickie added: “If you have a bad day in the office, if you stuck to the system and stuck to the rules and it doesn’t come off that day, you can look yourself in the eye, but if you come away from a competition and you broke the rules, you’ve not stuck to the system, it’s hard to look yourself in the eye. That can take a long time for an athlete to get over, that under pressure they haven’t stuck to the system.”

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H&H reports on what experts believe are key factors in improving eventing safety for both horse and rider, as discussed at the 2021 FEI risk management seminar

SELF-REFLECTION and and facing up to uncomfortable truths are vital for riders if eventing safety is to progress.

The call for riders to take responsibility for their own safety – and discussion over how their coaches and peers can help them do so – was made by Chris Bartle, William Fox-Pitt and Jon Holling during the FEI eventing risk management seminar (23 January).

British eventing high performance coach Mr Bartle stressed this is “not about apportioning blame”, but instead analysing whether certain mistakes are training issues, and if those came about as a result of conscious or unconscious decision-making.

“MERs [minimum eligibility requirements] are a technical way of the FEI dealing with making sure riders and horses are ready to move to the next stage, so they are only the very base level,” he said.

“I think the important thing in coaching, and developing people’s understanding of the sport, is to have an idea that MERs are there in the background, that they are important and necessary to achieve to move to the next level. But more importantly, that the rider feels competent and confident at that level, and that the coach, in helping them make that decision, can be absolutely honest and direct as possible, even if sometimes there is a risk that you’re going to upset somebody if you say they are not ready.”

Mr Bartle also recommended that the FEI place a member of the ground jury in the riders’ tent, where riders and connections gather to watch live feeds at major events, as this is where vocal peer feedback happens in real time.

Speaking about eventing in general, William said the sport as a whole “has to be braver” at addressing cross-country riding incidents when they happen, and a word between riders can sometimes be a good way of doing this.

“MERs are a new thing, but ultimately we as the riders are responsible for ourselves,” he said.

“We mustn’t hide behind officials or MERs or any excuses, we are responsible. Are we ready? Are we riding well enough? I think a lot of riders will say: ‘Well no one said anything, my owners are supporting me, I’m qualified, so I’m going to go.’ That is where the sport has really moved on now. A qualification is not a right to continue. We need to be very honest with ourselves.”

He added that there is a responsibility from the sport, officials and trainers to support riders in that self-reflection, “to be braver” in pulling up riders and in having conversations with them where necessary.

“We all need to think, be aware and be responsible,” he added.

New tech

NEW technology that quantifies how hard a horse is working was presented by showjumper David Deillon.

David founded Alogo Analysis, a Swiss company specialising in equestrian analytics to evaluate performance and health, as he wanted to visualise and measure feelings he got as a rider. If a horse was jumping flat or over-jumping, for example, what might that mean.

The Alogo sensor fits on the girth and analyses the full movement of the horse.

Staffan Lidbeck, FEI vet, coach and risk management steering group member, said Alogo hopes to run a study at CCI5*s. There are hopes this could show links between performance and movement, such as degree of fatigue and jumping or stride patterns, plus whether risk factors in course-design predispose to fatigue.

Steering group member David Vos, an expert on frangible devices, said it is “super exciting”.

“We will have real power output data to corroborate what everyone knows from experience, and answer a lot of questions,” he said, adding that this may also feed into questions surrounding longevity of event horses.

“For example, is this course really difficult with these going conditions today and should we try to look at course times and optimum times? It opens a whole world of data-driven decision-making and evaluation on horse welfare and performance.”

“This sensor gives you almost a stride-to-stride perspective on your riding style, on your efficiency and how hard you are making your horse work,” he added.

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Former Badminton winner Word Perfect II has been put down at the age of 30 following a long and happy retirement at the Bartles’ Yorkshire Riding Centre (YRC).

British Eventing Team high performance coach Chris Bartle was away at the World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Tryon when he heard the news, but paid a heartfelt tribute to his stable star online.

“Your departure to another place is hard to come to terms with. You gave me so much over 24 years that you lived with us at YRC,” he said.

“You put me on the world stage and I owe you so much. I’ve had the great luck in my life to have had two horse friends and partners, who gave their all for me – You of course and Wily Trout, who you didn’t know but who was brave, honest, loyal and a superstar like you. You might meet him up there.

“I’ll miss you and will always hold fond memories of you. I owe you so much. One day we’ll meet again in another place.”

The 17hh gelding — who was by the TB stallion Lexicon out of a part-draught mare called Bettie Ash —arrived at the Bartles’ yard as a tricky five-year-old. Initially “a bit odd” and in need of extra time, he was produced by Chris’s wife Alison, who handed over the ride following his first season at novice.

Chris recalled how the “shy” horse used to “hide at the back of his stable” but quickly demonstrated “obvious ability,” with the pair progressing from novice to advanced in just one season.

“You could jump anything, even from a near standstill like the gate out of the field, when I leant forward to open it. But you lacked belief in yourself at that time. Alison gave you that belief during that first year that you were with us. She gave you fun and your confidence grew,” Chris said.

“There was not a fence or a course that I didn’t believe that you could master. As I rode, trained and competed you during the mid 90s, I knew that you were a superstar and would go to the top.”

Their career highlight was their 1998 Badminton victory, while they were also on the gold medal-winning team at the 1997 European Championships, as well as being selected as as non-travelling reserves for the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

After recovering from a tendon injury at the end of 1998, the striking liver chestnut made a comeback but was retired fully from eventing in 2002 when issues with his wind became more challenging. He went on to place second twice in Hickstead’s eventers’ challenge in the following years.

“He was a pretty draughty horse for an eventer in those days when you had to do the steeplechase and you’d never look at him and think he was a quick horse, but he came in a rhythm and you never had to set him up, plus he was so careful, he was a superstar at Hickstead,” Alison said.

As well as being a big horse who lacked a bit of blood, there were other ways in which Word Perfect’s career was a surprise — with Alison admitting they “never expected him to do more than two-star”.

“He was really ditchy, it took us two hours to get him over a tiny ditch once,” she recalled. “Even later on he could still have a look — he did it at the Europeans at Burghley and Chris came off.

“Other than that, he was pretty consistent — his dressage was super and he barely ever had a pole,” she said.

Continues below…

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The horse, who completed Badminton and Burghley in his former career, finished his career with success at lower-level eventing

After his full retirement, “Junior” (who was also known as Spoon) was kept ticking along, even giving the occasional lesson to some very lucky riders.

“He was mostly hacked about and the odd person we knew very well might have a lesson on him. They always felt honoured — he had a mouth like velvet and was the most gorgeous horse to sit on,” said Alison.

“He didn’t really enjoy being in the field; he would want to come in after two hours, and we could never get him on a horsewalker as he had a phobia of doorways— at Badminton he used to have his own stable that was inline with the outside door — so we had to keep him going really!”

Along with Jeanette Brakewell’s Over To You, who also celebrated his 30^th birthday this year and Too Smart, who is now 32, “Junior” was one of the few horses from his era surviving to a grand old age.

“Losing him wasn’t totally unexpected — for the last 18 months he’d been very arthritic in his neck and we’d managed to maintain it with steroids but the last two times he hadn’t responded and he was losing co-ordination,” Alison explained. “It was affecting his hind legs and he was looking wobbly and I just didn’t want him to fall over and hurt himself so a decision had to be made.

“His stable is still empty at the moment,” she added. “He was a huge character and there are some very big boots to fill.”

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Current British eventing team performance coach, Chris Bartle, believes that the rider’s position is key to successful cross-country, as only when the rider is in balance, can the horse perform to their best.

During a masterclass organised by the British Eventing Charitable Foundation at Keysoe in Bedfordshire recently he shared these useful tips that every event rider can benefit from.

Perfect your cross-country position

The rider’s position is key. Riders need to move as little as possible over a jump so they don’t affect the horse’s balance or concentration.

The rider should always be looking up and ahead. When jumping a combination look towards the second element before you jump the first. This helps the horse understand the question.

Riders should not need to look down. “Humans have huge lateral vision. You need to train your lateral vision so you don’t need to look down to see the fence/ground poles. Always look ahead ‘down the road’,” explains Chris.

By keeping their eyes focussed ahead, this helps the rider keep their head up which in turns helps prevent the upper body from tipping forward. If the rider gets ahead of the horse’s bascule on the approach/take off stride this can cause the horse to have front rails off oxers in the showjumping.

The rider must have the weight down through the knee into the heel on the landing so they don’t tip forwards. This is key in combination fences as if the rider ‘dips’ on landing they may lose the line or affect the horse’s balance. The rider’s eyes need to keep looking ‘down the road’ to the next jump or the route away from the fence.

The rider’s hands should stay down around the horse’s wither – many riders need to learn to be comfortable jumping with longer reins, which allows the horse to use its neck over the fence to develop greater scope and also prevents the horse from pulling the rider forward on landing.

The rider should use their body language/position to help control the horse’s speed, instead of always using the rein to slow down. Bring the upper body more upright and hold through the core to steady to the horse without giving them a reason to fight the hand. Use half halts within the horse’s natural rhythm of the pace.

Riders should practise the “what if” position. This puts the rider slightly behind the horse’s sense of gravity so they are positioned to support the horse if something goes wrong like the horse spooks at a fence or catches a front leg.

Chris shared these tips during a masterclass organised by the British Eventing Charitable Foundation at Keysoe in Bedfordshire (21 November). Chris will be running another masterclass at Kingston Maurward College in Dorset during the evening of Monday 4 December.

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If you’re going eventing next season, then who could possibly be better to learn from than the current British eventing team performance coach, Chris Bartle?

He has helped transform top riders to become competitive at the very highest echelons of the sport, but his key training ideas are relevant to horses and riders at all levels, as he demonstrated during a recent masterclass at Keysoe with horses and riders competing from BE100 to advanced level.

“Cross-country in the modern sport of eventing is about turning lines, jumping fences on extreme angles, and the lines you have to hold between the fences,” explains Chris. “In this way you have to bring your dressage training into the cross-country phase.

“Of course you still need a horse that’s bold enough to take on the ditches and water, but it must have a partnership with the rider and both must be disciplined to be successful. How we communicate the question to the horse and how the rider guides the horse is key.”

Chris’ top tips: warming-up

A rider cannot force a horse to relax and if the horse is tense it cannot perform to its best. Quietly work the horse as you would at home and give it as much time as it needs to settle before asking it to perform. This will take as long as it takes.

Taking young horses out and about to experience ‘life’ without competing so they learn to relax in the competition environment is an important part of their education.

Chris prefers all training to be done without a martingale. “In cross-country at the highest level the martingale is more of a hindrance than a help,” he says. “Also horses that come behind the vertical can be made worse by a martingale.”

If a horse feels tight and tense, lengthen the rein and allow the neck out. Let the horse stick its head in the air if it want to. It’s only important that the horse goes in the direction asked – not that it’s in an outline.

If the horse is tense, hold and support with the inside leg and control the line with the outside rein. Allow the horse to look to the outside. The inside rein should be the horse’s friend, the outside rein is the discipline rein and brings the shoulder into line. Avoid pressure on both sides of the horse’s mouth at the same time. The horse must accept and respond to the rider’s inside leg.

Encourage the horse to take the nose forward and stretch the neck. Once he is relaxed, let him stretch and then he’s ready to start work.

A useful training exercise for all levels

A training exercise that Chris uses frequently is a ground pole to an oxer to a ground pole, with three and bit human strides between each element. The pole on the landing side encourages the horse to look down on landing. The oxer should be square. All the groups worked through this exercise at an appropriate level.

Once the horse is jumping the exercise confidently, pull both sides of the oxer out to make it wider but don’t move the ground poles. This encourages the horse to jump higher and make a better bascule with a sharper take off and steeper landing, which helps to develop the horse’s scope without making the fence any higher.

It is key that the rider gives the horse freedom to use its neck to the maximum to achieve the more extravagant bascule, while not getting in front of the movement on take off, staying in balance through the air and not tipping forward on landing.

Chris Bartle’s top takeways

• Balance and impulsion give you options in front of a fence
• The rider’s position is key to successful cross-country
• Always aim for the slight inside line (inside the midline) in a turning combination – it saves time and distance
• Use slight outside flexion to control the horse’s outside shoulder on the approach
• Find the fence, find the line, be aware of the distance, but don’t focus your eyes on the jump, look beyond it
• Allow the horse to work/jump underneath you while you stay balanced and look ahead.
• “Land in your feet” from every jump to avoid tipping forward
• If your horse is keen to a fence, keep the outside flexion slightly longer on the approach
• Use your seat, core and body position to encourage a horse to steady if they are onward bound
• If your horse is tense or buzzy, continue with the exercise until the horse relaxes, only then move on
• The length and freedom of the horse’s neck is core to all of Chris’s training

Christopher shared these and more helpful tips during a masterclass organised by the British Eventing Charitable Foundation at Keysoe in Bedfordshire (21 November). Chris will be hosting another masterclass at Kingston Maurward College in Dorset during the evening of Monday 4 December.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Following Britain’s golden success at the European Eventing Championships in Poland last month (17-20 August 2017), catch up with the team behind our renewed success

At last weekend’s Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (31 August-2 September 2017), the British eventing team’s performance coach Chris Bartle and their performance manager Richard Waygood conducted a masterclass in the main arena — giving the Burghley crowds a chance to see the team behind Britain’s eventers in action.

“When I was first interviewed for the position, and when they suggested that Dicky (Richard Waygood) came on board with me I couldn’t have been more delighted,” says Chris. “He is a very accomplished rider and a very accomplished coach in his own right, so we bounce ideas off each other.”

Dicky, who was a former riding master of the Household Cavalry, and performance manager for the British dressage squad for the past seven years prior to this role, adds: “I see myself as there to facilitate what Chris needs to do to coach. We work so well together, long may it continue.”

Continued below…

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Having been national coach to the German eventing team since 2001, Chris took on his new role with the British eventing team in January this year. Much of the credit for Germany’s meteoric rise as the dominant force in eventing in recent years has been given to Chris — and under his guidance the British team clinched the gold medal at the European Eventing Championships in Strzegom, Poland last month.

“In Poland, it was a great performance by everybody – the team, the squad and the team behind the team,” says Chris.

“The proudest moment for me was that they performed on the field of play,” adds Dicky. “And that shows championship character. We’re clearly focused now on Tokyo (the Olympic Games in 2020) and the World Equestrian Games (next year in America) are the next step.”

Don’t miss our full report and analysis from the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials in the current issue of Horse & Hound magazine (7 September 2017)

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Get up to speed on the super-coach and eventing philosopher Christopher Bartle, who put British eventing back in the spotlight on Sunday (20 August 2017) at the European Eventing Championships

Much of the credit for Germany’s meteoric rise as the dominant force in eventing in recent years was given to team trainer Christopher Bartle. But since swapping sides to Team GB in January this year, he seems to have worked his magic on his home nation already, watching the British eventing team clinch the team gold in Strzegom, Poland on Sunday (20 August 2017) at the European Eventing Championships.

“I can’t put it into words how impressed I am — I just couldn’t be more proud,” he said. “They all rode exactly as they trained and what they’re capable of. We now want more golds, for as long as we can.”

Here are nine facts you need to know about Christopher, who has competed internationally in both dressage and eventing:

1. Christopher runs the Yorkshire Riding Centre with his sister Jayne Bartle-Wilson.

2. He was educated at Ampleforth College and read economics at Bristol University.

3. While at university he rode hunters and point-to-pointers, and was an amateur on the National Hunt circuit for a couple of years.

4. Christopher spent nine months learning French and training with Commandant de Parisot, chief trainer at Saumur before moving to Chantilly. “He was inspirational in the way he sat on a horse and rode, and that set me off on a path whereby dressage was not just a necessary evil in order to event,” says Christopher.

5. That interest was developed further when Christopher and his sister Jayne were trained by Baron Hans von Blixen-Finecke, gold medallist in eventing at the 1952 Olympics — and owner of the horse that won gold in the dressage, ridden by Henri St-Cyr, as at that time it was not permitted to do both.

6. Christopher and Wily Trout finished sixth individually in the dressage at the 1984 Olympics — the highest placing of a British rider until Charlotte Dujardin in 2012 — and finished second in the World Cup Final in 1986.

7. In 1994, Word Perfect II came along. They were part of the British eventing team that won gold at the 1997 Europeans, despite Christopher falling off across country.

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8. The following spring (1998), Christopher and Word Perfect II won Badminton.

9. In 2000, Christopher and Word Perfect II were reserves for the Olympic team.

Don’t miss our full report from the European Eventing Championships in the 24 August 2017 issue of Horse & Hound magazine

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Four legendary sport horses plus one human equestrian star have been inducted into the British Horse Society’s hall of fame.

Newly appointed British performance coach Chris Bartle was enrolled earlier this month (24 November).

Outstanding event horses Opposition Buzz, Chilli Morning, and Avebury have also been recognised, as well as showjumper Philco.

Plaques to commemorate all of those inducted are displayed on the wall of the Household Cavalry’s barracks in Knightsbridge.

A panel chaired by the previous BHS chairman Claire Aldridge, former H&H editor Lucy Higginson, showjumper Liz Edgar, eventing stars Mary Low (née Gordon-Watson) and Lucinda Green and dressage rider and trainer Carl Hester, made the hall of fame selections.

Chris said being included in the hall of fame was a “lovely surprise”.

“It is a great honour, especially when I see all those successful and well-known members of the equestrian world who are already laureates.

“I would like to dedicate this award to my mother, Nicole Bartle. She is sadly no longer alive to see me receive it, but she is hugely responsible for it.”

Chris has been national coach to the German eventing team since 2001 and will start his new role as part of the British World Class eventing programme in January.

The 64-year-old won Badminton in 1998, was a European team gold medallist in 1997 and reserve for the 2000 Olympic team.

He also rode at the top level in pure dressage and finished sixth in the dressage at the 1984 Olympics.

Eventing legends

Rosemary Search, owner and breeder of Opposition Buzz, said it was “absolutely incredible” to see ‘Dodi’ recognised in the hall of fame.

“It’s beyond my wildest dreams,” she said. “Dodi was just very special to me, not only because I bred him, but also because I delivered him myself.”

The popular multi-medalled horse died just seven weeks into his retirement last year (9 November), aged 17.

Dodi was ridden by Nicola Wilson and best known for the enthusiasm he showed when going cross-country and his unusual jumping style.

He took team gold at the 2009 European Championships and the 2010 World Equestrian Games, as well as team silver at the 2012 Olympics and team bronze at the 2011 European Championships.

Ridden by William Fox-Pitt, Chilli Morning was retired after the Rio Olympics.

‘Chilli’ is the greatest eventing stallion in the history of the sport — the only one to win a four-star, apart from Windfall II, who won the short format CCI4* at Kentucky in 2004.

William Fox-Pitt and Chilli have been Britain’s best performers at the annual senior championship on every occasion they have been on the team — in 2013, 2014 and 2016.

“Chilli for me has been a horse of a lifetime, and as a stallion he is also one in a million,” said William.

“He was just such an amazing all-rounder who loved his job.”

Meanwhile Avebury won Burghley on three consecutive occasions with Andrew Nicholson.

The outstanding horse was put down in September, aged 16.

“He was an out and out winner throughout his life — something he loved doing,” said Andrew.

“Equally special was the fact that he was so kind and genuinely loved people.

“It was an honour to breed and ride him, and he is missed by everyone who was associated with him.”

‘A wonderful horse’

Philco, who was ridden by showjumping legend David Broome, made a name for himself in the late 1970s, jumping 29 clear rounds in succession at Wembley International Horse Show.

Philco retired from competition at the age of 16 and lived out his days with David until he died at the age of 32.

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“It’s a great privilege for Philco to be recognised in the Hall of Fame,” said David.

“He was a wonderful horse for me, especially in the big competitions.

“He was very agile and always so neat and careful. He was also quite a tough horse, he certainly didn’t let me down very often.”

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Richard Waygood has been confirmed as the new performance manager for the British eventing team.

The news follows the announcement of Chris Bartle as performance coach — a newly created role — on Friday (25 November).

This confirms the rumours of a new coaching structure for the World Class eventing programme.

“I am very excited and feel privileged to hold the highly prestigious position of performance manager for the British eventing team,” said Richard.

“It has been a lifelong ambition, which I have dreamt about on so many occasions, having worked within the World Class programme for the last seven years and seen the dedication of the riders and staff alike, I just can’t wait to get going.”

A former riding master of the Household Cavalry, Richard has been the performance manager for the British dressage squad for the past seven years. He has ridden and been placed at four-star level and is also a top British Eventing (BE) accredited coach.

Outgoing eventing performance manager Yogi Breisner revealed in April that he planned to step down from the position after 17 years following the Rio Olympics.

David Holmes, BE’s chief executive, said they are “thrilled” to have found such an experienced team to take the eventing squad forward.

“This combination will not only help us advance our elite level athletes, but also to use their knowledge and skills to enable us to develop pathways throughout our sport so that we can produce a stronger performance culture from ponies to podium,” he added.

“As we look towards Tokyo 2020, Richard and Chris will be key for eventing to ensure the World Class team has the skills, tools and support to reach its full potential — we are excited to work with both of them as we welcome them into their new positions.”

A statement from the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) said they will also begin the process of recruiting a new performance director to replace Dan Hughes “in the next few days”. This will be joined by another new position — a head of performance support — and the organisation will also be recruiting a new dressage performance manager following Richard’s job move.

The statement added the aim of the new coaching programme will be “more individually tailored”, placing a greater focus on human and equine sports science.

It also said the organisation will be “examining opportunities to improve the collective horsepower in Great Britain”.

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Chris added it is “exciting yet daunting” to be offered the chance to train the British team.

“On the other hand it’s with sadness that I leave behind the German team and all those at the DOKR [German Olympic equestrian committee] and the German federation with whom I have worked over the last 16 years,” he said. “I am equally delighted that Richard has agreed to come on board as performance manager for eventing.

“I am looking forward to building a strong and effective partnership with Dickie [Richard] — I can’t imagine a more suitably qualified person for this position.

“I am really looking forward to building up equally strong relationships with the British riders and their home teams, the owners and the members of the support team within the World Class programme, the BEF and with British Eventing.”

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Chris Bartle has been appointed to the new role of performance coach as part of the British World Class eventing programme.

Yogi Breisner is leaving his position as British eventing performance manager after 17 years at the helm and the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) invited applications to replace him earlier in the year. It came out at the end of September that Chris, who is currently trainer to the German eventing team, was among those who had applied for the position. He will start his new role from January 2017.

The BEF said that Chris’s appointment “introduces a new coaching programme to the eventing squad which will see Christopher as performance coach who will be a key component of a wider plan to continue to optimise performance for the upcoming Olympic cycle”.

British Eventing chief executive David Holmes said: “We are incredibly lucky to have found such a strong and inspirational performance coach to take the British eventing squad forward.

“As you can appreciate the process of making senior appointments involves detailed and confidential discussions and is why we have been unable to make any announcement until this time, but are delighted to announce this news today and look forward to working with Christopher as we head towards Tokyo 2020.”

BEF chief executive Clare Salmon said: “On behalf of the BEF as well as British Eventing, I am delighted to be able to share this news; Chris has a great wealth of knowledge and experience across all Olympic equestrian disciplines as a rider as well as achieving incredible results throughout his years with the German senior eventing team.

“We look forward to welcoming him back to his homeland and to the UK Sport Lottery-funded World Class performance team in the New Year.”

The Deutsche Reiterliche Vereinigung (German equestrian federation) announced online earlier today that Chris would be taking up a position within the British structure and Hans Melzer, who has worked alongside Chris with the German team, would continue to hold the reins for that nation.

More about Chris Bartle

Chris was an extremely successful rider before moving on to training. He won Badminton in 1998 riding World Perfect, was a European team gold medallist in 1997 at Burghley on the same horse and reserve for the 2000 Olympic team.

He also rode at the top level in pure dressage and finished sixth in the dressage at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles riding Wily Trout. In addition he was national dressage champion twice and finished fourth in the 1985 dressage European Championships.

Chris has been national coach to the German eventing team, working alongside team manager Hans Melzer, since 2001. During the latter years of his tenure the Germans have dominated the international eventing scene, winning team gold at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, world team gold in 2014 and European team gold in 2011, 2013 and 2015. German riders have also won individual gold at the annual championship every year since 2010.

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Chris has previously acted as dressage trainer to the British eventing team, including at Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 and he was chef d’equipe and coach to the British eventing team at the 1999 European Championships.

The 64-year-old is managing director of the Yorkshire Riding Centre, a powerhouse training centre where numerous successful riders have spent time. His pupils include British Olympic team silver medallist Nicola Wilson.

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Chris Bartle has revealed that he has applied to take over the job as eventing performance manager for the British eventing team following Yogi Breisner’s retirement.

Chris has proven his skill and talent for the job as national coach for the German eventing team alongside Hans Melzer, most recently overseeing the nation’s team silver and individual gold at the Rio Olympics. He was also behind Germany’s team and individual Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2008, plus other notable successes at various World and European championships, having first taken up his post in 2001.

British-born Bartle is understood to be one of several candidates applying for the position, with interviews due to take place in October.

A statement by Dr Dennis Peiler of the DOKR (the German equestrian federation) says: “We are very surprised and sad about the decision of Chris Bartle.

“We were hoping Chris Bartle and Hans Melzer would continue until the Tokyo Games in 2020 as trainers. But we respect his decision. Soon we will sit together and reflect on alternatives for the future.”

Chris told St Georg: “That was a very difficult decision for me. I feel a tremendous bond with the team, the riders, the support team in Warendorf and especially with Hans Melzer, with whom I worked for 16 years successfully.

“I would like to apply for this interesting and challenging role that might keep me closer to my home for the next four years and is also in the interest of my family.”

In addition to his German team training role, Chris runs a highly successful training hub in Britain, the Yorkshire Riding Centre, with his sister Jane Bartle-Wilson. From here he assists top horses and riders from around the world.

The 64-year-old has previously coached the British eventing team as dressage trainer for both the Atlanta and Sydney Olympics.

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Chris has also enjoyed great success riding on British teams. He was sixth at the Los Angeles Olympics as a member of the British dressage team and was fourth at the 1985 European dressage championships. He also won Badminton on Word Perfect in 1998, was placed at Burghley on more than one occasion, won team gold at the 1997 European eventing championships and was reserve for the 2000 Olympics.

This is the first time the position with the British Equestrian Federation has become available since Yogi Breisner took up the role in 1999. Neither the British Equestrian Federation nor Chris were available to comment on the news when contacted by Horse & Hound.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

German eventing team trainer Chris Bartle has clarified that Michael Jung’s Rio horse is still being decided, following the news that FischerTakinou has been ruled out.

Michael put on facebook last night that Takinou has suffered an infection so will not be able to go to the Games and that he will be riding La Biosthetique-Sam FBW, instead.

However, Chris has told H&H today that Michael could ride either Sam or FischerRocana FST and the decision will be made on Monday.

A strong hand

Either way Michael will have a strong hand for the Olympics.

La Biosthetique-Sam FBW, by Stan The Man xx, is 16 years old now, but won Badminton this year and and Burghley last autumn. He took individual gold at the 2010 World Equestrian Games, 2011 European Championships and at the London 2012 Olympics, as well as team gold at the latter two events.

FischerRocana FST, by Ituango xx, is 11 and made her championship debut at the 2014 World Equestrian Games, where she claimed individual silver behind Opgun Louvo, ridden by Michael’s compatriot, Sandra Auffarth.

Rocana also won the US CCI4* at Kentucky twice, in both 2015 and 2016.

Both horses had a pivotal role in helping Michael secure the Rolex Grand Slam of eventing, the big money prize given to any rider who can consecutively win the world’s three premier four-stars. Sam won Burghley 2015 and Badminton 2016, while Rocana secured the middle leg at Kentucky 2016, just a week before Badminton.

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Michael will ride in the German team alongside reigning world champion Sandra Auffarth on Opgun Louvo, Ingrid Klimke on Hale Bob OLD and Andreas Ostholt, who makes his Olympic debut on So Is Et. The travelling reserve is Julia Krajewski with Samourai Du Thot.

The full definite entries for the equestrian events in Rio were released by the FEI on Wednesday, but of course substitutions can still be made in the case of injury.

Don’t miss H&H’s full Olympic preview in 28 July issue, plus pull-out form guide and exclusive interview with Michael Jung in 4 August issue.

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This is my alternative idea for a future format for eventing at the Olympics, following the FEI proposals in response to the International Olympic Committee’s 2020 Agenda.

Recent experience has shown that at short-format four-star events a hold on course is usually an advantage, allowing the horse to recover substantially and letting the fresher horse perform effectively after the break.

This proposal takes this observation forward to offer a new format that brings the advantage of clearly distinguishing between the team and individual tests.

Participation

• 65 horse and rider combinations, of which up to 30 are eligible for the individual test
• Teams of three or four, best three to count
• Fewer penalty points than at present (1,000) for an eliminated team member

Since the introduction of a two-round showjumping as a decider for individual medals, the majority of horses have jumped as well, if not better, in the second round — there is no welfare issue in asking horses to jump again.

• Following the normal final trot-up, the team showjumping takes place in team reverse order
• Team medal ceremony takes place without horses
• Number of teams and their qualification requirements to remain as now
• Up to three individual riders for each nation to be nominated in advance — they must hold four-star minimum eligibility requirements
• Individual places reserved for riders from nations which have no team, but who are genuine medal contenders — perhaps using a points qualification process as at Badminton

Format: day one

All 65 riders perform the short Olympic dressage test — permitting all dressage tests to be performed in one day

Format: day two

The cross-country course is designed and built with a view to being ridden in two sections. The first section of the cross-country (about nine minutes) is ridden by all. The results of this section form the basis of the team result. This “team section” would be four-star level with some three-star level long routes, which would cost time but help all teams to finish.

The nominated individuals who have completed the first section without jumping penalties and with under 12 time-penalties are then qualified for the individual test. A vet examination will take place in a 12-15-minute box after the first section to ensure fitness to continue.

The second “individual section” (about five minutes) would include some of the previously jumped parts of the course, including mainly straightforward fences to get the horses back into a rhythm. It would also include four-star questions appropriate to that stage of the course, which could be constructed on the same track previously used in the “team section”. This would need careful planning to avoid collisions with those still riding the “team section”, but would save costs in prepping ground and fences

The combined time from the “team section” and the time and jumping penalties from the “individual section” give an individual result

Format: day three

Since the introduction of a two-round showjumping as a decider for individual medals, the majority of horses have jumped as well if not better in the second round — there is no welfare issue in asking horses to jump again.

• Following the normal final trot-up, the team showjumping takes place in team reverse order
• Team medal ceremony without horses
• Later same day, the individual showjumping takes place in classic reverse order
• Individual medal ceremony with horses

Conclusion

I believe this proposal provides the opportunity, in a safe way, for the status of the Olympics as the pinnacle of our sport to be restored, thus meeting the objectives of the 2020 Agenda.

This suggestion allows the classic format of eventing to be retained — I favour keeping the showjumping as the final test, because when cross-country comes last riders can take increased risks. Also, when perfect conditions make the cross-country time easy to achieve, the result could be nearly a foregone conclusion.

It also promotes the welfare of the horse through a stricter qualification system for the individual competition, as well as veterinary supervision and the retention of showjumping as the final phase.

The team event with three-star qualification and over a shorter track will maximise how many nations can compete — a key point in the 2020 Agenda — while ensuring the highest level of competition in the individual test.

There will be a clear separation of team and individual competitions. However, the compactness of the cross-country course where both sections use the same track and potentially some of the same fences, even if jumped in different directions, will be TV and spectator friendly. It also reduces the space demands and construction costs especially in the groundwork for water jumps, ditches, banks and so on.

H&H 18 June 2015

Former Badminton winner and German eventing team trainer Christopher Bartle has put forward a proposal for the future of eventing, in response to the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) 2020 Agenda.

Earlier this year the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) released its 2020 Agenda to produce “attractive, modern, TV- and spectator-friendly sports”.

The idea is to create a “new generation of fans”. However, proposals from the FEI eventing committee in April provoked frustration among riders.

The idea is based around having a two-phase cross-country course. All riders would tackle the first section of cross-country to produce a team result, then nominated individuals who qualified with a fast clear over this initial test would have a short break, then go on to jump a second, shorter course which counted only for the individual competition.

“A two-phase cross-country keeps this discipline as the essence of the sport,” said Christopher. “It’s an idea I put forward after the Sydney Olympics when it seemed like eventing was coming under pressure from the IOC, so I’ve now rejuvenated it.”

Christopher has been invited to discuss his idea at the second meeting of the European Equestrian Federation eventing working group on 13 July in Amsterdam. This group first met on 17 April at Heathrow.

Former British Eventing chief executive Mike Etherington-Smith explained: “The EEF has had dressage and jumping working groups for some time and the Olympic 2020 agenda was the catalyst to setting up an eventing one. They asked me to chair it.

“Christopher’s idea is one of many and we are not at the stage of making a recommendation yet, we are just saying ‘What do we think about this, what do we think about that?’”

Another idea discussed at the April meeting was to run the Olympic eventing in CIC format, with the team competition at the start of the two-week Olympic period and the individual at the end, which would let the same horses and riders tackle both contests.

Christopher said: “My idea is just one and I want to stimulate discussion — the more people who can tweak and come up with ideas during the rest of this season, the better it must be for the sport in finding something not just for the Olympics, but perhaps a format for the 21st century.”

Mike said: “I think it’s great that horsesport has to reinvent itself — it’s not anything that anyone should be afraid of. We need to constantly look at ourselves.”

British Eventing is also setting up a working group examining how to make the sport more popular.

Read Christopher’s proposal in full [H&H VIP members only].

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now