Latest from Horse & Hound in Indoor-eventing

How to win at arena eventing – essential advice for training at home and what to do on the day

Pippa Roome — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 11:15:29 +0000

In this exclusive article for H&H subscribers, five-star event rider and Fellow of the British Horse Society Kylie Roddy shares her tips on how to prepare for arena eventing competitions, as well as advice on how to be successful in competitions

Arena eventing can be a great way to sharpen your skills over the winter – but perhaps you’re looking for some tips? You may need to do some training first and are not sure what to focus on? Or do you want to improve on your performance from last season with a view to being more competitive?

We asked renowned trainer Kylie Roddy for her top tips for arena eventing. Kylie won at the championships of British Eventing’s previous arena eventing series, Jumping And Style (JAS), and judges arena eventing competitions.

“There is something for everybody with those classes – it’s all about what your expectations are and whether you’re looking for ‘ride skills’ or ‘competitive skills’,” says Kylie. “For some it’s about educating a young horse, others are going to train and school and then there are those looking to be competitive.”

Kylie Roddy taking part in an arena eventing competition. (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Kylie’s arena eventing tips

Whatever your aim, Kylie says there are two main areas she focuses on for everyone in arena eventing training.

Keeping a quality canter

“Typically arena eventing courses are longer than your average showjumping course – there might be 20 or 24 fences, so twice as many as on a showjumping track,” points out Kylie. “So being able to keep the canter and the adjustability and quality in the canter is important, from 70cm all the way up to prestigious indoor competitions for top riders like Stuttgart, and there’s a fitness element to that.

“The speed required is faster than a typical showjumping round at the level, but it’s also not like you can just settle into a gallop – the courses have a jump-off type feel with turns and changes of pace needed, so the horses have to be fast in their mind and you have to be able to ride in balance at a higher speed.”

Kylie suggests riders put on an eventing stopwatch (like this one) and canter for two to three minutes around their arena, without jumps.

“By the time you’ve gone round an arena 10 times, you feel like you’ve done quite a lot of cantering, but it might actually be only 45 seconds. It feels very different cantering for that time in an arena rather than a field, and most of us are arena-based in the winter,” she says.

“Also, don’t just ‘goldfish bowl’ around the outside of the arena for however long – build in 10m circles, loops, changes of reins. Create the turns and floorplan patterns you might find in the course you’re about to jump.”

Jumping out of turns

Kylie also likes to focus on horses being able to come out of a corner and jump a fence quickly without the horse being shocked.

“Course-builders have to cram a lot of fences into the arena and to make sure the horses have a landing view, they have to put things quite close out of turns, so the take-off side is squeezed up. Horses have to come out of turns, stay on a line and jump what’s in their way,” she says.

“You need to get a bit adventurous in building stuff out of turns that doesn’t look like a normal jump, whether it’s high on the outside and low on the inside, has a funny filler or stuff on the floor, like a water tray or tarpaulin, or a narrow fence to test accuracy.”

Arena eventing training includes teaching horses to take on unusual obstacles off short distances out of turns. (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

How to be more competitive

For those looking to challenge for a rosette, arena event training needs to focus on holding a line and jumping off angles. Because many of the fences fall down, speeding up by flattening the canter is likely to result in faults, so it’s all about saving time in the floorplan.

“You need control on the landing side,” says Kylie. “I see a lot of people out of control on landing. Those pairs find indoor cross-country more of a challenge than those with a naturally rhythmic way of jumping. If the canter expands on the landing side, the rideability disappears and there’s often another fence coming ups, so the ability to reset the canter on landing quickly and maintain a rhythm is crucial.”

Arena eventing kit tips

If you normally ride across country in shorter stirrups than showjumping, you may want to consider that shorter length for arena eventing.

“You’ve got to be able to stand up between fences to create the travel,” says Kylie.

The trainer also says to practise riding in the clothes you will wear on the day at home, particularly if you haven’t worn your body protector since the end of the season.

“Make sure you are comfortable in your kit… you might have had a Christmas lunch!” she says with a smile.

Tips for on the day

With so many fences in a small area, arena eventing courses can be confusing.

“If you’re not the best course learner, make sure you are there early enough to walk it a few times and understand where everything is,” she says. “Watch the first couple go and if you’re aiming to be competitive, see how their time compares to the speed they rode. Did they make any inside or sharp turns? Use others to gauge what works and assess how the track rides.”

Make sure you have time to learn the course at arena eventing. (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

“Make sure the canters you’re going to use are the canters you warm up in so you have those tools available to you as soon as the bell goes,” says Kylie, explaining you need to be able to expand, close and reset the canter.

“You need the ability to go from 40mph to 30mph to 20mph and back to 40mph – those won’t be the actual speeds, but that’s the equivalent for those who drive a car. You need the ability to go down that scale as well as up it.”

Keeping confidence is key in the warm-up.

“The training is done at home and horses will do what they are trained to do in the ring. If you do six fences and the horse is happy, that may be enough. Nearly all faults come in the final third of the course, as horses and riders hit the fatigue zone,” says Kylie, cautioning about overdoing the warm-up.

“If you have a spooky horse who you need to get enough jumps into, make sure you leave a long enough rest period afterwards before you go in.

“If you want to be competitive, ideally you’d jump a fence off an angle in the warm-up so the horse is truly tuned into that, but whether you can do that will depend on the size of the warm-up and how many people are there.”

Tips for in the arena

Don’t throw away all your arena eventing training in the arena. Kylie says the most common mistake is allowing too much speed without the correct line, particularly turning early when going faster and running past fences.

“Don’t go faster than you can ride competently with rhythm, balance and line – those three things are the all-important triangle,” she says, warning that riders can be so keen to ride at speed, they lose their accuracy.

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Your complete guide to British Eventing’s two arena eventing series this winter

Pippa Roome — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 14:12:07 +0000

British Eventing has two arena eventing series running through the winter of 2025/2026, the Bates Saddles Arena Eventing competitions and the Harry Hall One Club – Anyone Can Event (ACE) series.

The two types of events have slightly different formats and each builds to its own championships. Read on for the full lowdown on each competition and then check out our arena eventing tips…

What is arena eventing?

As a general rule, arena eventing encompasses any competition that takes place in an arena, rather than over a full cross-country course, but which has elements of cross-country, as well as some showjumps. Some arena eventing takes place in all-weather arenas and other competitions are on grass.

There is no standard set of rules or format for arena eventing competitions, with different events run and judged in different ways.

The governing body for affiliated eventing in Britain, British Eventing (BE), has two arena eventing series running through this winter – slightly confusingly, one is actually called Arena Eventing and the other is called Anyone Can Event (ACE). Venues also run their own unaffiliated arena eventing competitions.

Southerly Roberts riding Tinx at the final of one of British Eventing’s previous arena eventing series, JAS (Jumping and Style), at Hartpury College. (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Bates Saddles Arena Eventing

Format

Classes run at 80, 90 and 100cm, with championships at the same level, plus there is a 1000pen class at the championships.

Riders jump eight to 10 showjumps, immediately followed by 10 to 12 solid cross-country fences, including a water obstacle, which may be a water tray. The course finishes with a showjump joker fence, which is about 10cm higher than the rest of the course.

Penalties are incurred in line with regular BE competitions, so four faults for a showjump down or a first refusal in that phase and 20 penalties for a refusal on the cross-country. Six penalties are given for knocking down the joker.

The winner is the competitor with the lowest number of penalties and in the event of a tie, the competitor who is closest to the optimum time has the advantage.

The highest-placed competitors in each qualifier class go through to the final, with the exact number depending on the number of starters.

What to wear arena eventing

Competitors must wear kit meeting the BE rules for cross-country. Stopwatches are not allowed.

When are the competitions?

The events take place between 8 November 2025 and 20 February 2026, with 54 fixtures scheduled at a wide variety of venues.

The final is at Aston-le-Walls in Northamptonshire, from 28 February to 1 March.

How much does Bates Saddles Arena Eventing cost?

Entry fees vary from venue to venue – for example, at the first four events of the season, the cost per class ranges from £19.50 to £48.

Who can take part?

Qualifiers are open to BE members and non-members. Riders must in their 12th birth year or older and horses must be at least five years old. Horses and ponies taking part must be at least 132cm for the 80cm and 90cm classes and at least 142cm for the 100cm classes.

At the championships, riders must be BE members and horses will need a free BE registration. Grade four horses, including downgraded horses, can compete in any class at the championship and horses with foundation points can enter any class. Horses above grade four – those who have BE points earned at novice or above – can only enter the 100open championship.

Riders who have completed an advanced, three-star, four-star or five-star in the current or two previous seasons may only take part in the 100open class at the championships.

Where to find more information

The Arena Eventing page of the BE website has all the dates, links to enter and more.

Nicki Grayson rides Rainstown Michael at a previous BE Arena Eventing Championships at Dallas Burston Polo Club (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Harry Hall One Club – Anyone Can Event (ACE)

Format

Classes are held at 60cm, 70cm, 80cm, 90cm and 100cm level. Combinations tackle six to eight showjumps and then eight to 10 simulated, knock-down cross-country fences, including a skinny and a corner.

Riders incur penalties matching those given for showjumping at regular BE competitions, so four faults for a knockdown or first refusal. The winners are the pair with the fewest penalties, with those on equal penalties split according to who is closest to the optimum time.

The top pairs in each class qualify for the final, with the number of qualifiers dependant on the number of starters.

Classes are split into under-18s and seniors or if amalgamated, BE will split the results and give qualifications as if it was too classes, if the venue supplies BE with the riders’ age categories.

In Scotland, classes are not split into under-18s and seniors. The top five in each height section at qualifiers qualify for the Scottish ACE Championships. In addition, the best-placed riders at Scottish qualifiers are invited to the championships at Aintree, in line with usual ACE rules.

There are also 110cm and 120cm classes at the Scottish Championships. There are no qualifiers for these – they are direct entry classes.

To enter the 110cm, riders must in the year of their 12th birthday and if in the year of their 12th or 13th birthday, they must have two minimum eligibility results at BE100 with their mount. To enter the 120cm class, the horse and rider combination must have completed three BE novice competitions with a clear cross- country.

What to wear to an ACE event

The rules say that at the championships, cross-country kit including body protectors and protective headwear to current guidelines must be worn. Stopwatches are not permitted.

No clothing guidance is given for the qualifiers in the rules, but cross-country kit, including body protectors and protective headwear to current guidelines, is usually standard for arena eventing. In addition, do check individual schedules to see if the venue specifies what to wear.

When are the competitions?

There are 87 qualifier across England, Scotland and Wales, running from 1 November 2025 to 10 May 2026.

The Harry Hall One Club ACE Championships will be held at Aintree Equestrian Centre, Liverpool, from 28-31 May 2026.

The BE Scotland ACE Championships run at the Scottish National Equestrian Centre, West Lothian, on 29 March 2026.

How much does Harry Hall One Club ACE cost?

Entry fees are set by individual venues – a glance at some upcoming fixtures shows prices from £14 to £30 per class.

Who can take part?

BE members and non-members can contest qualifiers, but everyone must be a BE member to be eligible for the championships. Riders must be 10 years old or older.

Horses must be five years old or older and at least 132cm for the 60cm, 70cm, 80cm and 90cm classes and 142cm for the 100cm. There are no restrictions in terms of horses’ experience – horses of any grade can contest the ACE championship classes.

Where to find more information

Check out the ACE page on the BE website.

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‘It is quite symbolic’: Paris medal winner tops thrilling indoor eventing class

Gemma Redrup — Sat, 08 Feb 2025 15:11:28 +0000

It was a case of saving the best till last in the Devoucoux Indoor Derby at the 2025 Jumping international De Bordeaux last night (7 February).

It was an all-French start list, with 15 event riders lining up to throw their hats into the ring, but it was the incredibly popular Karim Florent Laghouag, who was last to go, who clinched victory with a clear round in a time of 108.79 sec.

It marked a fifth victory in this class for Karim, but a first for his ride this year, Dream De Vieve, a 12-year-old owned by Philippe Lemoine, Guy Bessat, S.A.R.L. Ecurie Karim Laghouag and Jean Luc Force.

“Dream De Vieve is a horse I’ve been preparing for two years,” said Karim, who competed this horse in indoor cross-country competitions at this show in 2024, finishing 14th, and twice at Geneva, where they finished sixth in 2023 and ninth in 2024. “It’s the first time he has won an indoor cross-country and I’m particularly pleased that it’s here.”

The enthusiastic crowd cheered home every competitor around the track, which included both showjumps and cross-country fences with banks, corners and brush fences, but the roof was well and truly raised for Karim, who many last saw winning team silver at the Paris Olympics last summer, riding Triton Fontaine.

This was also a slightly emotional victory for Karim, given that his previous four victories in this class came with Punch De l’Esques, a former four-star winner, plus two top-10 places at five-star, as well as being part of the French team at two European Championships in 2013 and 2019, who retired upon winning this class in 2023.

“We said farewell to Punch’s career here with a final victory and Dream is getting his first win here, which is quite symbolic,” said Karim.

Fabrice Saintemarie and the very likeable grey César De Roy completed their round just prior to Karim entering the ring and went into the lead with just one to go. They jumped a very polished clear round in a time of 110.34 sec, only for Karim to go in and clock a time that was 1.5 sec faster.

Cupidon Du Cardonne was last seen when winning this class in 2024, but had to settle for third this year, clocking a time of 113.26 sec under Benjamin Massie.

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