In it for the long haul

It may have fallen out of favour at the elite level but long-format three-day eventing is still proving popular with grassroots riders

- William Cursham

IT IS 8.30am on a beautifully crisp October's morning. A group of horses and riders circle in anticipation on a hillside, looking out over the hills and valleys of East Devon. Wisps of autumnal mist drift across the landscape. My horse, a seasoned hunter and hunting correspondent's horse, is staring intently at the wood at the bottom of the valley, scanning to see the red-coated huntsman and his hounds emerge.

Yet there was no huntsman, no hounds and no horn. Instead, we were waiting to start the first roads and tracks stage of a unique horse trial: the Redpost Equestrian BE100 and BE90 Three Day Event at Bicton International Horse Trials. Held under the auspices of British Eventing, this is the only long-format three-day event that survives in the British Eventing calendar. It is run at grassroots level (BE100 and BE90 refers to the maximum fence heights, 100cm and 90cm respectively), and gives amateur riders the opportunity to experience a format that once graced the golden era of eventing.

It is a long-format three-day event, in which crosscountry comprises four phases: phase A, known as roads and tracks; phase B, which is a steeplechase course; phase C, another (and slightly longer) roads and tracks; and, finally, phase D, the cross-country course. Collectively, these four phases are known as the speed and endurance test.