And they're off! Eventing kicks off today in Tokyo (Thursday, July 29 – 7:30 p.m. ET), with the first of three Olympic dressage sessions. Competitors from 29 nations will go head to head, vying for a spot on the coveted Olympic podium.
The Field:
The Officials:
New Format Explanation:
This year, there is a new eventing format, and only three riders will compete for a team. There is no drop score. However, there is an opportunity to substitute a horse and rider.
With the new format, the traveling reserve must pass both horse inspections, and they can be subbed into the competition up to two hours before the dressage phase begins, with no penalty to the team. The horse that the reserve replaces then becomes the new team reserve. So what happens next?
If all of the combinations make it through all three phases, their scores are combined, and they get a team score.
If a combination doesn't complete the dressage phase, 100 penalty points are added to the overall team score.
If a combination doesn't complete the cross-country phase, 200 penalty points are added to the overall team score.
At this point, the team has a few choices:
1. They can bring the reserve combination in and keep the penalties acquired from the incompletion, plus 20 more penalties for bringing in the reserve. Whatever penalties that reserve accumulates will also be added to the team's final score.
2. OR, the team can bypass the substitution and bring the eliminated or retired pair back into the competition with the non-completion penalties added to the score. There are exceptions to this if the horse suffers from an injury, disqualification, horse fall, or if the rider gets penalized because of unsafe or abusive riding. At this point, a substitution is also not allowed.
Only one substitution can be made per team, and it must be both horse AND rider. Substitutes made overnight between phases will only inquire 20 penalties. Only riders that compete in all three phases are eligible for individual medals.
Helpful Links:
The Full Schedule:
*(Note that days and times are provided in Eastern Daylight Time first and Japanese Standard Time second.)
Click here to view the official Olympic schedule.
Eventing Dressage Team and Individual Day 1 – Session 1
THURSDAY, JULY 29, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM (EDT)
FRIDAY, JULY 30, 8:30 AM – 11:00 AM (JST)
Eventing Dressage Team and Individual Day 1 – Session 2
FRIDAY, JULY 30, 4:30 AM – 7:10 AM (EDT)
FRIDAY, JULY 30, 5:30 PM – 8:10 PM (JST)
Eventing Dressage Team and Individual Day 2 – Session 3
FRIDAY, JULY 30, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM (EDT)
SATURDAY, JULY 31, 8:30 AM – 11:00 AM (JST)
Eventing Cross-Country Team and Individual
SATURDAY, JULY 31, 6:45 PM – 10:10 PM (EDT)
SUNDAY, AUGUST 1, 7:45 AM – 11:10 AM (JST)
Eventing Jumping Team Final and Individual Qualifier
Eventing Jumping Individual Final
Eventing Team Victory Ceremony
Eventing Individual Victory Ceremony
MONDAY, AUGUST 2, 4:00 AM – 9:25 AM (EDT)
MONDAY, AUGUST 2, 5:00 PM – 10:25 PM (JST)
The United States Eventing Association, Inc. (USEA) is thrilled to announce Canter Culture as a “Silver Sponsor for the USEA American Eventing Championships” taking place at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, Aug. 27-Sept. 1.
If you’re a new team setting out to compete in the 2024 USEA Intercollegiate and Interscholastic Eventing Championships in just a couple of weeks, preparing for the “happiest horse trial” in the U.S. may seem a bit daunting. With five components to the Spirit Award contest that require creativity and cohesion between team members, there is a lot that goes into preparing and packing to leave for the event.
Are you following along with the action from home this weekend? Or maybe you're competing at an event and need information fast. Either way, we’ve got you covered! Check out the USEA’s Weekend Quick Links for links to information including the prize list, ride times, live scores, and more for all the events running this weekend.
Since the mid-’80s, lifelong horsewoman and professional artist Debra Sue Waters has devoted countless hours to the sport of eventing, and last year topped the rankings of the USEA Volunteer Incentive Program in Area V. Assisting behind the scenes at an event just comes naturally to the Millsap, Texas, resident.