DRESSAGE is a display of skill, control, suppleness and obedience.  Horses should ‘dance’ around the arena with the ease and grace of a ballet dancer.  To reach the top levels takes years of  training, not only to learn the complicated movements but also to build up the muscle strength essential to succeed.  A beautiful horse performing a good dressage test is a joy to watch.

CROSS COUNTRY is certainly the ‘crowd pleaser’.  The exciting, exhiliarating and certainly most dangerous part of this sport.  Horses and riders must show tremendous courage and trust in one another.  At the same time, the horse must be fast across the country,scopey enough to jump the huge drops and ditches as well as being manouverable and obedient around the ever increasing twists, turns and ‘skinny’ fences we are now faced with.  Nothing gives you the same feeling as completing a great cross country round, and nothing is as compelling to watch.

SHOWJUMPING  involves much of the same skills as dressage, the horse must be supple, obedient and above all careful.  In addition the rider has to keep their cool in a very tense atmosphere and have a good eye for a stride.  To achieve a clear round on a tired event horse is a far greater challenge than jumping a foot higher on a horse bred to showjump!  The showjumping phase of a three day event notoriously has the crowd on the edge of their seats, and all owners and supporters on tenterhooks.