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The equestrian sport of Eventing comprises three phases: dressage, showjumping and cross-country, which test horse and rider skills and abilities in different ways. (Both dressage and showjumping exist as competitive disciplines in their own right, but only eventing combines them and cross-country in a single competition). Competitions are called 'horse trials' and take place over one or more days, hence 'one-day event' (ODE), 'three-day event'.

There will usually be several classes at an event, each graded according to difficulty, complexity and/or duration, and run under either national rules (the UK governing body is British Eventing) or international rules (the FEI, or International Equestrian Federation). In the UK there are six levels of affiliated eventing to cater for all levels of horse and rider: BE80(T) (the 'T' stands for Training), BE90 (formerly 'Intro'), BE100 (formerly 'Pre-Novice'), Novice, Intermediate and Advanced. International classes are graded with a star system from * to *****. A five-star competition is the highest level of eventing. There are only seven such competitions in the world, two of which are held in the UK: Badminton in the spring and Burghley in the autumn.

Scoring is on a cumulative penalty basis. In dressage, each movement is scored out of ten, with the total being added up and converted to a penalty. In showjumping, penalties are awarded for fences knocked down and also for exceeding the time limit. In the cross-country phase, penalties are awarded for a variety of infractions such as refusals, falls, circling between lettered obstacles, and exceeding the optimum time. The competitor with the fewest penalties at the end is the winner of the section.

For more information see:
British Eventing website Link
Eventing entry in Wikipedia Link

An obstacle with a drop in the middle, to be cleared in a single jump. Inexperienced or nervous horses and riders tend to glance down into a ditch, which can unbalance or unnerve them, so they should be ridden assertively and with the rider focusing ahead.