Eventing — also called combined training, or traditionally "military" in Dutch — is the discipline in which you ride dressage, cross-country, and show jumping with the same horse. If you're still unsure whether eventing is the right choice, read Choosing Between Jumping, Dressage, or Eventing first. This guide goes a step further: how do you actually get started with eventing?
The Three Phases in Brief
Eventing consists of three phases, usually ridden over one or more days, with the same horse and the same rider in all three:
| Phase | What it's about |
|---|---|
| Dressage | Precision and obedience in a test ridden in the arena |
| Cross-country | A course over fixed, natural obstacles in open terrain, against the clock |
| Show jumping | A course of knockable fences, often ridden as the final phase |
The final result is the sum of the penalty points from all three phases. Of the three, cross-country is the phase that makes eventing unique — and also the phase where safety and gradual progression matter most, because the obstacles are fixed and don't fall down if you make a mistake.
What It Asks of You and Your Horse
Eventing attracts riders who don't want to choose between disciplines, but it's also the most versatile and training-intensive of the three options. A few things that come into play:
- All-round riding ability. You need to be just as comfortable in the arena as in open terrain. A solid dressage foundation helps in all three phases.
- A brave but reliable horse. Courage counts for the cross-country, but a horse that listens at the right moment matters more than raw boldness.
- Fitness — for your horse and for yourself. The cross-country is physically the toughest phase; cantering over a longer course on varying terrain requires building up, not just on competition day but in your weekly training.
- Attention to safety as a fixed part of the sport, not an afterthought. Because the obstacles on cross-country are fixed, an approved body protector is standard there. See the guide on riding helmets, vests, and airbags for what to look for when buying one.
Building Up Step by Step
Most eventing beginners come from dressage or show jumping and build up their cross-country experience separately. A few building blocks that help:
- Start at the lowest level. Like dressage and show jumping, eventing has progressively higher classes. Start at the bottom and move up once dressage, cross-country, and show jumping are all going smoothly — not as soon as one phase goes well.
- Build confidence through standalone cross-country training sessions. Many riding schools and clubs with a cross-country course offer separate cross-country lessons, apart from a full competition. There you practice with fixed obstacles at a slower pace and without the pressure of a clock.
- Choose or borrow a horse that matches the level. A horse that has never seen a fixed obstacle shouldn't go straight onto a competition cross-country course. Discuss with your instructor which obstacles and what pace are appropriate for your horse's experience.
- Make sure your safety equipment is in order before you head out onto the course. An approved riding helmet and body protector belong at every cross-country training session, not just at competitions.
- Only ride your first show jumping phase in competition once you've mastered that phase separately. The techniques for eventing's jumping phase overlap with pure show jumping — the guide on walking a course explains how to learn to read a course on foot.
Build up with an emphasis on rhythm rather than speed: a horse and rider who build confidence step by step on the cross-country get further than a combination that attempts too high a level too soon.
The Netherlands and Belgium
Both in the Netherlands and in Belgium, eventing exists under the national federation, with its own structure of classes and licenses. For current levels, qualification requirements, and rules, this guide deliberately points to the official source rather than stating exact rules itself — these change from season to season:
- Netherlands: consult knhs.nl (the Dutch equestrian federation) for eventing rules, class structure, and how to apply for a start permit.
- Belgium (Flanders): consult Paardensport Vlaanderen (the Flemish equestrian federation) for Flemish rules and licensing requirements.
If you'd like to know more about how classes and start permits generally work, check the glossary for the competition level.
Common Misconceptions
- "Eventing is mainly a jumping discipline." Cross-country is the defining phase, not the show jumping. Anyone who only thinks about the jumping course underestimates what the cross-country demands of horse and rider.
- "A good show jumper is automatically a good cross-country horse." Jumping ability helps, but a horse also has to keep going in open terrain, over different surfaces, and with varying sightlines to an obstacle. That's a different skill from a course in the arena.
- "Safety equipment is for competition, not for training." Fixed obstacles don't fall down, not even during a practice session. The body protector belongs at every cross-country training session.
Summed Up
- Eventing combines dressage, cross-country, and show jumping with the same horse; cross-country is what makes the discipline unique.
- Start at the lowest level and build cross-country experience separately through standalone training sessions.
- A brave but reliable horse and good fitness matter more than speed.
- Safety equipment — the body protector in particular — is a fixed part of every cross-country training session, not just competition.
- For exact classes and rules: knhs.nl (Netherlands) or Paardensport Vlaanderen (Belgium).
See also: Choosing Between Jumping, Dressage, or Eventing · Your First Show Jumping Course · Riding Helmets, Vests, and Airbags · Level: First competitions