Date: 18/19th November 2017
Running order of Divisions: Saturday: CIC3*, Sunday CIC2*, CIC1*
Arena: 300ft x 280ft. Grass
Starters/Clear Rounds:
CCI 1*– 74/29 plus 1 with time faults (39%)
CCI 2* – 33/11 (33%)
CIC 3* – 33/7 plus 6 with time faults (39%)
The timetable of this Event allows the Course Designer some flexibility in making changes between Divisions, despite the fact that the Cross-Country course goes through the show jumping arena. The show jumping of the Three Star is held after the Cross-Country on Saturday, while their Cross-Country goes through the arena between the show jumping of the One and Two Star Divisions on Sunday.
These breaks give enough time for changes to be made without upsetting the timetable. While most of the show jumps are in the same place for each Division, moving the first fence of the One Star to make the new second fence of the Two Star, gives a whole new feel, and more technicality, to the Two Star.
The triple combination and double for all three Divisions was oxer/vertical/vertical and vertical/vertical. While this is fine for the lower Divisions I would have liked to have seen another oxer in the triple for the Three Star.
An interesting alternative was included in the Three Star course at fence 4, but taking the long route around fence 7 would have added time, to what seems to have been a fairly accurate wheeled track, with half of the competitors picking up time faults. This is possibly why the short route was the preferred one.
Reading the Course Designers notes on the Event I also found it interesting that there had been some discussion with the riders on the time allowed at events. Looking back over the Events that I have reviewed, this year, I do notice that some results show no time faults while others like this Event, show quite a few. These results would appear to be inconsistent.
The speed of F.E.I. One Star and Two Star Divisions, like Preliminary and Intermediate Divisions at National level, are run at 350 metres/minute, while Three Star and Advanced Divisions are run at 375m/m.
Providing the track has been measured correctly at the lower levels, 350 m/m should not be a problem for riders to complete within the time, unless they add strides in lines, or go very wide at the ends of the arena. 375m/m is slightly different. For a course of 500 meters this means that the same track has to be ridden at least five seconds faster to get within the time allowed, had it been set at the 350m/m speed.
I do not think that time in show jumping should be the deciding factor, like on Cross-Country courses, but especially at the higher levels, it should still be a factor. However, I have seen some courses this year in Europe, which competitors have had to ride at 400m/m to get within the time, which has but too much emphases on it.
Richard Jeffery
USEF Eventing Show Jumping Course Advisor
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