Eventing is the ultimate test of horse and rider comprising three disciplines - Dressage, Show Jumping and Cross-Country, the scores from each test combining to produce an overall total. Sometimes referred to as Horse Trials, the sport originally evolved from the training of cavalry horses. The sport is rather like the pentathlon in that it combines different disciplines in one competition and is run on a cumulative penalty basis. The competitor with the least penalties at the end is the winner.

The first test is Dressage, which comprises a set sequence of compulsory movements in an arena 20 metres wide and 40 metres long (60 metres at higher levels of competition). The test is judged by one or more judges who are looking for balance, rhythm and suppleness and, most importantly, obedience of the horse and its harmony with the rider.

The Show Jumping phase is one round of jumping with a maximum time allowed and the objective is to jump all the fences clear inside the time. The fences are not as high as top level show-jumping but are quite substantial for horses which are not specialists at show-jumping. Fences knocked down and refusals incur penalties as does exceeding the time allowed.

The third phase is the Cross-Country where a course of natural obstacles has to be jumped - again inside an optimum time. Being over the time incurs penalties and being well under it is of no benefit and unnecessarily tires the horse. Stopping at obstacles or falling off also incurs penalties.

All horses need to build up their levels of skill. The sport has different levels of competition: Novice, Intermediate and Advanced through which horses progress as they score points and gain experience.

This leads to an interesting feature of the sport which is that all riders compete in Novice classes with the top riders on their young horses competing often against relatively inexperienced riders who can and do beat them on occasions. Also men and women compete on equal terms - there are no distinctions or single sex classes.

A typical One Day event affiliated to British Eventing with an independent organiser requires in addition to the facilities to accommodate all three phases, a supporting team of some 200 officials and helpers, the majority of whom will be voluntary, devoting much time and effort for the love of the sport.