National Capital Horse Trials Association
Eventing in the Nation's Capital
There have been a few changes to the draw, as there have been some scratchings, but your times have not changed. If you want a second round, please come and find Kate and she’ll work it out.
This is a video from 4 years ago – breaking up the ice in the water jump!
The course will consist of 15 cross country obstacles, all with a 60 cm option and with several also including options at 80 cm and/or 95 cm.
∙ The optimum time will be calculated at a speed of 350 metres per minute (the usual pace for 60 cm cross country).
∙ Time will be taken when the second rider crosses the finish line and time penalties will be calculated in the normal way for unofficial eventing (i.e. penalties for being more than 20 seconds inside the optimum time as well as for exceeding that time).
∙ Refusals will be penalised in the normal way, with three refusals at a single fence (by the same horse) constituting elimination for the pair who must then leave the course at a walk.
∙ Similarly, any fall of horse or rider constitutes elimination.
∙ There is no set number of total refusals allowed on course by the pair collectively, but the XC controllers reserve the right to pull up any competitors who they believe are not coping safely with the course and ask them to leave at a walk.
∙ Three of the obstacles will be designated as Dressing Fences, where the object is for the two riders to jump as closely as possible together, with marks (0-10) being awarded based on how closely synchronised the jumps are. The fence judges’ decisions on these marks are NOT subject to any form of appeal.
∙ Any time and/or jumping penalties incurred will be deducted from the Dressing Marks and the winning Pair will be the one with the highest score.
| Class | Dressage | SJ | XC |
| 60 2020 Eventing Test A | Sat PM | Sun PM | Sun AM |
| 80 2020 Eventing Test A | Sat AM | Sat PM | Sat PM |
| 95 2020 Eventing Test A | Sat AM Jnrs PM | Sat PM | Sun AM |
| 1* Test A | Sat PM | Sun AM | Sun AM |
| 2* FEI CCI 2* Test A (new 2022) | Sat PM | Sun PM | Sun AM |
The venue is looking brilliant and we can’t wait for you all to join us here in the nation’s capital!
Remember that we have a record number of tradestands attending the event.
FEED delivery:
We are very pleased that Neigh Hay are providing feed/shavings delivery service for those attending the event.
Visit their website to order, and select delivery to NCHTA
https://neighhay.com.au/about-us-horse-hay-sale-canberra/
On the 11th of December, NCHTA is hosting a XC day. The course will be flagged for the EvA60 to 1* courses. The course is a shortened course for the 80 – 1* courses in that the course will finish at the stone apex.
Many hands will be needed to get the course ready – as you can imagine the grass growth is pretty impressive!
If you’re wondering why not whole XC isn’t being used, here’s one reason:
Flagging and preparing the course will be underway in the week leading up to the 11th, so please put aside some time to help.
For experienced, confident competitors such as Sam Lyle, Natalie Blundell or Shane Rose, approaching an official about a concern regarding the XC course might be an easy thing to do.
For a junior competitor doing their first EvA95 competition it can be a lot more daunting.
Since mid-2017 it has been the practice of all eventing competitions in Australia, whether national or international, to appoint rider representatives to assist in communication between officials, OC and competitors.
The rider rep is intended to be an approachable point of contact for all competitors to raise concerns, about any aspect of the competition (but most often the XC course), and also constitute a sounding board for officials when changes to the competition details or program are being considered during the event.
Of course all competitors continue to have the right to go directly to officials to raise any aspect of concern.
Who are the rider reps at Canberra?
| Class | Rep and contact number |
| EvA60 | Kim Leibowitz 0410 523 376 |
| EvA80 | Merran Wallis 0407 530 837 |
| EvA95 | Merran Wallis 0407 530 837 |
| 1* | Deon Stokes 0407 775 026 |
| 2* | Alex Townsend 0417 411 729 |
How are my questions/concerns dealt with?
Your rider rep will discuss your concerns/questions with event officials, jointly arrive at a resolution and they will discuss the outcome with you. If the resolution requires a change to the course then event officials will also advise all competitors as appropriate.
When can I raise concerns?
For practical reasons concerns/questions regarding the XC are best raised as early as possible, to allow time for modifications if required. But notwithstanding this, concerns regarding the safety of the XC course will be listened to at any time.
What other roles does the rider rep perform?
The rider rep is often consulted when changes need to be made to the program, eg when flooded arenas after wet weather may require a change in the program times.
A key aspect of competition management is feedback to enable improvement for future events – after every event, the rider reps are asked to complete a report that comments on all aspects of the event including facilities, timetabling and importantly feedback on the XC course. These reports will be discussed by Officials/OCs and State Eventing Committees to improve future events.
To make this part of the job easier, several states are currently trialling an electronic reporting system.
Risk reduction is a team activity – Rider Reps play a key role in helping you
Reason for Role:
Rider representatives are a key link between officials and competitors at Events. In particular they represent an approachable point for all competitors, to raise concerns about any aspect of the competition, (but most often the XC course) and also constitute a sounding board for officials when changes to the competition details or program are being considered during the event. It is important to note that the role of the rider’s rep does not prevent any competitor from approaching officials or OC directly with a concern.
Key Responsibilities:
Selection Criteria for Organising Committees
Appointment of athlete reps is at the discretion of the organising committee (with the assistance of the TD) – some of the criteria that may be applied are:
Communication
As well as being able to buy new and exciting horse gear, we will also have a stall at the event to raise funds for those affected by the WA bush fires.
As most of you are aware, and probably all should be aware – the sport of eventing is governed by Equestrian Australia – and there are some very dedicated souls who volunteer their time to attend competitions to ensure that the rules are upheld. These people are called Stewards, and they are very familiar with the 150 odd pages of the Equestrian Australia National Eventing Rules. This in itself is an admirable feat.
While we don’t expect every rider to know all the rules, it is worthwhile remembering that the core value of these are to put the welfare of the horse at the forefront. So if you wish to argue the rules with a Steward, Technical Delegate or another volunteer at an event – remember that they are simply there to adhere to the rules which the peak body has deemed appropriate to fulfil this purpose.
…..all those involved in international equestrian sport to adhere to the FEI Code of
Conduct and to acknowledge and accept that at all times the welfare of the Horse must be paramount. Welfare of the Horse must never be subordinated to competitive or commercial influences……
To summarise the new rules about hind boots – here is a link to an article posted somewhere on the internet:
Please ensure your helmet and back protector meet the required standards!
Here are the PDFs with the standards listed.
National Capital Horse Trials Association 