The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
David’s had an eventful 15 years being a steward at horse trials
Farmer fits in unpaid British Eventing role with working 630 acres at Ethiebeaton with his brother, John
Every week, from spring through to autumn, hundreds of horses and riders take part in British Eventing (BE) horse trials throughout the UK, but how many appreciate the amount of work that goes in to running these events?
Angus farmer, David Reid has been a BE steward for 15 years and the buck stops with him when it comes down to important decisions regarding whether an event should be abandoned due to weather conditions, health and safety of the arenas and cross-country courses and rider complaints.
David, who farms 630 acres at Ethiebeaton, Monifieth, along with his brother, John, had never considered stewarding but was keen to give something back to a sport he’s enjoyed for years. He competed up to two-star level on Phineas Fox in the ’90s and his wife, Jane, regularly competes on the circuit.
Although he is unpaid for his BE job, David loves it and said he and Jane have made many friends through eventing.
His first event in 2003 was Bold Heath, near Liverpool, and the farthest he has travelled is to Dauntsey Park in Wiltshire. He covers about seven or eight BE events a year, as well as being a steward for several international events, including Burghley and Bramham, although he has to fit them round busy times, such as sowing and harvesting on the farm.
The 2018 eventing season got off to a terrible start, with many events cancelled due to the weather, so David’s first horse trials were at Kirriemuir. He and the BE technical adviser (TA) designated to Kirriemuir, Douglas Edwards, from Forgandenny, visited the site the week before to check the siting of the dressage and showjumping arenas and that the cross-country course met the stringent standards and rules of BE.
The day before an event, the duo walk the site and the cross-country course checking heights, distances and flagging, as well as safety issues, such as take-off and landing, making recommendations to the organisers so that they can have the course ready to walk by competitors by 2pm.
On competition day, David is always on site by 7am to check in with the secretary and scorers and pick up the allimportant two-way radio.
He said: “I like to meet the dressage judges and have to check that veterinary and medical cover are there before I give the go-ahead to start at 8am.”
The queries don’t usually start until after 12 noon, when the first results come in. David said the most common complaint is from riders who have been given 20 penalties for a stop or step back at a fence when they don’t accept that they have made a mistake.
He said: “I always listen to the competitor and investigate the complaint by speaking to the jump judge to establish what happened. Sometimes my decision is in favour of the rider, but it is impossible to keep everyone happy all the time.”
Fairness and diplomacy are key to David’s job and he admits to spending quite a lot of time smoothing things over at events but says eventing has come a long way in recent years, not only in terms of safety, but also in accuracy of timing, and jump judges are usually experienced and always well briefed.
He added: “With the advent of 80cm and 90cm classes, eventing has opened up to a whole new range of less experienced riders who sometimes need some guidance on the rules and etiquette of the sport.”
There are seldom serious issues but BE has an incident list and a discipline list, and riders who are seen to be abusing rules can be put on either list for a year so that they can be watched by TAs and stewards at other events and further action taken if necessary.
As an FEI steward, David has attended some of the biggest events in the sport including the European Championships when they were held at Blair Castle in 2015.
He said: “I was absolutely exhausted when this finished, as the weather was appalling and we had a lot of difficult decisions to make. Blair is an exceptional event, as there are so many sections and classes but usually being an FEI steward at the bigger events in the south is an easier job as there are fewer competitors.”