Debate over eventing on surfaces or grass
Major investment highlights the pros and cons available to riders and show organisers for dressage and showjumping
A LEADING competition venue’s major investment has sparked debate on surfaces in eventing.
The College Equestrian Centre, Keysoe, is spending £750,000 on improvements including arenas, cross-country fences and improved drainage.
The plan has been welcomed and raised debate on whether eventing venues with surfaces are becoming more popular.
Keysoe owner Simon Bates said three 20x60m fibre surfaces will be ready for the dressage phase of the British Eventing (BE) fixture this weekend (5-7 May).
“When we had four sections on the surface and two on grass, people were always a bit unhappy if they were on the grass,” he said.
“We’re also doing a lot of drainage work, so will be able to open the cross-country course in February [in future years].”
FINDING A BALANCE
EVENTER Tina Canton, who specialises in producing young horses, likes a balance between events using surfaces and more traditional fixtures.
“You know what you’re getting, [on a surface],” said Tina, adding that jumping on boggy ground can add considerable effort in the showjumping, which is not ideal for horses stepping up a level.
“But I have a jumping field; if they’re going to be event horses, they have to jump on grass.”
Tina said venues like Aston-leWalls and Somerford Park Farm, which have cross-country fences on surfaces, have been very good for schooling this wet spring.
Nigel Taylor of Aston-le-Walls told H&H having surfaces meant the venue could step in when
others had to cancel. But it has not been completely immune to the weather; its March BE fixture was cancelled, as was an extra event.
But the venue ran two more days of affiliated classes following the cancellation of Whitfield, and was open for schooling all winter.
“If we didn’t have surfaces, we would not have been able to run the last two days when we took over from Whitfield,” said Nigel.
“World Class training has also taken place here; they know it won’t be concrete or in a bog, and young horses don’t slip.”
British Showjumping has venues offering grass and surfaces, but British Dressage is all on surfaces.
“We will affiliate shows on grass, we just don’t have any coming forward,” said a spokesman. “Surface is now the ‘norm’ in dressage due to its reliability and consistency.”
Sarah Hamlyn of BE said the organisation runs the majority of fixtures on grass.
“There are only about 20 venues that showjump on a surface,” she told H&H.
“Aston-le-Walls is the only oneday venue that can run dressage and showjumping on a surface.
“A large portion of venues with surfaces are colleges or equestrian centres, most constantly seeking to upgrade and weatherproof facilities. These form part of the rich variety of locations we are fortunate enough to have.
“One great aspect of eventing is being privileged to compete in wonderful places with superb backdrops and BE is committed to maintaining this diversity.”
Jan Cottam, organiser of Goring Heath and chairman of the British Event Organisers Association, is in favour of a mix.
“I wouldn’t like to see every event [use surfaces], I think it would price a lot of people out, but all praise to the ones that can,” she said. “There are a lot of ordinary events, including Goring, which run as a pop-up in a field; and that’s why every event is different, which is good education for young horses. Facing different questions is part of the challenge and that’s what makes our sport special.”