Horses, riders compete at 2016 Fair Hill International

0 Comment Olympics, Sports, The Baltimore Sun

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Photos and text by Kenneth K. Lam

The 28th running of the Fair Hill International at Fair Hill Natural Resource Management Area was a three-day event and one of four CCI Three-Star events in the country.

Eventing (also known as horse trials or equestrian triathlon) is an event where a single horse and rider combination compete across the three disciplines of dressage, cross-country and show jumping.

Dressage let the horse show its ability to perform intricate and precise movements in an enclosed parade arena.

Cross-country, the most exciting for spectators and challenging for the horses, tests a horse’s speed, endurance, jumping ability and bravery over various terrain and obstacles.

Show jumping on the final day of the three days tests the horse’s stamina and recovery from the endurance of the cross-country phase to show that it is fit to continue work.

Eventing became an Olympic sports in 1912 and women were allowed to compete in 1964. It is one of the few Olympic sports in which men and women can compete directly against each other.

There were over 160 horse/rider combinations competing in four different levels and thousands of spectators attended the three-days event at Fair Hill, Maryland.