Australian International 3 Day Event – Adelaide’s Best Kept Secret!
Horse Cultures of the World
Hey Globetrotters, did you know that an FEI Classics Series three-day event happens right in our backyard every year? Right in Adelaide’s backyard, to be precise! Every November, the parklands that circle Adelaide’s CBD are taken over by this internationally significant equestrian competition.
Three-day eventing, commonly called eventing, originated as a way to test military charging horses and has developed into a sport enjoyed by everyone from professionals to weekend riders. It’s also the only Olympic equestrian sport where men and women compete on equal ground! In eventing, horse and rider compete over three phases: dressage, cross country and showjumping. These phases are completed over three days, with penalty scores tallied for each test. The horse and rider with the lowest total score wins.
The FEI Classics series unites the world’s four star eventing competitions, helping to progress the sport by bringing riders from opposite sides of the world together to compete. Alongside the Adelaide event, the circuit includes France, the USA, Germany and two events in Great Britain. The series also plays a big role in Olympic team selection.
The Australian International 3 Day Event is unique: it is the only CCI four star event held in the southern hemisphere, and the only one held in the heart of a city! A short walk from the bustle of Rundle Street along wide, redgum-lined roads will bring you to the entrance. Whether you’re completely new to eventing or a top-grade eventer yourself, Adelaide’s competition will be a stand-out memory for many years to come. Eventing is a great spectator sport – every day you get to witness a different competition, and following the same riders and horses from day one to day three is truly riveting. Plus, Adelaide really pulls out the big guns on entertainment, with amazing expos and masterclasses, meet and greets, parties, a huge range of equestrian shops and some pretty drool-worthy food trucks. The VIP tent is definitely the place to be if you like a bit of luxury – waiters serving cocktails, neverending platters of gourmet nibbles and huge screens following the action wherever it goes. Day two is unmissable: elite horses and riders galloping around a seven-kilometre cross country course that crosses roads, lakes, creeks and no less than 60 handcrafted obstacles!
Have you been to the Australian International 3 Day Event? Do you reckon you might make the trek this year? Let us know in the comments!
References: Equestrian Australia, Alexander Knowles Eventing and Australian International 3 Day Event.
Image credits: Rowena Edwards, Australian International 3 Day Event.
