Established in 1988.
Home of the oldest Horse Trials in Aiken.
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History of Eventing
In Germany, this equestrian sport is still called the "Militaire," under which name it was first introduced at the Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1912.
The tests of this newly organized equestrian competition were patterned after the training and testing of military chargers — precision, elegance, and obedience on the parade ground; stamina,
versatility and courage on marches and in battle; cross-country jumping ability and endurance in traveling great distances over difficult terrain and formidable obstacles in the relaying of important dispatches; and jumping ability in the arena to prove the horse's fitness to remain in service.
Spread over consecutive days, it was a complete test for the Army horse, and in fact only Army officers on active duty were allowed to compete in the first Olympic Three-Day Event, and they had to be mounted on military chargers. Because the competition took place over three days, the English coined the descriptive term "Three-Day Event," and the sport of Eventing became firmly entrenched in the equestrian activities of Great Britain.
We Americans adopted the English terminology and developed a general term, "combined training," for this activity that is a combination of disciplines and training methods in the development of a well rounded riding horse. "Horse Trials" present the core of the Three-Day Event — Dressage, Cross-Country and Show Jumping — usually taking place over one or two days.It is the French, with their musical and literal language, who have provided the term that is most apropos of the essence of the sport today. Known as the Concours Complet d'Equitation, or "complete equestrian competition," this in fact is what the Three-Day Event is: a comprehensive test of all-around horsemanship of the rider and ability of the horse.
The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), the international equestrian federation that governs the sport, states that the object of the competition is to "show the rider's spirit, boldness, and perfect knowledge of his horse's paces and their use across country, and to show the condition, handiness, courage, jumping ability, stamina, and speed of the well trained horse."We invite you to come to Sporting Days Farm Horse Trials and witness one event, three disciplines, testing the resolve of the timeless partnership between horse and rider. It is the ultimate test of horse and rider, bringing together athletes throughout the world to build upon an uncommon bond between man and one of nature’s most magnificent creatures.