Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games
Oct 27, 2009 4:36 PM
The Kentucky Horse Park, near Lexington, KY, will welcome the largest equine event in U.S. history and the largest sporting event in Kentucky history when it hosts the Alltech Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) World Equestrian Games September 25 to October 10, 2010. Tickets are now available for this opportunity to see the most elite equine athletes from around the globe compete on U.S. soil.
The 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany, drew approximately 800 athletes and 850 horses competing in front of an estimated 570,000 spectators over the course of the 15-day event. A similarly large crowd of horse enthusiasts is expected to attend the 2010 event.
The FEI World Equestrian Games are comprised of the world championships for eight equestrian sports. The Games are held every four years, two years prior to the Olympic Games, and are governed by the FEI. The eight sports are Dressage, Driving, Endurance, Eventing, Jumping, Para Dressage, Reining, and Vaulting.
Dressage is a French term meaning “training” and is often described as “horse ballet.” Horses perform gaits and movements at the highest level, or Grand Prix, which includes collected and extended walk, trot and canter; trot and canter half-pass; passage (a slow-motion trot); piaffe (a trot in place); one- and two-tempi changes (a “skip” as the horse changes leads in the canter); canter “zigzags,” and pirouettes.
Driving competitions are held for teams of four horses. Two days are dedicated to dressage, one to marathon, and the last to driving an intricate course marked by cones. The lowest total cumulative faults from all three tests determine the individual and team championships.
Endurance is a competition very much like a marathon race. Horses must run a course in the shortest time possible. In addition to the titles of individual and team champion, the Veterinary Commission will elect the horse deemed to be in the best condition from among the 10 fastest athletes in the classification.
Eventing is sometimes called the “equestrian triathlon.” It involves working with a horse both on flat, level ground and jumping over fences. The three phases of Eventing are dressage, endurance (or cross-country), and show jumping. The competition originated centuries ago as a test of the ideal military charger.
Show jumping events involve jumping a course of 10 to 13 obstacles within an allotted window of time with no penalties. The penalties, called “faults,” are incurred if a horse knocks down a rail, refuses to jump, or falls at an obstacle or jump. Penalties also can accumulate if riders fail to complete the course in the allotted time.
Para Dressage competitions will be held at the FEI World Equestrian Games for the first time at the 2010 event. The event is a dressage competition for riders with disabilities.
Reining is a judged event designed to show the athletic ability of a ranch-type horse. Contestants are required to work one of 10 approved patterns, including small, slow circles; flying lead changes; rollbacks over the hocks; 360-degree spins done in place; and exciting, sliding stops.
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