2019 International Eventing Forum Will Emphasize ‘Better’ Education

Charlie Unwin speaking at the 2017 IEF. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The countdown is on for the 2019 International Eventing Forum (IEF), which will take place on Feb. 4, 2019, at Hartpury College in Gloucestershire, England. Since its inception in 2004, the IEF has grown  into a top pre-season educational event in the UK that consistently brings together an all-star lineup of top equine professionals.

This year’s IEF theme of “Better — Not More Education” will address the concept that not all training is created equal: “Training can only be of value if pupils are in a receptive place and educators understand what is of value to teach. So often pupils think that just because they are there and attend training, things get better! Training and trainers so often go through the motions with little perception that they are in fact making things worse, because they are confusing the message.”

The talented dressage duo of Adam Kemp and Matt Frost, who founded AM Dressage in 2009, will kick off the IEF with their session “Simple Still Works.” British Eventing Team performance manager Dickie Waygood will then speak on “Direct Riding.”

Following the lunch break, international course designer Tom Holden will team up with former show jumping world champion Dermott Lennon for “The Jumping Test” and “The Solution” in the feature afternoon session.

Tickets cost £55 at the door and £40 for groups of more than 20. Click here to book tickets.

EN’s UK correspondent Tilly Berendt and guest columnist William Micklem have covered the IEF for EN for the past two years. Be sure to revisit their coverage for a bit of light winter reading:

2017:

Dismantling Limits: Dispatches from the 2018 International Eventing Forum, Part I

Building the Right Foundation: Dispatches from the International Eventing Forum, Part II

Blueprints for Success: Dispatches from the 2018 International Eventing Forum, Part III

2016:

Christoph Hess on Working with the ‘Not So Good’ Dressage Horse

Fittening the Event Horse a Hot Topic at International Eventing Forum

Indoor Cross Country Preparation with Andrew Nicholson