Bored at Home? Here’s an Online Event You Can Enter from Your Camera Roll

Tim Lips, shown here piloting Herby around the Young Horse World Championships, takes on judging duties. Photo by EquusPix.

Wouldn’t self-isolation be a bit of alright if we could all just crack on with our four-legged partners, whiling away long hours in the saddle, improving our performances for the restart of the season? Unfortunately, life in a pandemic isn’t quite so straightforward, and for a variety of reasons – temporary stable closures, bans in certain countries, or a desire not to burden health services – many riders are finding themselves grounded for now. While a spate of remote coaching and competing opportunities have started popping up online, few of them have catered to the widening demographic of horse people without a horse to ride. That’s why we’re particularly excited about a three-week, three-phase event that’s being held by the Netherlands’ Bavaria 0.0 Event Team. This star-studded team, helmed by Olympian Tim Lips, is in charge of the judging, and you – wherever you may be based – are the field of entrants.

The process? Simple. This week is dressage week, and today is the deadline to submit a 60-second video of yourself riding on the flat at home. To submit, simply upload your video to Facebook or Instagram with the hashtags #onlineeventingcompetition and #bavaria00eventingteam, and tag the Bavaria 0.0 Event Team if you’re on Facebook, or @eventing_team if you’re on Instagram. Make sure your post is public so they can see it. Then, pop your video in an email to [email protected] with the subject line “Online Eventing Competition” and your name.

Dressage videos will be assessed on Monday, the 6th of April, and then you’ll be able to post your 60-second showjumping entry. Entries can be submitted from 10.00 a.m. Dutch time (9.00 a.m. BST/4.00 a.m. Eastern) on the 6th of April until 18.00 Dutch time (17.00 BST/12.00 p.m. Eastern) on the 10th of April. Finally, 60-second cross-country videos can be submitted from 10.00 a.m. Dutch time (9.00 a.m. BST/4.00 a.m. Eastern) on the 13th of April until 18.00 Dutch time (17.00 BST/12.00 p.m. Eastern) on the 17th of April. Final assessments will take place on the 20th of April, after which a slew of excellent prizes will be awarded, including…

• 1st place: a CWD martingale and a full set of Air Tech eventing boots from Kentucky Horsewear
• 2nd place: a sweet iron loose ring snaffle, single or double jointed from TRUST and a high-quality garment from Onori Fashion & Gifts
• 3rd place: a bag of Blue Hors goodies from Welfare Horse & Care
• Overall originality prize: a pair of breeches from Petrie

So how does this cater to a grounded rider? Well, while the competition has been designed for those who can specially record a video, the guidelines are gentle enough to allow for other submissions, as long as you follow a few rules.

• Videos must have been taken at the yard – no travelling allowed
• Videos from lessons or shows are not eligible
• All three phases must be completed aboard the same horse
• Bavaria beer for the best rider over 18

Other than that, those 60 seconds are yours to play with: you can show off exactly what you and your horse do best. If you’ve got a video from a previous schooling session that fits the bill, that’s great – consider yourself part of the show! Full terms and further information can be found here.

Here’s how entrants will be judged:

Dressage

The participant is allowed to submit a video of a maximum of 60 seconds. In this video, the participant can show at whatever the dressage level of the combination is. That could be a walk-trot test, or you might want to show off your upper-level movements. Emphasize your strong points.

The participant is assessed on:

• Riding skills and effectiveness of the aids
• The straightness and relaxation of the pony/horse
• The posture and seat of the rider