What IS a 3 Day Event you say? Well eventing is one of the most prestegious, exciting, and dagerous of the equitation activities. It all starts with years and years of training, for both the horse and the rider.

The actual competition starts with dressage on the first day, followed by cross country the next day, and ending with stadium jumping the final day.

Dressage is well-like dancing on horseback. The horse and rider are communicating so well that is looks like they are just floating on air-not completing high levels of equtation movements. The horse and rider are judged on the smoothness and ability that they complete a pattern designed to be very difficult and challenging.

The next day is one of endurance, skills for jumping, and the knowledge that only comes from years of practice and participation. It's cross country time! This is the most exciting of the 3 days. The competitors have to complete several test of endurance, starting with roads and tracks, moving on to a steeplechase, and then more roads and tracks. Finally, it's time for the actual cross country course. It's several miles over 33 prestiegous solid jumps, under 11 minutes!  Some of the jumps are as high as 3' 11" with a 6' spread, and a 6' 6" drop!  The only pinalties in cross country are for falls {inwhich if it was the horse's fault, you are eleminated} refusles, and time pinalties.

The last day of the competion is stadium jumping. This is the final test of the horses endurance and odedience to the rider after the strenuous cross country course the day before. The horse should be able to keep form, at a collected pace to jump the higher more delicate stadium jumps. The competitors have to jump a course of about 17 jumps, under a set time. The jumps on this course are made of rails, or poles that are resting on a ridge. For every rail the horse knocks down, they get a pinalty. They also get pinalties for being slower than the allowed time.