Equestrian FEI Eventing Nations Cup 2019

[Vojthas 949]

Just now, dcro said:

 

Yes, it's a common occurance in the short format events (short format meaning 6-7 minutes long cross-country). These events do not require post-XC inspection, which allows the organizers to play around with the schedule. Therefore, they often prefer to end the competition with the most popular phase...

 

Short formats are also often held over just two days. Sometimes even just one, if only a few combinations are entered.

How would it be with the inspection if the cross was always, also in long format, the final event? I mean would there be a need of it as the horse doesn't start anymore in the competition?

Edited September 21, 2019 by Vojthas

[dcro 10,211]

10 minutes ago, Vojthas said:

How would it be with the inspection if the cross was always, also in long format, the final event? I mean would there be a need of it as the horse doesn't start anymore in the competition?

 

Well, the long format is the "real" format of eventing. Events are scheduled in particular order for a reason, and one of the main principles of the event is that a horse needs to stay fit and sound after the cross-country effort, and that it needs to be able to come back the next day and carefully jump over delicate obstacles. Jumping becomes more challenging after going all-out on the cross-country, as horses tend to lose their shape over the obstacles.

 

Short formats (and other formats, like the combined format) are used as stepping stones, or for a training, on the way to the ultimate goal of eventing... For example, next year pretty much everyone who is going to Tokyo will enter a short format a couple of weeks before, just as a final preparation.

Edited September 21, 2019 by dcro

[dcro 10,211]

Heffernan picked up a refusal two fences from home... This could prove very expensive for the Dutch.

[dcro 10,211]

Final results:

 

106.50

131.00

146.90

148.20

153.00

166.80

167.50

174.20

 

The end was very dramatic. Netherlands was on the way to 2nd or 3rd place, which would probably secure Olympic qualification, but then disaster struck as Tim Lips took a dive on the final water.

 

So, this is how the Olympic qualification battle looks like now (discard scores are listed in brackets).

 

320 (45)

305 (50)

300 (0)

 

Final stage in Boekelo will be held using the new Olympic format, meaning teams of 3 + substitutions.

[dcro 10,211]

Apparently the organizers will offer free cross-country tickets to everyone who wears orange colors. All to give the extra support to the Dutch, who are chasing the last available Olympic ticket.

 

Edited October 4, 2019 by dcro

[Olympian1010 8,301]

Just now, dcro said:

Apparently the organizers will offer free cross-country tickets to everyone who wears orange colors. All to give the extra support to the Dutch, who are chasing the last available Olympic ticket.

 

Asking the Dutch to wear orange in public is like asking Brazilians to attend a free football draw 

Edited October 4, 2019 by Olympian1010

[dcro 10,211]

Entries have been revealed.

 

Aside from hosting the final NC stage, Boekelo will also serve as the final test event for the new Olympic competition format. This means teams of 3 + substitution.

 

Because of this, Boekelo will have record participation all season, with 12 nations entered - . This is great news for the current OQ leaders from Switzerland. If NED/BEL finish 6th or lower, then Switzerland is assured of qualification irregardless of their own result.

[dcro 10,211]

Standings after Dressage...

 

78.10

89.70

90.20

92.50

93.40

93.50

98.30

98.80

100.80

101.20

105.20

109.50

Cross-country is scheduled for Saturday... All three team rotations will go back-to-back, so it promises to be quite a thriller.

[dcro 10,211]

New Olympic competition format explained...

 

Quote

Let’s start by demystifying the format a little bit. The first thing you need to know is that the teams will be smaller – we’re used to seeing teams of four, with the three best scores counting, and one rider’s score dropped. In the new format, we won’t have drop scores at all anymore – instead, each team will have three riders, and each score will count.

 

Comprenez-vous? Great. But, we hear you asking, what happens if someone falls on cross-country, or doesn’t make it through a horse inspection, or comes up against one of the myriad other pitfalls that can crop up through an event? Without a drop score, do they just have to accept 1000 penalties for a non-completion and move on?

 

Nope. This is where the system really starts to look different, because for the first time ever, we’re now using a substitution system, which allows a reserve horse and rider to step in at any point in the competition.

 

That means that four horses and riders will travel to Tokyo for each nation, but one – the reserve or substitute pair – will not be accredited and won’t be able to compete unless they’re drafted in. What they do have to do, however, is pass both horse inspections. The team of three will be named ahead of time, and the reserve can be subbed in up to two hours before the start of dressage with no penalty to the team. The horse that was taken out can then wait in the wings as the new team reserve. After that? Get your calculators out, because it’s time to do some counting.

 

If all three combinations on the team complete each phase, nothing changes – they’ll each have their final score as usual, and those three scores will be combined to create the aggregate, or team, score. But if a rider fails to complete a phase, they’ll incur penalties for the non-completion. That works like this:

• If a rider is eliminated or retires in the dressage (bad luck, pal), they add 100 points to their mark. Because they haven’t earned a dressage score, their starting score is 100 penalties, and the team is stuck with it no matter what.
• If the elimination or retirement occurs on cross-country, they add 200 points to their dressage score, and no matter what, the team is stuck with that combined score.
• If they’re eliminated or retire in the showjumping, they add 100 points to their score, and again, the team can’t get rid of those marks.

 

Once the elimination or retirement has occurred, there’s a couple of options. First, the horse and rider can be substituted, which means that those penalties they notched up as described above are kept on the team score card, while an extra 20 penalties is added on as penance for making the substitution. Then, whatever penalties the substitute earns are also added onto the score card.

 

Or, they can forego the substitute method, and the horse and rider that were eliminated or retired can continue on to the next phase with those non-completion penalties on their record. This isn’t always allowed, mind you – if the non-completion occurred because of lameness or injury to the horse, any sort of abusive or dangerous riding, a disqualification, or a horse fall, they are ineligible to continue. Likewise, substitution isn’t allowed in cases where abusive or dangerous riding or a disqualification has led to the non-completion of a phase.

 

Another important point to note is that only one substitution can be made per team, and that substitution must go to a new horse and rider – that is, a team rider can’t simply have a reserve horse waiting in the wings as a substitute. Any substitution made between the phases – let’s call these overnight substitutions – will still incur the 20 penalties for substitution, but won’t incur non-completion penalties. For example, if a team horse and rider complete cross-country, but the horse doesn’t look right the next morning, they can be replaced by the subs for just 20 penalties. They won’t add 200 penalties, because they completed the cross-country, and then won’t add 100 penalties, because they never started showjumping.

 

If a substitution can’t be made for any reason – because the sub has already been drafted in, or because of a disqualification, or simply the lack of a sub option – it can get expensive, and fast. If a rider is eliminated on cross-country for dangerous riding, for example, they’ll incur the 200 penalty ‘bonus,’ plus 100 penalties for failing to showjump, because they can’t be replaced.

 

(Oh, and another thing? Only horse-and-rider combinations who complete the entire competition are eligible for individual medals. Which is, you know, fair.)

 

In any case, any scores earned throughout the competition are kept on as part of the final team score, because drop scores no longer exist. So if a team member completes the dressage with, say, a score of 30, but then takes a spill across the country, they’ll have 230 points on their scorecard. If they then opt to sub in the reserve to showjump, they’ll add the substitution penalty – 20 points, so a total tally of 250 so far – and then the substitute’s showjumping score. Let’s say the sub knocks a rail – the final score is 254 for that slot on the team. If two riders fail to complete the cross-country, they’ll each add the 200, but because only one substitution can be made, they’ll need to decide whether one of them will still showjump the next day. If they can’t for any reason, they’ll add another 100 penalties.

 

If all this sounds incredibly confusing, we hear you – it’s a huge departure from what we know, and it all sounds pretty bonkers. These changes have been brought in to mitigate the confusion that surrounded drop scores – though we’re used to them, many new viewers of the sport found them difficult to understand, and so this system, it’s hoped, will prove clearer. It’s easy to make a snap judgment on what we’re seeing, but this week’s competition at Boekelo will offer some clarity – watching the system in action will, at the very least, help to demonstrate how it works, which is always easier than reading and re-reading the rule book until you go cross-eyed.

 

https://eventingnation.com/much-ado-about-boekelo-your-essential-guide-to-the-new-format-and-the-golden-ticket/

Edited October 10, 2019 by dcro

[JoshMartini007 2,864]

Whether it's a 100/200 points or 1000 points isn't the result essentially the same? I doubt a team could make up the gap without hoping other teams already received the penalty as well.