Cross-country Equestrianism - Levels of Eventing

Levels of Eventing

In the United States, eventing begins at the Beginner Novice level, followed by Novice, Training, Preliminary, Intermediate, and then Advanced. Levels in the UK begin with BE80(T) - a training level event which runs slightly differently from normal classes, then BE90 (formerly known as Intro), then BE100 (formerly Pre-novice). In 2009, the Intro and Pre Novice classes were renamed BE90 and BE100 (the numbers relate to the height of the cross country fences in centimetres) in the hopes of making the sport easier to understand for the general public. In 2010, British Eventing introduced "Foundation Points" at the BE90 and BE100 levels in order to prove a horse's success at the lower levels. Levels then continue from Novice, through Intermediate to Advanced at which success points are awarded for the top finishers (the number of finishers receiving points depends on the number of competitors in the event). A horse will accumulate points throughout its career (regardless of rider) and when a certain amount of points have been reached the horse must compete at the next level up. Exceptions to this are the 'open' classes, at which any horse can compete regardless of career success and also a horse may be allowed to compete in an event as hors concours, which means not eligible to be placed or awarded prizes or points. BE100+, Intermediate-Novice and Advanced-Intermediate are interim classes where the dressage and show jumping runs at the higher level, with the cross-country at the lower level. For example, an Intermediate-Novice class uses an Intermediate dressage test and Intermediate standard Show Jumping, but the cross-country takes place round a Novice leVel track. These classes are intended to help horse and rider step up to a higher level without the initial risk of the more demanding cross-country.