Hounds & Horses
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A good foxhunter is a natural cross-country horse. He boldly traverses many different types of obstacles.
The Eventing-Foxhunting Connection Why eventers should foxhunt, and vice versa.
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eventing is what we have now, which is a specialty technical sport,” says Emerson. “As the
expertise of riders increased, the jumps didn’t get bigger, but they got more technical.” Since then,
Eventing great Denny Emerson is a true believer in foxhunting for eventers.
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to The Chronicle of the Horse — recalls a conversation he had years ago with show jumping legend Bill Steinkraus about the evolution of eventing. “He told me there were three incarnations of eventing: First was the mounted cavalry. Then, when the mounted cavalries disbanded in 1948, the only thing that saved eventing was foxhunting. Foxhunting is a sport, but not a competitive one. Eventing became a way for foxhunters to compete,” said Emerson. That’s not necessarily the case today. “The third incarnation of
Emer courtesy Denny
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nce upon a time, foxhunters were eventers, and eventers were foxhunters, and peace reigned throughout the kingdom. Okay, maybe peace didn’t reign, but it’s true that, in the early days of eventing, the two sports were closely intertwined. It was rare to find an eventer who didn’t also foxhunt and vice versa. Denny Emerson — a champion eventer, endurance rider, former foxhunter and one of the 50 most influential horsemen of the twentieth century, according
By Laura Mullane