Mark Phillips: ‘Gatcombe won’t be the only greenfield event lost’

Mark Phillips on losing a flagship event that is very close to his heart, a dispute between officials and the FEI, and unintended benefits of the new Olympic format

It’s easy to take things for granted. It was easy to assume, and assumption is always dangerous, that the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe, initially set up by the Princess Royal and I, would continue for another 40 years, with the next generation in charge. That this is not so is beyond sad.

Gatcombe, in order to put on the Festival experience, was not driven financially by entry fees, but by sponsorship and ticket prices. It had good sponsorship, but Gatcombe is a small venue and therefore limited in the number of spectators and tradestands it could accommodate. With insurance costs tripling, the venue was unable to raise the revenue needed to make the event viable.

Every venue is different, but I don’t foresee Gatcombe being alone among greenfield sites struggling for revenue in the next year or two. I am truly concerned about how this will change the face of the calendar.

I know a number of events this year are running without abandonment insurance. British Eventing (BE) have set up their abandonment fund for entry fees to help members, but this does little to aid organisers exposed to significant overhead costs.

After Covid, with inflation and cost-of-living increases, the only thing for certain is that eventing is facing changing times.

Two-way trust

I was truly shocked to hear the FEI has, without warning, discommunicated the International Eventing Officials Club (IEOC). To arbitrarily remove the officials’ communication vehicle because they did not like what they are being told by their officials is Putin-esque.

Small wonder that more than 80% of eventing officials don’t feel supported by the FEI. The FEI, increasingly run by its legal department, hotly denies this, but how can so many officials be so wrong? The FEI talks about loss of trust – does trust not go two ways?

Surely the art of communication is about two-way discussions and sympathetic listening, but the whole issue is now in the hands of lawyers. I suspect this will produce a legal answer, not one in the best interests of the sport.

Positive direction

The FEI is proposing a new Olympic format for LA 2028 and beyond. Despite resistance from many quarters, I’m sure they will bulldoze the proposal through, with showjumping before cross-country for the team medals and the next day for the individuals.

I actually like the idea, because of the unintended consequences.

To make this work for the team medals there has to be a clear-cut result when the last horse finishes. We cannot delay the medal ceremony for incessant video reviews.

This means losing the 15 penalties for a shoulder outside the flag, with all the associated cameras and video reviews (a major plus for organisers and officials), and instead bringing in a penalty for knocking down a flag. With no discussion about flag or broken frangible penalties, we have an instant result as long as the horses have no blood or marks on them and can walk back to the stables.

Altering the flag rules also means course-designers will have to increase the minimum jumpable width between flags, especially on bending lines, and give riders more chance to get horses straight to skinnies, which may mean more strides between fences, which can still be set on a forward distance to encourage good cross-country riding.

If riders are taking more care to jump fences in order to stay between the flags, that has to be a positive for risk management. If these changes make the sport safer, easier to understand for spectators and keep the Olympic broadcasters happy, I can’t see any downside.

Such quantum changes would need introducing over time, for the education of riders and officials. How nice, if for once, change is in a positive direction for the sport and not for political reasons.

● What do you think about penalties for knocking down flags on cross-country? Let us know at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and country, for the chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine

• This exclusive column will also be available to read in Horse & Hound magazine, on sale Thursday 21 March

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