In November 2015 the FEI presented the results of its independent audit on eventing at the annual General Assembly. The audit, conducted by Charles Barnett, the former director of Ascot race course in Great Britain, examined data from 1,184 horse falls from July 2010 to December 2014 in order to explore the risk factors for horse falls
Many interesting statistics and recommendations came from the report (view the full report here) but some slides of particular interest relate to the types of cross country obstacles that appear to cause the most problems
Knowing which fences cause the highest number of problems for horses obviously provides riders with an opportunity to work on their skill levels at these types of obstacles and ensure that their horse is correctly trained to cope with the fence before it
The types of fences probably come as no surprise but maybe it is a timely reminder to start your training early for the coming season, bearing these statistics in mind. The best way is to train with a qualified coach but you can also pick up tips from top coaches and read our training articles here
