Dressage Ends with Kim Severson (USA) and Winsome Adante on Top of the Rankings at the 2005 Rolex Three-Day Event

The Cross-Country Test

Penalties are the name of the game in scoring a cross-country test. Faults can be administered by the judges at the various obstacles, and faults can be amassed based on time, when the “optimum time” has been exceeded by the horse and rider. There are four phases tested in the cross-country portion of the three-day event.

The Roads & Tracks sections (A & C) have one penalty point added per second over the optimum time. The Steeplechase (B) sees 0.8 penalty points accrued for each second in excess of the time limit (in this case twice the optimum time). Cross-country (D) has 0.4 penalties added for each second over the optimum time (in this case twice the optimum time).

In eventing, it is the lowest score that takes the win, and today’s dressage score will be added to the time penalties accrued during Saturday’s cross-country test, plus Sunday’s final challenge of show jumping. The horse and rider combination with the lowest score after the three disciplines are challenged will take home this year’s title, along with $65,000 and a Rolex watch.

For daily updates on the action at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, visit www.usef.org.