European Eventing Championship

The European Eventing Championship, like most other European Championships, is held every two years. It is a **** (four star) eventing competition (except for 1995 Championships, which was downgraded to a three-star level because it was open to the rest of the world), the highest level offered, where nations from Europe compete for both team and individual titles.

The first Championships were held at Badminton in 1953, where six teams (Britain, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland) were sent, although only Britain and Switzerland were able to get their horses fit in time to actually compete. However, 10 teams were able to compete at the 1959 competition.

The 1995 and 1997 European Championships were open to the world, but were reverted back to a European-only competition in 1999. The first woman to win the competition was Shelia Wilcox in 1957, although women were not allowed to compete in the Olympics in eventing until 1964.

There is also a Championship held for young riders, juniors and ponies.

Format

The Championships offers both team and individual gold, silver, and bronze medals.

Each nation may bring a team of four riders and two individuals. The team riders also compete for the individual gold, silver, and bronze medals. The host nation may bring up to eight individual riders, with a total squad of 12.

The best three scores among the teams—the team with the lowest number of penalty points—receive the gold, silver, and bronze medals. However, a team must have at least three riders completing the competition, or else they will be eliminated. If a team has four riders complete, there is a drop-score in their results. If three riders complete, all three scores are added into the final total for the team.

Beginning in 2005, the European Eventing Championships was held in the short-format, without the phases A, B, and C (roads and tracks, and steeplechase) on speed and endurance day. It included just the dressage, cross-country, and show jumping phases.

The competition begins with a horse inspection to make sure all competing horses are sound before beginning the dressage. Then the nations nominate their four team riders and the order they wish them to compete, before the order of nations is determined. The order of go is especially important on cross country day, when the first competitors have the best footing, but do not know how the course will ride, while the later competitors will know the tricky obstacles on course, but may have to run their horses on torn up or sloppy footing.

Past winners

Britain's Ginny Elliot is currently the only rider to have won the individual European Champion title three times in succession, in 1985, 1987, and 1989.

*1953
**Venue: Badminton, Great Britain
**Team: Great Britain flagicon|UK
**Individual: Major Laurence Rook/Starlight (GB) flagicon|UK
*1954
**Venue: Basle, Switzerland
**Team: Great Britain flagicon|UK
**Individual: Bertie Hill/Crispin (GB) flagicon|UK
*1955
**Venue: Windsor, GB
**Team: Great Britain flagicon|UK
**Individual: Major Frank Weldon/Kilbarry (GB) flagicon|UK
*1957
**Venue: Copenhagen, Denmark
**Team: Great Britain flagicon|UK
**Individual: Sheila Willcox/High And Mighty (GB) flagicon|UK
*1959
**Venue: Harewood, GB
**Team: West Germany flagicon|Germany
**Individual: Major Hans Schwarzenbach/Burnt Trout (SUI) flagicon|Switzerland
*1962
**Venue: Burghley, GB
**Team gold: USSR flagicon|USSR
**Team silver: Ireland flagicon|IRE
**Individual: Capt James Templer/M’Lord Connelly (GB) flagicon|UK
*1965
**Venue: Moscow, USSR
**Team: USSR flagicon|USSR
**Individual: Marian Babirecki/Volt (POL) flagicon|Poland
*1967
**Venue: Punchestown, Ireland
**Team: Great Britain flagicon|UK
**Individual: Major Eddy Boylan/Durlas Eile (IRL) flagicon|Ireland
*1969
**Venue: Haras du Pin, France
**Team: Great Britain flagicon|UK
**Individual: Mary Gordon Watson/Cornishman V (GB) flagicon|UK
*1971
**Venue: Burghley, GB
**Team: Great Britain flagicon|UK
**Individual: HRH Princess Anne/Doublet (GB) flagicon|UK
*1973
**Venue: Kiev, USSR
**Team: West Germany flagicon|Germany
**Individual: Alexander Evdokimov/Jeger (USSR) flagicon|USSR
*1975
**Venue: Luhmühlen, W Germany
**Team: USSR flagicon|USSR
**Individual: Lucinda Prior-Palmer (now Green)/Be Fair (GB) flagicon|UK
*1977
**Venue: Burghley, GB
**Team: Great Britain flagicon|UK
**Individual: Lucinda Prior-Palmer (now Green)/George (GB) flagicon|UK
*1979
**Venue: Luhmühlen, W Germany
**Team: Ireland flagicon|Ireland
**Individual: Nils Hagenson/Monaco (DEN) flagicon|Denmark
*1981
**Venue: Horsens, Denmark
**Team: Great Britain flagicon|UK
**Individual: Hansueli Schmutz/Oran (SUI) flagicon|Switzerland
*1983
**Venue: Frauenfeld, Switzerland
**Team gold: Sweden flagicon|Sweden
**Team silver: Great Britain flagicon|UK
**Individual gold: Rachel Bayliss/Mystic Minstrel (GB) flagicon|UK
**Individual silver: Lucinda Green (GB) flagicon|UK
*1985
**Venue: Burghley, GB
**Team: Great Britain flagicon|UK
**Individual: Virginia Holgate (now Elliot)/Priceless (GB) flagicon|UK
*1987
**Venue: Luhmühlen, W Germany
**Team: Great Britain flagicon|UK
**Individual: Virginia Leng (Elliot)/Night Cap ll (GB) flagicon|UK
*1989
**Venue: Burghley, GB
**Team: Great Britain flagicon|UK
**Individual: Virginia Leng (Elliot)/Master Craftsman (GB) flagicon|UK
*1991
**Venue: Punchestown, Ireland
**Team gold: Great Britain flagicon|UK
**Team bronze: Spain flagicon|ESP
**Individual gold: Ian Stark/Glenburnie (GB) flagicon|UK
**Individual silver: Richard Walker flagicon|UK
**Individual bronze: Karen Dixon/Get Smart (GB) flagicon|UK
*1993
**Venue: Achselschwang, Germany
**Team: Sweden flagicon|Sweden
**Individual gold: Jean-Lou Bigot/Twist La Beige (FRA) flagicon|France
**Individual silver: Nicolas Touzaint (FRA) flagicon|France
**Individual bronze: Eddy Stibbe/Bahlua (NED) flagicon|NED
*1995
**Venue: Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy
**Team gold: [Open] Great Britain flagicon|UK
**Team silver: New Zealand flagicon|NZL
**Individual: Lucy Thompson/Welton Romance (IRL) flagicon|Ireland
*1997
**Venue: Burghley, GB
**Team gold: [Open] Great Britain flagicon|UK
**Team silver: New Zealand flagicon|NZL
**Individual: Mark Todd/Broadcast News (NZ) flagicon|New Zealand; Bettina Overesch (Hoy)/Watermill Stream (GER) flagicon|Germany
*1999
**Venue: Luhmühlen, Germany
**Team gold: Great Britain flagicon|UK
**Team bronze: Belgium flagicon|BEL
**Individual gold: Pippa Funnell/Supreme Rock (GB) flagicon|UK
**Individual silver: Linda Algotsson/Stand By Me
**Individual bronze: Paula Tornquist/Monaghan
*2001
**Venue: Pau, France
**Team gold: Great Britain flagicon|UK
**Team bronze: Italy flagicon|ITA
**Individual gold: Pippa Funnell/Supreme Rock (GB) flagicon|UK
**Individual bronze: Enrique Sarasola (ESP)
*2003
**Venue: Punchestown, Ireland
**Team gold: Great Britain flagicon|UK
**Team silver: France flagicon|FRA
**Individual gold: Nicolas Touzaint/Galan de Sauvagere (FRA) flagicon|France
**Individual silver: Linda Algotsson/Stand By Me (SWE) flagicon|SWE
**Individual bronze: Pippa Funnell/Walk On Star (GB) flagicon|UK
*2005
**Venue: Blenheim, Great Britain
**Team: Great Britain flagicon|UK
**Individual gold: Zara Phillips/Toytown (GB) flagicon|UK
**Individual silver: William Fox-Pitt/Tamarillo (GB) flagicon|UK
**Individual bronze: Ingrid Klimke/Sleep Late (GER) flagicon|GER
*2007
**Venue: Pratoni del Vivaro, Rome, Italy
**Team gold: Great Britain flagicon|UK
**Team silver: France flagicon|France
**Team bronze: Italy flagicon|ITA
**Individual gold: Nicolas Touzaint/Galan de Sauvagere (FRA) flagicon|France
**Individual silver: Mary King/Call Again Cavalier (GB) flagicon|UK
**Individual bronze: Bettina Hoy/Ringwood Cockatoo (GER) flagicon|GER
*2008
** Venue: tbc