How I Keep Track Of Eventing Scoring And My Personal Targets
Eventing gives me three different tests of horse and rider, and each phase tells a slightly different story. Dressage reflects accuracy, suppleness, rhythm, and communication. Show jumping adds technique, control, and the ability to stay focused around a course. Cross-country asks for courage, fitness, pace, and a sensible partnership over solid fences. The final score brings all of those pieces together, but I have learned that the number alone is never the whole story.
When I compete with Archie, I record more than our placing. I write down the dressage percentage, jumping faults, cross-country time, time penalties, and any details I can remember about how each phase felt. I also compare those results with the targets I set before leaving home. That makes the score useful after the rosettes have been packed away and the lorry has headed home.
My system is simple enough to use after a tiring day, but detailed enough to reveal patterns. I am not trying to turn every outing into a spreadsheet exercise. I want a clear record that helps me make better decisions about training, horse care, preparation, and the level at which Archie is ready to compete.
Recording The Score Behind The Result
The first thing I note is the official result exactly as it appears on the scoreboard. For dressage, that means recording both the percentage and the penalty score when they are available. A higher percentage generally produces a lower dressage penalty score, so it is useful to keep both figures rather than relying on memory or a placing.
For show jumping, I write down the number of jumping faults, time faults, refusals, poles down, and whether we completed inside the optimum time. A round can feel tidy while still collecting an annoying time fault, or it can contain one costly mistake among many good efforts. Recording the individual details helps me understand what actually influenced the final total.
Cross-country needs a little more context. I record jumping penalties, any frangible-device penalties if applicable, the optimum time, our actual time, and the resulting time penalties. I also make a short note about the course: whether the ground was holding, whether the weather affected the going, and whether Archie felt fresh or tired. These details can explain a result that looks better or worse than expected.
Rules and scoring formats can differ between governing bodies, classes, and competitions, so I always check the event schedule and current rule book. My notes are intended to support the official results, not replace them. This matters particularly when assessing time limits, elimination rules, cross-country penalties, or how a tie is decided.
Separating Facts From Feelings
Immediately after an event, I have a strong emotional impression of the day. If Archie gives me a lovely feeling in dressage, I may remember that more clearly than a small accuracy mistake. If he hesitates at a cross-country question, I may focus on that moment even if the rest of the round was confident and efficient.
I therefore keep two separate sections in my notes. The first is factual: percentages, faults, times, penalties, and placing. The second is personal: how Archie warmed up, how he travelled, how he reacted to the atmosphere, and where I felt secure or uncertain. Keeping those records apart stops one dramatic moment from taking over my assessment.
I also write a short phase-by-phase summary while the details are still fresh. For example, I might note that the dressage rhythm was consistent but the medium work lacked power, the show jumping turns were accurate but the approach to a related distance became hurried, and the cross-country pace was steady until the final third of the course. That gives me a more useful picture than writing, “It was good,” or, “It was disappointing.”
Video is another valuable reference. I do not watch every round immediately, especially if I am still tired or frustrated. When I review footage later, I look for evidence that supports or challenges my first impression. Sometimes Archie feels strong and difficult when the video shows a fairly normal effort. At other times, a round that felt smooth contains small signs of tension or loss of balance that deserve attention.
Understanding What The Numbers Are Saying
The final eventing score is a useful summary because it combines the three phases, but it can hide the reason for the result. A small dressage improvement may be cancelled out by one show-jumping pole. A strong cross-country round may recover some ground after an average dressage test. Looking at each phase separately helps me decide whether I need a broad training change or one precise adjustment.
| Area | What I Record | Question I Ask Myself |
|---|---|---|
| Dressage | Percentage, penalty score, test movements, judge comments | Was the mark lost through accuracy, tension, straightness, or quality of the paces? |
| Show Jumping | Jumping faults, time faults, refusals, course observations | Was the issue technique, pace, line choice, or my riding decision? |
| Cross-Country | Jumping faults, actual time, time penalties, horse’s energy | Did Archie maintain a safe, efficient rhythm throughout the course? |
| Overall Result | Total penalties, placing, number of starters | Was the result consistent with the performance, or did one mistake dominate it? |
| Personal Progress | Target achieved, confidence, recovery, preparation | Did we move forward in a meaningful way, even if the placing did not change? |
I use the table as a prompt rather than a rigid scoring system. For example, a lower dressage penalty score is encouraging, but I also want to know whether the improvement came from better relaxation, more accurate transitions, or simply a kinder set of marks. Similarly, a clear show-jumping round matters, but I want to understand whether it was achieved with a balanced rhythm or by riding defensively.
Placings can be affected by the size and strength of the field, so I avoid treating them as my only measure of progress. Finishing sixth in a large, competitive class may represent a stronger performance than finishing second in a small field. I record the placing because it is part of the result, but I interpret it alongside the actual penalties and the quality of our rounds.
Setting Targets That I Can Actually Use
Before each competition, I set a small number of targets for Archie and for myself. I try to make them specific enough to guide my riding without turning the day into a test that can only be passed or failed. A target such as “ride better” is too vague. “Keep the same forward rhythm through the final six fences” gives me something practical to remember.
I usually divide targets into outcome goals, performance goals, and preparation goals. An outcome goal might be achieving a certain total or finishing within a particular range. A performance goal could be accurate transitions in the dressage, a steady approach to every show jump, or maintaining a consistent cross-country pace. Preparation goals include arriving with enough time, checking equipment calmly, and giving Archie a proper warm-up without using all his energy before the start.
Training targets should connect directly to competition demands. If Archie loses balance in a related distance, I want to practise the quality of the canter rather than repeatedly jumping the same combination without a plan. My ground pole exercises are particularly useful for improving stride awareness, rhythm, and my ability to regulate the canter before fences.
I keep the number of targets limited because too many instructions become noise. Usually, I choose one priority for each phase and one general target for the whole day. If dressage accuracy is the main focus, I may decide that I will ride every movement as planned rather than sacrificing the test to chase a higher mark. For show jumping, I might focus on a balanced turn after a fence. For cross-country, my priority may be keeping Archie in front of my leg while staying thoughtful and controlled.
Reviewing Patterns Across Several Events
One competition can be misleading. A horse may have an unusually tense warm-up, a rider may make one uncharacteristic mistake, or the weather may influence the ground and the time allowed. I therefore review results across several events before deciding that a genuine pattern exists.
I keep a running record with columns for date, venue, class, dressage percentage, jumping faults, cross-country penalties, final score, placing, and personal notes. At the end of a block of competitions, I look for repeated themes. If dressage marks are consistently lost in the same movements, that becomes a training priority. If show jumping faults occur late in the course, fitness, concentration, or my pace management may need attention.
The comparison also helps me distinguish between a horse issue and a rider issue. Archie may be capable of producing a balanced canter at home, but I may allow it to become too quick when I am nervous at a competition. Alternatively, I may ride positively in show jumping but fail to support him early enough in a dressage transition. Writing the facts down makes it easier to accept my part without turning the review into self-criticism.
I pay attention to recovery as well. A competition score does not reveal everything about the day. If Archie travels well, eats normally, recovers quickly, and feels comfortable the following morning, that supports the idea that the workload was appropriate. If he is unusually tired, tense, or sore, the result must be considered alongside his welfare rather than treated as an isolated achievement.
Keeping The Review Practical
My records work best when I complete them in stages. At the venue, I capture the official numbers and a few immediate observations. The next day, I add details from video, score sheets, and conversations with my trainer. A week later, I review the result again and decide whether it should change the training plan.
I also use a simple traffic-light system. Green means the target was achieved consistently. Amber means there was progress but the performance was not reliable yet. Red means the issue needs focused attention before I expect the same task in competition. This is not a judgment on Archie or me; it is simply a quick way to identify what deserves time.
The most useful recommendations I have taken from this process are:
- Record each phase separately instead of relying on the final placing.
- Write one factual note and one personal observation after every competition.
- Set no more than three or four meaningful targets for an event.
- Review patterns over several competitions before changing the whole training programme.
- Include travel, recovery, weather, and horse care in the performance record.
I keep older score sheets because they show progress that is easy to miss in the short term. A change from frequent time penalties to consistently efficient cross-country rounds may take several months. A small increase in dressage percentage can represent a major improvement in relaxation and communication. Those gains deserve to be recognised even when they do not immediately produce a dramatic change in the leaderboard.
Using The Record Before The Next Start
When the next event approaches, I read the previous notes before setting new targets. I look at what worked, what created pressure, and what training has already addressed. This keeps my preparation connected to evidence rather than allowing the latest result, good or bad, to dictate everything.
I also share the clearest parts of the record with my trainer. Instead of saying that Archie was “a bit onward” or that I “lost confidence,” I can point to the specific phase, fence, movement, or moment where the problem appeared. That makes coaching more focused and gives us something concrete to reproduce or improve.
The aim is not perfect prediction. Eventing will always contain variables that cannot be controlled completely: weather, ground, atmosphere, course design, and the way both horse and rider feel on the day. My scoring notes give me a steady framework within that uncertainty. They help me celebrate genuine progress, respond calmly to mistakes, and choose targets that support a healthy, confident partnership with Archie.
After each event, I return to the same process: record the official result, describe the performance honestly, compare it with the target, and choose the next small step. Keeping that habit turns scattered competition memories into a training history. Over time, the numbers become more than scores; they show how Archie and I are learning to meet the demands of dressage, show jumping, and cross-country together.