Alice and William Fox-Pitt: Eventing Breaks
The combination of racing and eventing
Alice: Equestrianism and passion for horses is what both sports are about. Of course, with racing, there's a multilayering (with punting etc). But, ultimately, it's still about horses. I think that's why I so often see big racing fans at eventing venues, and vice versa. The relationship is more marked at an international level, and we saw it during the Beijing Olympics , when equestrian competitions were held in Hong Kong, and hosted by the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
William: Eventing is slightly more drawn out, so it takes longer to decide on the winner. But the excitement is the same as it is in racing. I always say, in fact, you get better value for money in eventing, because you get dressage, showjumping and cross country. Having the three disciplines spread over a few days gives you a sense of belonging, spending time with the same people and developing a shared interest. With racing, you're often in and out for a quick adrenaline fix.
Why everyone should take an 'eventing break'
Alice: I've been lucky enough to do the Emirates World Series, touring $20m races around the world. Japan was extraordinary, and we have a great link up with Kazuma Tomoto, who has been training with William for five years now. He's also an employee of the Japanese Racing Association, so that's perhaps another example of racing and eventing crossing over. But I think here's so much for you to do around eventing, and with Eventing Breaks, you'll be able to get behind the scenes of some of our sport's great moments.
William: When you come eventing, you watch amazing athletes perform at the highest level, and in beautiful locations. We're very lucky to have some fantastic venues, and we compete there as adrenaline junkies. We're also lucky to be able travel abroad, and I particularly enjoy going over to Kentucky. There's a fantastic venue out there, and a good one further north in America now too, in Maryland. Wherever you are, though, you get to know the venue and the characters around the horses you're following.