Cross-country last, and no drop score: two lessons from the Asian Games

The facts

Team gold

Thailand, on 109.9, ahead of Japan on 115.2 and the Republic of Korea on 143.5

Individual gold

Alex Hua Tian for China with the nine-year-old Manjushri, finishing on his dressage score of 26.9

Phase order

Cross-country was moved to the last phase because of Typhoon Dujuan, rather than the usual order

Cross-country

3,640m with a seven-minute optimum time; 31 started, 17 jumped clear, only seven added nothing at all

Drop score

China fielded three combinations, so one elimination left them with no team result

Thailand went into the final phase third and came out with team gold. Three counting rounds with nothing added meant their score never moved from 109.9, and it was settled before Japan's last combination started. Woraphat Sittiju took individual silver on 30.1. Japan finished on 115.2, Korea on 143.5, with Hong Kong, China only 1.2 penalties further back. Alex Hua Tian led from the first day with Manjushri and came home 11 seconds inside the time to hold on to the individual title he won in 2023.

The phase order was not the usual one. Cross-country was pushed to the end because of Typhoon Dujuan. That happens at grassroots level too, in smaller ways: a swapped running order, a shortened course, times pulled forward because of ground or wind. It is the reason to read the schedule and any overnight notices on the morning rather than relying on what you were told at entry. A different order changes when you plait, when you feed, when you put studs in and how much your horse has already done before he sees the first fence.

China arrived as defending team champions and left with no team score. With only three combinations entered, one elimination on cross-country was enough, because there was no fourth result to discard. It is the same arithmetic in a Pony Club or riding club team of three or four. If your team has no drop score, the steady, reliable combination is carrying more than anyone realises, and the decision about who fills the last slot matters more than the decision about who goes first.

The clock did the rest of the damage. Of 31 starters, 17 jumped clear over the fences, but only seven finished the whole thing without adding a penalty. Five were eliminated and two retired. Clear does not mean clean. If you have never practised riding to a set time over a distance you know, that is a cheap thing to fix at home.

What this means for you

Riders at a one-day event

Schedules can change for weather. Check the notice board and your times on arrival, and have a plan for what a swapped order does to your warm-up and your studs.

Pony Club and riding club team members

Find out before the day whether your team carries a drop score. In a team of three there is nothing to throw away, and every round is a counting round.

Anyone chasing a clear round

Jumping clear is only half of it. Time penalties separated a big field here, so know your optimum time and your minute markers.

Owners of younger horses

A nine-year-old won the individual title. Age is not the barrier people assume, but mileage and consistency in the first phase are what made the result safe.

What to do

1. Check your event's running order and times on the morning, not just the week before

   Every competition day

2. Ask your team manager or the secretary whether your team has a drop score before you commit to the entry

   Before entries close

3. Walk or measure a known distance at home and practise holding a set speed, so the optimum time is not a guess

   Before your next cross-country run

4. Pack for a changed schedule: studs, spare gloves, a second set of boots, and food you can eat at an odd hour

   Next lorry check