Working equitation: The Italian Championship and the Trofeo delle Regioni in Narni

Equestrian sport, tradition and show: over 330 pairs will be competing on the Club Ippico Regno Verde fields from Thursday 7 September, challenging each other in the disciplines of working equitation.
Narni in Umbria will host the upcoming Italian Championship and the Trofeo delle Ragioni, from September 7 to 10. The Trofeo delle Ragioni includes a number of specialities from working equitation, the discipline branded Fitetrec Ante (the Italian equestrian tourism federation and Trec Ante, associated with the Coni).
At the prestigious “Club Ippico Regno Verde” venue in Narni, a structure with two covered field, two opens ones with stands and three trial fields, over 330 horses and riders are ready to take to the Umbrian centre’s silica sand to vie for a spot on the podium at this sporting and equestrian tradition event.  
120 pairings will start the competition for the traditional Working Equitation discipline, 70 in the Speed event, 60 in the synchronized one and 30 in the Classical Training trial.
Narni will not just be showcasing the Italian Championship for all these specialities, but also the Trofeo delle Regioni. Furthermore, other events will be held, such as the single-stage Mipaaf Championship, the competition promoted by the Agricultural Ministry with a jackpot of 10 thousand euros and open only to horses registered at Unire; and the stage of the Italian Doma Vaquera Championship, with 20 pairings starting the competition, ahead of the discipline’s final in Verona during the 2017 edition Horses Fair at the end of October.
This federal discipline aims to promote the various types of working equitation carried out in Italy, bringing to the field a mix of tradition – such as working livestock – and equestrian sports, offering a spectacle of technical competitions that are both engaging and spectacular in every speciality.  
The department of Working Equitation, headed at a national level by Ernesto Fontetrosciani, has seen a constant and meaningful growth over the years in the number of members and the quality of the equestrianism on show.
“We did not expect so many participants at Narni,” affirmed Fontetrosciani, “but it is a sign that the work carried out meticulously, seriously and with great passion over the last four years by the Federation and the instructors is paying off, and has led to a yearly increase in members of around 20%”
The countdown to the event has begun.
FEATURES OF THE EQUESTRIAN SPECIALITIES ON SHOW IN NARNI
Traditional and Speed Working Equitation
Traditional working equitation will take place over four trials, while the speed speciality will involve just one timed round: the gymkhana. Let’s take a closer look at each.
In the aptitude trial the rider must complete a prescribed course while overcoming the obstacles trying to earn the top score from the judges. This trial highlights the horse and rider’s fluidity of movement, the steadiness of their pace and the precision and steadiness in overcoming difficulties.
The training trial sees the pairings running through specific shapes relating to work. Before the event starts the jury evaluates the harness chosen by rider, making sure it is in line with the stud, and then the jury will award points for the execution of the shapes.
The gymkhana is a time event where the pairings will have to complete a predefined course while overcoming the obstacles as quickly as possible.
Finally, the detachment event. In this one the horse and rider will share the field with a number of calves. The objective is to reach and detach the calf chosen by the jury from the herd, then lead to the target to the opposite side of the arena, all as quickly as possible.

Synchronized working equitation
A single trial with groups of up to 8 pairs which carry out work shapes to the rhythm of music.
Doma Vaquera
This discipline comes from Spain and reproduces the work that horses used to carry out with their owner while moving bulls raised for the Corrida. The pairing has to complete a series of technical and spectacular figures in a rectangle, showcasing the training of the horse and synergy between horse and rider.
Fitetrec Ante national press office