Three- Day Eventing is popularly known as a triathlon for a horse. Made up of three competitive phases, dressage, show jumping and cross country, the Olympic sport has acquired a lot of interest as it has become evidently dangerous and even deadly in recent years. As an avid competitor in the sport of Three-Day Eventing, safety is a widespread concern. I have competed in many events, volunteered at events and worked for top professionals in the sport. I have seen the sport from almost all angles and the issue of the safety for horses and riders never disappears. As a competitor in this sport, obviously, my safety is important to me but furthermore the safety of my horses. As event riders we value our horse's health and well-being above all else. We are highly in tuned with our horses and know almost everything about them. We take high precautions to keep our horses as fit and healthy as possible. We would never want to put them in danger, therefore making the sport safer, especially for our horses, is a high priority. This value is something I not only hold as a competitor but as an animal lover in general. I feel qualified to write about this topic as I have lived it. I have seen rotational falls cause irreversible damage. I have ridden cross country courses. I am lucky to have gone competing without life changing injuries but I have seen those who have not been so lucky. Rotational falls have become a major issue in our sport as the technicality of courses goes up. The use of frangible pins, which are pins placed in cross country jumps to allow them to collapse when hit hard enough, have been introduced in the past few years to make our sport safer for horses and riders.

In the past few years it has become apparent the sport of Three-Day Eventing has become increasingly dangerous, in fact it was named the most dangerous or deadly sport in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. Sonia Van Gilder Cooke, a writer for TIME magazine, describes how Three Day Eventing has become the most dangerous sport in the games. The phase of concern in the sport is cross country, where a miscalculation can end fatally. Cooke goes on to point out there were a staggering 12 deaths worldwide of riders participating in the cross country between 2007 and 2008. Cooke seems to value safety as she describes the measures set forth by organizations like the FEI, The International Federation for Equestrian Sports, to help protect riders. However, this article could also have been used to attract interest in the sport by creating buzz just as the Olympic competition of Three-Day Eventing was about to start and controversy like this seems to gather interest. Cooke has credibility as TIME magazine is a highly credible source in our culture. However, as someone who I assume does not participate in the sport, she has a clear bias that the sport is too dangerous and that there has not been enough done to protect horses and riders.

As the opinion of Cooke, that Eventing is too dangerous, is a popular one, there are now being steps taken to further protect horses and riders. Frangible pins are being introduced to cross country jumps to allow the jumps to fall down to avoid rotational falls over them. Katherine Walcott, a writer for thehorse.com, claims that frangible pins in cross country jumps will improve the safety of the sport for horses and riders. Evidence in FEI records show that rotational falls cause the most significant injuries or fatalities however it has been proven and witnessed that frangible pins help prevent these falls if utilized properly. The article values the safety of horses and riders in Three-Day Eventing by explaining the benefits of frangible pins as a possible solution. However, it also portrays an interest in the expansion of this new technology in the sport. Promoting the use of frangible pins in articles like this one aim to convince more events to use them as they have been proven successful. Walcott is writing for a credible equestrian website that is familiar with the sport however the author may or may not participate in the sport so this could affect their position. Walcott is presumably writing based on what she sees, not what she has experienced so she will obviously promote frangible pins and how the sport is too dangerous.

Though frangible pins have been introduced to help protect horses and riders it has caused major controversy within the sport. Riders like Bruce Haskell are concerned with how these pins will effect competitions. Although he agrees the sport is far too dangerous, the rules and penalties associated with the pins have become a major issue. Haskell clearly values the safety of both horse and rider however he also values the competitiveness and risk of the sport. He is concerned with rules associated with these pins and knows that although they are a great solution he's interested in their effect on the leaderboards. Bruce Haskell is a highly credible individual in the sport as he is the President of the International Event Riders Association. He is very knowledgeable but perhaps as a rider is a bit bias due to his want to be competitive internationally and his fear that frangible pins could complicate the sport or allow unexperienced riders to compete at levels too difficult for them. It is clear that frangible pins are a great option to make the sport safer however it is controversial if they are wanted due to their effect on competition.

Some people question whether or not frangible pins make the sport safer or too easy. They wonder if they take away from what cross country jumping is supposed to be. In addition, the reliability of frangible pins have come into question in past competitions so not all people believe they are making the sport safer especially because they are not on every fence. There is a lot of controversy surrounding the issue of how often to use them. It is interesting to read the opinion of competitors, officials, and non-horse people to see all perspectives. It allows me to see that maybe I am bias as a rider. Perhaps, the sport is more dangerous than I let myself believe. I may need to revise my question to ask what the best way to make the sport safer is and explore other options outside of frangible pins. This will allow me to portray that frangible pins are the best option.

