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What is the sport of eventing?
Eventing is an equestrian competition which was first established in France in the year 1902, later introduced as an Olympic level competition in the 1912 Summer Olympic Games held in Sweden. The origins of the competition of eventing is linked to two beginnings, firstly fox hunting in the 19th century and secondly, in the 20th century, military dominance, the original purpose aiming to "test the cavalry on their fitness".

The event consists of three phases, dressage, cross-country and show jumping. These phases can occur in two different formats; either completing all phases across one day (ODE) or across three/four days (3DE - run with dressage first, followed by cross-country the next day and show jumping organised in reverse placing order on the final day).

The phases are as follows:


 * Dressage is the first phase of the competition in which "horse and rider perform a series of predetermined movements" in an arena which is outlined symmetrically with lettered markers "indicating where movements are to start and finish" . The judging process required a minimum of one judge (two judges for national tests) who are "looking for the quality of execution of the various movements against standards" . Each movement (according to the standards) is given a score which is then totaled and used to calculate a list of preliminary placings.
 * Cross country is the second phase of the competition the "sport tests the speed, endurance and jumping ability of the horse" in necessitating the horse and rider combination complete "24 to 36 fixed and solid obstacles" to successfully move forward in the competition. Penalties are given to the combination if they exceed "the allocated time, or if a horse refuses to clear an obstacle ", a fall of the rider from the horse results in immediate elimination.
 * Show jumping is the final phase of the competition which involves the horse and rider combination completing a course of "10 to 13 jumps, the objective of which is to test the combination's skill, accuracy and training" of the combination. A successful round denotes the completion of the course without mistakes, "if any part of an obstacle is knocked down or if the horse refuses a jump, penalties are accumulated".

What is a rotational fall?
Falls of the rider from the horse are common and can occur at any point in time, from training to the middle of a competition. Horse riding is described as a "hazardous pastime", with a high level of injuries and in some cases, deaths. One large contributor to these fatality statistics is that of a rotational fall, between May 1997 and September 2007 25 rider deaths occurred around the world in the sport of Eventing", 18 of these resulted from rotational falls. A rotational fall is defined as when the "horse forward somersaults in the air before landing on its back" , often as a result of the horse hitting the fence with its legs. The possibility of a fall occurring can be increased by a variety of factors including; condition of ground, experience of rider, experience of horse, type of jump, undertaking of course prior to fall and/or position on the scoreboard.

Why are rotational falls most likely to occur in the sport of eventing?
The cross country phase of eventing presents a course of obstacles that the horse and rider must navigate through to the finish line, these obstacles are solid and unforgiving. The jumps being solid "demands that a rider approach the jump at exactly the right speed, take off from the right angle and spot". Although historically rotational falls were possible in the show jumping phase, as poles used to be fixed to the wings upholding them, modern designs of cups holding the poles allow them to roll out and fall down. Rotational falls are most likely to occur during cross country as the fall occurs when the "horse hits a solid fence either with its chest or upper forelegs", this becomes increasingly likely the higher the jumps get.

International Cases
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Australian Cases
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Media Reactions to Fatalities
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