The Australian International Three Day Event is an annual three-day event held in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. It was known as the Adelaide International Horse Trials up until 2007. It comprises dressage, cross-country and show-jumping and is usually staged in early November. It is one of only six events in the world to receive a four star (Olympic-standard) rating under Concours Complet International. The event is unique in being held in a city-centre, taking place in the picturesque Adelaide Park Lands.[1]
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The Adelaide International Horse Trials was created in 1997 to replace the Gawler Horse Trials that had been staged in Gawler, north of Adelaide, since 1954.[2] In its period as the Gawler Trials, it was a successful competition and was selected to host the Eventing World Championship in 1986. On this occasion the Australian Post Office issued a special set of commemorative postmarked covers featuring a set of four stamps called Horses of Australia.
The new event débuted in the East Parklands with a CCI*** rating, but was subsequently upgraded to CCI**** in 1999 to become the only so rated event in the Southern Hemisphere, and one of only five in the world.
Since 2005, it has been staged concurrently with the Adelaide Christmas Pageant and in 2007 the event has been renamed the Australian International Three Day Event. Since 2011 the Australian International is part of the HSBC FEI Classics, an international eventing series of all CCI****-events around the world.[3]
The event, managed by Adelaide Horse Trials Management Inc, is held throughout the East Parklands in separate stages over three days.
The dressage phase is held on Friday at CBC Oval in Park 15. The cross-country phase is held on Saturday across the parklands and attracts the most spectators. The course starts at Victoria Park and crosses Wakefield Road though parkland and into Rymill Park. The cross-country course has been designed by Michael Etherington-Smith, who has designed courses for the Olympics in 2000 and 2008 and other CCI**** events, since 2001. The water jumps in Rymill Park are regarded as some of the most challenging in international competition. The final show-jumping phase is held on Sunday on a specially constructed arena near Rymill Lake.
The event also incorporates the Australian stages of the biannual Trans Tasman Championship, which has been staged in Adelaide since 1985. A youth Trans Tasman is held in the alternate years.
List of winners of the four star event:
The other four-star events are: