ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, April 16, 1997 TAG: 9704160040
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
COLUMN: community sports
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: RAY COX THE ROANOKE TIMES
Combined training competition is an equestrian sport that rewards versatility.
It may also be thought of as a sport for riders who bore easily.
Ellen Oliver adored combined training competition from the moment she was introduced to it as a schoolteacher straight out of college.
"I had just graduated from Emory University in Atlanta and was living outside Cleveland, Ohio,'' she recalled while grooming her horse Charlie one recent afternoon. "I had been riding hunters. When I tried combined, I loved it.''
The differences between hunters and combined are in the competitive requirements. Hunters train endlessly to jump over fences with the goal being exquisite form and no mistakes such as knocking one of the poles off the fence or a refusal to jump.
Combined has more to it than that, hence its appeal to those with short attention spans.
"Think of it as triathlon for a horse,'' said Oliver, an eighth-grade math teacher at Shawsville Middle School.
Similar to triathlon - a race involving swimming, bicycle riding and running - combined competition goes in three phases. The first judges dressage, or how the horse responds to a series of commands. The second is a cross country endurance test of two to four miles over fences. The third phase is stadium jumping.
After taking up the sport in Ohio, Oliver continued with it after moving to Virginia 18 months ago.
Charlie, a 9-year-old gray mixed thoroughbred and quarterhorse gelding, has been with Oliver since he was a 5-year-old. Prior to that, she'd been leasing a horse in Ohio.
"But as soon as I bought him, I became pregnant with my daughter Catalina and had to send him away for 18 months,'' Oliver said.
They've been together ever since.
After moving here, Oliver joined the Blue Ridge Combined Training Association, whose membership covers a geographic range north to Lexington, south to Bristol, and east to Danville. Oliver recently was appointed secretary and newsletter editor.
The organization sponsors competitions such as one held this past weekend at Green Hill Park in Salem. The membership also helps maintain the equestrian course at the park.
Most of the members compete although there are few who train only. When they compete, for the most part they do so as individuals. Occasionally, they travel to shows where they compete as a team in the manner of the Olympics.
Combined training is an Olympic sport. It is also one of the few sports in which men and women can compete on an equal basis.
The season runs spring, summer and fall. Events are concentrated in spring and fall with very few in the summer.
Judging changes with the seasons, too. It is not as strict in the spring while horses and riders are still rusty from the winter. Strictness of the judging increases as the season goes on. The theory is that by fall, the horses will be ready for more of a challenge.
Those who are interested in the Blue Ridge Combined Training Association may call Oliver at 540-961-4820. The mailing address is 1540 Clay St., Blacksburg, 24060 and the e-mail address is eboliver@aol.com.
LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: RAY COX THE ROANOKE TIMES. Ellen Oliver and her horseby CNBCharlie practice jumping. color.