Home / Equestrian sports / TREC
For everyone: leisure and amateur
TREC is an equestrian tourism competition that tests whether a rider can navigate and safely guide a horse across country. It began in France as a test for trail ride leaders.
| Group | For everyone: leisure and amateur |
|---|---|
| Also called | Techniques de Randonnee Equestre de Competition, equestrian orienteering, mounted orienteering |
| Olympic | no |
| Governing body | FITE (Federation Internationale de Tourisme Equestre) |
| Where it is popular | The sport started in France and spread across Europe, with a strong following in the UK. It is also ridden in the USA and other countries. |
A competition has three phases. First is orienteering on horseback with map and compass at set speeds; at a mid level that is up to 20 km in 2 to 3 hours. Second is control of paces: canter down a narrow lane as slowly as possible, then walk back as fast as possible. Third is a course of natural obstacles such as a gate, a step up, a water crossing or a small jump. Points from all phases are added up and the highest total wins; riders compete alone or in pairs.
Any fit, calm and confident horse that is happy with water, bridges and new places will do. Temperament and training matter more than breed.
Riders need a helmet, a body protector for the obstacle phase, high-visibility reflective clothing, a compass, a whistle, a torch and waterproofs. The horse needs comfortable trail tack.
The main events are the senior and young rider TREC World and European Championships run by the International Federation of Equestrian Tourism (FITE).
A good start is a riding club that organises trail rides: first learn to ride confidently at all paces and read a map. Beginners often compete in a pair with a more experienced rider.
FITE has run international TREC championships since 1989, and the first world championship took place in France in 1997.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org, horseandhound.co.uk, trec-usa.org, fite-net.org