The Agria FEI Eventing European Championships get underway at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire next week (Thursday 17 September).Today (Wednesday 10 September), Your Horse was invited to preview the cross-country course, which has been designed by Captain Mark Phillips. Read on to learn what was revealed about the course today.Its difficultThe track is 5700 metres long with horses aiming to gallop a speed of 570 metres per minute.There are 31 fences in all, including two water complexes and two river crossings. Multiple alternative routes are available, but Mark says they are time consuming and so will be expensive in time-faults. He also says that if all the long routes were taken, it would be an extra 12-14 jumping efforts and thats hard work for the horse.This is a European Championship and the straight way is a championships four-star course. Its real, its difficult, summarises Mark. Theres risk involved but, if you just want to get around, the long way is a bit more than three-star level because its around 1.20m height but its pretty simple. Theres no reason every combination shouldnt be able to get round taking the long options.Everywhere on the course, if they gets discombobulated at the first element, riders can pull out and take a longer route not just hope they get lucky and keep going on the straight way.First major combinationThe Suregrow Dew Pond (fence 6abc)Fence 6ab, on top of the mound, to 6c, the skinny to the right of the imageThe Dew Pond at fence six is the first major combination on the course and comes around the two-minute mark.The direct route, and therefore the quickest route, is to jump the triple bar on top of the mound. Horses then arrive at the bottom of the mound and enter the water, before curving left to another skinny on the way out.This will be a busy part of the course as it runs alongside the tradestands, so there will be plenty to distract horses as they prepare to see and jump into water for the first time.Theyve got a face full of atmosphere [at this fence], says Mark.Theyve had five real run-and-jump fences so the horses and riders have had a really good chance to settle their nerves and get into the course.The horses come up the hill, and they dont see the water until they reach the top. Then theyve got the skinny. This will be significant, there will be a lot of teams who dont do so well here.There is a long way a palisade on the far side. Riders can come around to the triple bar, and theres no water in the background. Its a safer option, adds Mark.This fence is a little bit naughty Agria Angles (fence 10abc)Around the three-minute mark, riders will enter the main arena where they will be met by a series of fences and the challenge of keeping their horses focus and attention despite the significant atmosphere.Inside the arena, theyve got aJoules tableround to another Joules table [fences 8 and 9], and thentwo AgriaAngles the two skinny brush fences, says Mark.Its a little bit naughty as the run-out is towards us, and if you look at the riding line, the second skinny issuper skinny. And of course, if people are in the hospitality tent opening a bottle of champagne, the horses are going to want to come this way andnotover the fence, so the crowd will be something else the riders have to think about.An alternative route is available here, but it is a lot longer and will be expensive in time-penalties. Some riders may also choose to take the direct A fence, and then circle round to an alternative B, which is a longer but less risky line. As ever, where theres a possible problem there is an easy option, but if you take all the easy options youll probably be late for tea, says Mark.Nine efforts in a minuteSubaru Sensation (fence 11abc)After this chest, the direct route is the two corners to the left of the image, behind Mark PhillipsAfter the angled brushes, horses gallop out of the main arena and curve left, where they are faced by this enormous chest (11a).Then theyve got abending five stridesto get on thelinefor twoleft-hand corners, fencesB and C its a bit of a moving four strides, explains Mark.Anyone who cheats and squares up too much to thefirst corner (B), theyre going to be in trouble because they are not going to get to the second one. The corner in the centre of the image is part B, immediately followed by the corner behindMark adds that finding the correct line on the five strides will be difficult.If you do cheat at B, theres a way out, says Mark, referring to two chests on a lengthy alternative route. But again,that costs time, he adds.There are nine efforts here in a minute. This isdifficultandtechnicalbut its a championships,European medals. Its not unfair but you have to be on yourA-game if you are going to jump them.Unkind to the riders, kind to horsesPalace Treasure Chest and Jewellery Box (fences 12 & 13)Thetwo chests are numbered 12 and 13,because theyre big fences, explains Mark.I didnt want someone to jump the first one, get discombobulated, and then feel like they had to commit to the second one because of the top spread on it. They cancircleround, get their ducks in a row to jump the second one.We dont wantthehorses getting into trouble.My mantra is always: Be as unkind as you can to the rider but as kind as you can to the horses.Its an optical illusionBE Support Trust Healing Garden (fence 17abc)From this narrow brush on top of a mound, horses gallop down to the river and jump in via the skinny brush you can see on the right-hand side of the imageWhen you walk up to this it looks as though youre jumping into the lake, but its an optical illusion, says Mark. To be kind to the horses, if theyre brave enough to accept the optic then they are not going to be punished because theyve got flat ground to land on.I think [this fence] looks scary. Theres a lot of brush thats forgiving for the horses, but Im hoping some of the riders think its scary as well, and then theyll be thinking about the long way, adds Mark.The third element, fence 17c, is the ground line on the next brush into the river crossing (18).Looking back up the hill towards fence 17ab: this is the hill that runs down to the river crossingRisk of an early bathSubaru Splash (fence 18ab)Once in the river, horses will gallop for a full 72m in the water. They gallop back through it further up the river later on in the course too.[The brush in is] abig fenceand it will have water underneath it when the lake eventually fills up. Theres an angled brush on the way out. Its always a favourite, the crowd love to see a rider have an early bath, says Mark.If they dont want to jump this they have to go all the way round and jump two logs into the water, which are part of the eight- and nine-year-old course. Simple for these championship horses, but it takes a long time.The paceslows right downthrough water. Maybe500 metres per minute, or evenless, especially on the wayback, because that direction is aboutfour inches deeperthan this side.Big 1.8m drop into waterGFS Saddles Water (fence 20abc)This water complex consists of a big log drop in with a 1.8m drop, followed by four forward strides to a brush corner in the water.If horses land in the water normally, the four strides will beright there,but I think we might see some riders try tocheat and put abending fivein instead. Thatll take longer though, says Mark.If a rider doesnt fancy the straight route, theyve got options: a log pile (B) to another long pile and then abrushcorner(C) basically abig roundabout. Again, taking that route will costa lot of time.Pulling off the natural lineFEI Mounds (fence 22ab)The oxer on top of the mound on the left of the image is part a, followed by the corner on top of a different mound towards the right of the imageThe first element here is the oxer on top of the mound, landing on the slope and galloping to the bottom, before horses will need to curve left to go up a second mound and negotiate the open corner at the top.Theyll skip over the oxer on the mound, and then when they land theyre going tosee what looks like a wide open doorstraight ahead but youre not going through the door as theres actually acorner there. Not easy, states Mark.The white poles in the image will be replaced with trees, bookending the opening that horses will naturally expect to go through, but be turned away from.Once again there is an alternative route here, but its between270-280 metres longerthan the direct way.No ones won until theyve jumped this oneLeMieux Wedge (fence 23ab)Members of the media check out the naughty wedgeAlthough theLeMieux Wedge is a single fence, Mark describes it as being a little bitnaughty and says that riders might get here and think, Ah, Ive done this Im on the way home not quite.There is a decent gully into a wooded area with a left-hand curve around to the gully again, this time with a skinny brush wedge fence at the top that needs to be jumped.That wedge is really difficult, says Mark.Youve just got togo forward through the gully, let the horsepat the ground, andjump. Its a realfootwork exercisefor the horse.Its not easy. Particularly now, were atseven minutes, maybeseven minutes twenty,horses are starting toslow down with their feet and theyve got to besuperquickhere.I like this fence because itscompletely safe but nobodys won this thing until theyve jumped this one.To win medals, youve got to go the quick wayWhen I walked the course before Christmas, we had a 5,800 metres course, which works out to around 10 minutes and 40 fences, explains Mark.But when we actually put the fences out, it ended up closer to 6,000 metres, which was a disaster for me. Why? Because at 6,000 metres, the good boys and girls have got a chance to take one, two, maybe even three long ways and still get inside the time.Weve only had the last three weeks to lose that 300 metres and get us back down to 5,700m, which we managed yesterday.Now that were back down to 5,700m, it means if you want to win the medals, youve got to go the quick way. I dont think taking a long option and still making the time is going to get the job done if you want to win a medal.Images by Aimi Clark/ Your Horse Related contentBBC to broadcast next weeks European eventing championshipsCelebrating the top 10 finishers of Defender Burghley in picturesBritish squad announced for FEI Eventing Europeans combines experience and new talentHow to stop a horse chipping in a stride when jumpingFive gears a cross-country horse needs to haveThe post To win medals, youve got to go the quick way: Mark Phillipsreveals the Europeans cross-country course appeared first on Your Horse.