The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word EVENTING
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
E
V
E
N
T
I
N
G
More clues leading to the result EVENTING
- Time to expand later period in sport
- Late in day – about time for sport?
- Regular obsession, not hard when it comes to sport
- Time in closing of the day for equestrian sport
- Time in twilight for equestrian competition
- After flat, can start to gallop, horse-riding
- Rear end of horse letting off gas displays equestrian discipline
- European finding an outlet for sport
- Horse and rider encounter grumbling online?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Horse and rider encounter" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case horse and rider encounter = eventing.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does EVENTING mean?
EVENTING verb- To occur, take place.
- To be emitted or breathed out; to evaporate.
- To expose to the air, ventilate.
- An equestrian event which comprises dressage, cross-country, and showjumping.
- The ability of one system or part of a program to send notifications to another, by raising events.
- The occurrence of an event.