More spills than thrills?

After walking around the 2014/15 eventing cross country courses, it made me wonder. Are we getting too many similar courses containing too many twisty turny combinations? Right hand turn here, chevron over there. It is all becoming a little daunting. Since when has eventing become about whether you can rip your horse around tight corners and still have enough momentum to jump large, solid obstacles?
Is this the officials idea of creating smart riders? Because lately all I have been seeing is falls and dangerous riding, as people make slightly wrong decisions in their attempt to make the time. Having what course designers call ‘technical combinations’ dotted throughout the entirety of the course may quite frankly be achieving quite the opposite. Are they, as they try to ‘test’ a riders ability, creating a dangerous situation for both horse and rider? I understand the necessity in building courses that make riders think, as the sport is becoming more competitive. However, perhaps instead of building with the intention of having a certain ‘hit rate’ of unsuccesses, why not build courses that are going to encourage riders to get around, successfully building confidence. We aren’t just seeing this at the championship events either. It’s across the board. A one day event is not a championship so why make the cross country as technical as one? Should these horse trials not be seen as a learning platform for the inexperienced to gain experience? Everyone has to start somewhere but starting out at the mini Olympics isn’t exactly going to leave you chomping at the bit for more? It rather puts you off the whole experience. Compare it to a six year olds first game of rugby. What six year old is going to want to continue playing rugby if every time they step onto the field they are confronted by an opposing team of 15 year olds. Four games of rugby and I’m positive that six year isn’t going to want to continue playing. The same can be said for hoses. Surely these horse trials should be boosting confidence rather than destroying it.
Who are the TD’s making these discussions? Have they ever ridden a cross country on a green horse?

Now I’m not saying that all officials and course designers are out to catch riders. That’s not true at all. But how many times are officials going to stand amongst the crowd of spectators and hear repeated gasps, fearing for the lives of both horse and rider? Recently there has been a shift in motivation to encourage more and more spectators to enjoy the sport, yet no one wants to see horses flip and riders hurt through combinations officials deem acceptable.
Is the line between dangerous courses and testing courses being crossed a little too often?