Championships among events to cancel as dry conditions affect ground preparation
The British Riding Club national championships were due to take place on 5-6 September.
The British Riding Clubs (BRC) national championships have been cancelled, as the dry conditions in England take their toll.
The BRC team announced with “great disappointment” that the championships, due to take place in Lincolnshire on 5-6 September, are off. The competition had been due to run dressage and showjumping. The BRC horse trials championships at Swalcliffe went ahead on 1-2 August.
“The recent dry and hot conditions have meant that the ground cannot be prepared to a suitable standard for competition to take place. The weather forecast for the weeks leading up to the championship show no significant rainfall, so we have no other choice but to cancel the event,” said a BRC spokesperson.
“Every effort has gone into finding an alternative date or venue, but postponing or relocating an event the size of the national championships is just not feasible given the timescales we are working to.”
The spokesperson added that BRC “knows this will be very disappointing for those that have qualified for what is a real highlight of the calendar”.
“We are currently working through our abandonment insurance process and will release more information on refunds due as soon as we are able. Please bear with us during this time and we will be in touch with team managers directly,” he said.
The https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/tag/british-eventing fixture at West Wilts (18-19 August) is off owing to "unprecedented drought conditions”.
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“The welfare of horses, riders, and the long-term condition of the ground must remain the highest priority,” said a BE spokesperson.
“Unfortunately, despite every effort and careful consideration, the current conditions do not allow the organisers to provide the safe and consistent going that competitors rightly expect.”
West Wilts organiser Pete Collins confirmed the 5-6 September fixture is still due to run and “conditions will be closely monitored over the coming weeks”.
“We are committed to taking all necessary steps to ensure the ground conditions are suitable and safe for competition. As part of this, we plan to aerate the ground ahead of the September event to improve the going and encourage any available moisture to penetrate the soil,” he said.
“Should we continue to experience dry conditions, we may have to reseed the affected areas after the event to aid recovery and protect the long-term quality of the course.
Mr Collins thanked all the competitors, officials, volunteers and supporters for their understanding and continued support. The venue is running arena eventing combined training on 16 and 18 August, on surfaces.
The PRB Horseboxes Cotswold Cup qualifiers have also been affected; the Ascott under Wychwood competition on 5-6 September is off and the Eland Lodge event on 16 August will run under a revised format.
“It is with real sadness that the team at Ascott under Wychwood have unfortunately made the decision that they will not be able to prepare the ground to a sufficient standard to host their Cotswold Cup qualifier,” said a spokesperson for the series.
“This was such a tough decision and they have held off as long as possible to make it, praying for some rain, but in light of the current conditions on the site they have made an early decision to enable competitors to re-route. We fully support them with both horse and human welfare at the forefront of their decision.”
The Eland Lodge fixture will run under an “arena eventing format”. Competitors will do dressage on grass and showjumping and cross-country in an all-weather arena.
“With the exceptionally dry ground preventing the team from preparing the cross-country course to the standard they would like, the team at Eland Lodge has gone above and beyond to ensure competitors can still enjoy a high-class Cotswold Cup qualifier,” the spokesperson said.
“The revised format reflects Eland Lodge’s commitment to horse welfare, rider safety and delivering a top-quality competition, despite the challenges presented by the current weather. Entry fees will be slightly reduced, and all competitors who have already entered will automatically receive a refund for the difference in entry fees.”
BE fixture Chepstow at Howick (2) has cancelled its 21-22 September event, but this is due to “farming commitments”.
“We are unable to provide the flexibility needed to run the event to the standard we expect, and so we have made the difficult decision to cancel this fixture,” said the organisers.
“We are truly sorry for any disappointment this may cause, especially after such a fantastic event in July. We were delighted with the wonderful feedback from so many, and we would like to thank all our competitors, owners, volunteers, officials, sponsors, and supporters for helping make it such a success.
“We look forward to welcoming you back to Howick horse trials in 2027, when we’re excited to introduce our brand-new water complex alongside another fantastic event.”
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Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.