Eventing’s Grassroots Festival goes to Badminton from 2010
British Eventing’s (BE) popular amateur championship — the Grassroots Festival — will not be run next year and will be part of Badminton Horse Trials from 2010, the organisation has announced.
The 3-year-old Grassroots Festival brings together winners from intro and pre-novice regional qualifiers from around the country to contest the overall championship. It has previously been held at Aston-le-Walls.
BE says the Grassroots Festival will run alongside the four-star Badminton competition, with most of the dressage will taking place on the Wednesday — the same day as the international trot-up — and show jumping and cross country on Thursday — the first day of the main horse trials.
The winning riders will parade in the main arena on Thursday evening.
Mike Etherington Smith, BE sport director said: “This is great boost for the sport. To give our members the opportunity to compete at Badminton will be a great thrill, and a not-to-be-missed opportunity.”
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Hugh Thomas, the director of the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials said: “To be able to host the championships for the Grassroots riders alongside our international event will be quite a challenge but we much look forward to making them feel part of our Badminton family.”
And 2008 Baileys Intro Grassroots Festival Champion Caroline Bridge, added: “This is fantastic news for amateur eventers!
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“Everyone dreams of riding at Badminton, so what better incentive than to work towards our own Grassroots Championships at such a well-known, world famous venue.
“I can’t wait now to get my youngster ready for the chance to compete at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Grassroots Festival in 2010.”
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A self-confessed newshound, farmer’s daughter and journalist of many years' experience, Charlotte worked on regional papers before joining H&H in 2007. A regular rider, she visited Ireland in 2010 to investigate the fate of Irish horses through the recession, to much acclaim, and reported from the FEI General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro in 2011. She left Horse & Hound in March 2013.