New look for Windsor Horse Trials

Event director Mike Tucker has unveiled his plans for a dramatically changed two-star three-day Windsor Horse Trials, including a new cross-country course with improved going, a changed site, a new title sponsor and an innovative format incorporating the Windsor International Team Challenge.

Windsor Horse Trials has suffered in the past from poor going, due to the course partially running over a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), which meant that the organisers were unable to improve the ground, and there were complaints that the event lacked atmosphere.

But Mike Tucker has spoken enthusiastically about his hopes to turn around the event’s fortunes and return the much-needed CCI** fixture to Britain’s eventing calendar.

“We’ve moved the main arenas to a new site, while the start and finish of the new cross-country course — and the first and last fences — will be in the main arena, which will make the event more compact and give it atmosphere,” he explains.

The new course no longer runs across the SSSI area, which has enabled Mike and course designer Jonathan Warr to work on the going, while park users are being asked to keep off the new course.

The relaunched event, which will run from 27-30 May, also includes a new International Team Challenge, which will see four teams of four riders competing in dressage, cross-country and show jumping.

Read the full story, including further details of the International Team Challenge, in today’s issue of Horse & Hound (11 December).

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