Want to start affiliated eventing? Here’s what you need to know…
Are you considering competing with British Eventing this season? If so, don’t miss this useful guide on how to get started in affiliated eventing, including what you can expect at a British Eventing one-day event.
How to start eventing: the basics
British Eventing (BE) is the governing body of eventing in Britain – all affiliated competitions are run through them.
How much does eventing cost?
There are a range of membership options available. Full individual membership starts from £85 for those competing up to and including BE90 level, £140 for those competing up to and including intermediate novice level and £300 for all levels.
Horse registration starts at £50 for half a season (1 July onwards) for a horse with no BE points or £74 for the full year. Prices increase as horses move up the levels. There is also a Pay As You Go option. In addition to your membership, there are entry fees and start fees to be paid for each competition.
Why affiliate?
There is a certain guaranteed standard of competition and high-quality technical and medical back-up. All phases should start on time with the event running smoothly, with the sport aimed at encouraging competitors, while not overfacing them.
What age can you start affiliated eventing?
Riders must be in the year they turn 12 or older to compete with BE. Horses must be at least five years old, although four-year-olds will be allowed to compete up to four times in a combination of BE80 and/or BE90 classes from 1 July each year.
How big does a horse have to be to do BE?
To compete at BE80 and BE90 level, horses must be at least 132cm. Horses competing in all other national classes under BE rules must be at least 142cm.
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What to expect at an affiliated event
Some of the potential differences to unaffiliated competition that you should be aware of if you want to get started in affiliated eventing are:
- Start fees: on top of your entry, you will have to pay a start fee (refundable if you do not start the dressage). The cost depends on the level you’re riding at and the money goes back into the event, paying for medical cover and course improvements.
- Optimum time: penalties are awarded if you exceed the optimum time across country and likewise if you finish more than 15 seconds under the optimum. Stopwatches can be worn by competitors at all levels.
- Balloting: if the class is over-subscribed, you may be “balloted out” and your entry rejected. Each horse with a season or half-season ticket is given a set number of priority passes for each season, which you can use to try to avoid being balloted from events where you really want to compete. Some events may use a different system to balloting such as first come, first served – look at the event’s page on the BE website to check.
Pay As You Go membership
Pay As You Go (PAYG) membership is ideal for those trying eventing for the first time, those exploring stepping up to the next level and those who only want to compete a few times per year. PAYG enables you to compete at BE80 regional championships, but not at these championships at BE90 or BE100.
The PAYG option is available for rider memberships, horse season tickets and owner memberships. You pay a one-off membership fee of £40 for each category you wish to PAYG. So, if you want you and your horse to compete on the PAYG system, it would be £40 for your membership and £40 for your horse to hold a PAYG season ticket.
Once you have a PAYG membership you will be able to make your entries. For any entry where a PAYG membership is held – either by the rider, the horse, the owner, or a combination of these – you will be charged an additional £10 run fee on top of your entry. This applies every time you and/or your horse competes. There is no limit to the number of times you may compete using this membership option.
GO BE classes
GO BE classes enable riders to take part in a BE affiliated competition, without a BE membership and without a BE published record of the results. The classes are run like all other BE competitions, just with the difference that they are open to all riders from the year of their 12th birthday (non-members will need to complete a free associate registration and horse registration via the website) and results are not published on the BE website.
This format has been developed for competitors who wish to compete with BE but without their results being recorded in the BE database. It is also aimed to appeal to those who wish to try competing with BE for the first time but without the commitment of purchasing membership. Classes are available from 80-100cm and are known as GOBE80, GOBE90 and GOBE100. MERs as per BE100 classes will be required for GOBE100 level, so if the rider in the year of their 12th or 13th birthday, they must have two MERs at BE90 as a combination.
There will be a £10 run fee payable to BE for non-members to compete in GO BE classes.
GO BE summarised:
- Anyone can enter, no paid-for BE membership is required, although non-members will need to complete a free associate registration and horse registration via the website and have their own third party insurance
- Horses need to comply with BE’s vaccination rules for equine infuenza
- Same courses and organising team as national BE classes
- Results will be available on eventingscores website, but will not be published as official BE records
- Entry fees will be set at the lower limit
- No prize money will be awarded
- Results will not count for MERs and qualifications
British Eventing XC+
BE XC+ is a new competition introduced by BE in 2025, at BE80 and BE90 level, allowing competitors to take part in the cross-country phase and either the dressage or showjumping. There will be no results or prizes while the competition is in its pilot phase. The classes are open to all BE members, including PAYG members, who have completed a standard class at the same level within the past 12 months, and the entry and start fee are 75% of the fee for a full competition.
Guide to British Eventing levels
- BE80(T): for horses with no points. Showjumps are no higher than 0.85m (2ft 8in) and cross-country fences 0.80m (2ft 6in).
- BE90: for horses with no points. Showjumps are no higher than 0.95m (3ft 1in) and cross-country fences 0.90m (2ft 11in).
- BE100: for horses with no points. Showjumps are a maximum height of 1.05m (3ft 5in) with cross-country jumps 1m (3ft 3in).
- Novice: for horses with less than 21 points. Showjumps are a maximum of 1.15m (3ft 9in), cross-country 1.10m (3ft 7in).
- Intermediate: for horses with 21-60 points. Showjumps are a maximum of 1.20m (3ft 11in), cross-country 1.15m (3ft 9in).
- Advanced: 61 points and above. Showjumps will not exceed 1.30m (4ft 1in) and cross-country 1.20m (3ft 11in).
For further information, you can read more about eventing levels here.
British Eventing foundation points are allocated for wins and placings in classes from BE80(T) to BE100. British Eventing points are introduced at novice level. Horses are graded according to the number of points they have won.
BE90open and BE100open classes also exist to allow riders to compete on schoolmasters, so that less experienced riders don’t have to take on courses they are not ready for. There are also intermediary classes such as BE105, intermediate novice and advanced intermediate, which mix the higher level dressage and showjumping with the lower level cross-country.
Horses can be downgraded and have their points removed to allow them to compete in lower level classes under certain circumstances.
Find out more: if you want to get started in affiliated eventing, visit britisheventing.com
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Gemma is an experienced journalist, who was a member of H&H staff from 2014 to September 2025. She is passionate about all equestrian sports, including racing and point-to-pointing. She has enjoyed riding out for top trainers Nicky Henderson and Charlie Appleby and took part in a charity Flat race at Epsom in August 2018. Gemma’s has reported from numerous five-star events around Britain and Europe, as well as European championships.