The British Dressage (BD)Petplan Area Festivals have become a cornerstone of grassroots dressage, offering thousands of riders the chance to compete in a championship-style setting. With over 6,500 competitors taking part in 2024, it’s the largest affiliated dressage series in the UK – and it continues to grow.
Whether you’re stepping into the arena for the first time or aiming for a place at the prestigious Area Festival Championships, this series offers the perfect balance of ambition, challenge and fun.
What are the Area Festivals?
The Area Festivals provide bronze and silver level riders with a structured and accessible pathway into affiliated competition, offering the excitement of a championship-style event without the pressure of competing against top professionals. A step up from regular BD competitions, each test is judged by three judges instead of one and includes a post-test vet check, ensuring a true championship experience.
With two championship seasons – summer and winter – riders can qualify and compete year-round at venues across the UK, with the chance to progress even further to the prestigious Area Festival Championships.
The Summer Area Festival Championships take place at Arena UK in October, while the Winter Area Festival Championships are hosted at Addington in April – alongside the NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships.
Winter season: 1 July – 31 December
Summer season: 1 January – 30 June
The series runs from prelim to inter I levels, with sections for bronze and silver riders, ensuring fair and competitive classes for all.
How do you qualify for Area Festivals and the championships?
Qualification for the Area Festivals is based on a percentage system, meaning you’ll need to achieve a set number of minimum scores within the specific qualification period to secure your place.
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You can gain your scores by competing at regular BD affiliated shows. This lets you progress at your own pace while competing in a familiar setting before stepping onto the bigger stage at an Area Festival.
The exact number of scores required depends on the level you are competing at.
✔ Prelim to advanced medium – Three scores of 63% or above
✔ Prix st georges (PSG) and inter I – Two scores of 60% or above
To secure a spot at either championships, you must finish in the top two of your class at an Area Festival. Combinations can enter up to two Area Festivals per season at the same level and section, unless they qualify for the championships on their first attempt.
BUT if you’re not in the top two, a significant number of wildcards are issued each season to the next highest-placed combinations at each level across all the Area Festivals. In 2024, over 130 wildcards were issued across the levels.
Other rules to consider
Riders cannot compete at the same level (including music classes) in both an Area Festival and a regional within the same season. If entering both, the Area Festival level must be at a higher level than the regional.
There are score restrictions for future eligibility:
Combinations who score 68% or higher (70% for music classes) at a regionals can no longer compete at the same or lower level in an Area Festival – both in the current and future seasons
Similarly, combinations scoring 68% or higher (70% for music) at an Area Festival championship cannot enter an Area Festival at the same level and section or below in any future seasons
If a rider has competed at a Premier League, they can’t compete at an Area Festival at that level or below
Love dressage to music?
The summer season features an exciting freestyle to music category, where you can showcase your horse’s rhythm and expression – why not take it to the next level and give designing your own freestyle a go?
To qualify you need to score:
✔ Prelim to advanced medium – Two scores of 63% or above in regular classes
✔ PSG & inter I – Two scores of 60% or above in regular classes
The top two from each class will then move forward to the Summer Area Festival Championships.
Do I need a BD membership?
Yes. To qualify for an Area Festival at prelim bronze level, riders can earn their scores as a BD club member on a club-registered horse. However, if they successfully qualify, both the rider and horse must upgrade to full membership before they can take part in the festival itself.
For those competing at prelim silver and all levels upwards, both the rider and horse must already hold full (competing) membership and a full horse registration in order to gain qualifying scores.
Horse ownership also comes into play. If you own a horse taking part in the Area Festivals, you must be a full (competing) or full (non-competing) member, even if you’re not the one riding.
How to get started
✔ Join British Dressage: Sign up for a club membership (£60) or a full membership (£187 for both horse and rider)
✔ Learn Your Tests: Use the BD TestPro App or purchase tests from the BD Shop
✔ Get out competing – earn qualifying scores at your local BD competitions
✔ Track your progress – Keep an eye on your scores and ensure you meet the requirements in time
✔ Enter your Area Festival – Once qualified, select your event and get ready for the challenge – and keep your eye out for wildcards!
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Oscar joined Horse & Hound in October 2023 and is the magazine’s dressage editor and sports manager, overseeing coverage of equestrian sport. After studying equine science at Myerscough College, he spent four years working for leading dressage rider Emile Faurie, competing at the 2015 National Dressage Championships and travelling with the yard to CDIs including Aachen and Saumur. He holds a master’s degree in Literature from York St John University (2021).
