Torrential rain has punched another hole in the autumn competition calendar, with events and racing forced to cancel owing to sodden conditions.
Weston Park, Calmsden and Tweseldown all managed to run their British Eventing (BE) fixtures on Saturday (12 October), but lost their second day of competition on Sunday due to the downpour and its impact on the ground.
Askham Bryan in Yorkshire was the sole BE fixture to run on Sunday.
Heavy rain has affected much of the country, with data from the Met Office showing Aberdaron in west Wales as the wettest place in the UK on Sunday, with 37.4mm of rain.
Bovington in Dorset, which was due to hold BE90 and BE100 regional finals among its classes next weekend (19 to 20 October), has already made the decision to cancel because of the ground conditions.
“Regrettably, due to significant rainfall for much of the past few weeks, and with more scheduled, the decision has been made to sadly abandon Bovington (2) on 19 to 20 October,” said a statement from BE.
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“With a BE90RF and BE100RF due to be held at the event we are carefully considering rescheduling options and will release details as soon as this has been confirmed.
“We are sorry for all involved and appreciate the hard work that has gone into putting on this fixture.”
Team chasing and racing have also been hit.
The Meynell & South Staffordshire pulled its fixture scheduled for Saturday (12 October), on safety grounds.
“Due to the wet conditions and the predicted poor forecast with heavy rain, the committee is concerned for the safety of horses and riders as back-up and emergency vehicles cannot access all areas of the course,” said a statement from the organisers.
“We have really enthusiastic landowners but we cannot abuse their support and generosity. It is not practical to reschedule at this stage although options in the spring are being explored.”
Chepstow enjoyed two quality days of jump racing on Friday and Saturday, but there was no racing in Britain on Sunday as Goodwood and Newton Abbot were both abandoned.
Windsor’s Monday night fixture (14 October) also fell victim to the deluge, with all the food due to be served donated to Wellesley House, a sheltered housing centre that supports people facing homelessness. Goodwood donated its food to Chichester-based homeless charity Stonepillow.
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.
