New dressage championship for veterans
A new British Dressage championship has been set up especially for the older competitor — both horses and riders.
Horses over 15 and riders over 55 will be able to battle it out at the new veteran championships next year.
The Veteran Dressage Championships — run with the Veteran Horse Society — will run at intro, prelim and novice.
“Dressage is unique whereby both horses and riders can continue to enjoy their chosen sport into their twilight years,” said BD’s Paul Graham
“We are thrilled to create a series that recognises that horses and riders can have a competitive career later in life. The members have been asking for this and it’s great that we’ll see a new Championship in 2015.”
The Veteran Horse Championship is for horses foaled in 1999 or earlier (15 and over) they, and their riders, must be members of the Veteran Horse Society.
At the Championship there will be two sections; one for horses aged 15-19 and one for the “golden oldies” aged 20 and over.
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For the Veteran Rider Championship competitors must be aged 55 or over. They must be riding horses four years and over and both must be minimum BD Associate registered.
For both Championships, qualifying and the final, horse and rider must be eligible for the level they’re competing at and will be run under BD Rules 2015. At the Championships, combinations may qualify for multiple classes but can only compete in two.
Pairs can qualify all over Britain for a Championship Final at the Vale View High Profile Show in Leicestershire (30 October -2 November 2015).
Qualification opened at the weekend (1 November) and ends on 30 September 2015.
More information on the British Dressage veteran championship
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A graduate of Exeter University, Amy joined our news team from Redpin Publishing in 2008 as news writer. She was promoted to deputy news editor in May 2013 and became news editor in April 2015. She left Horse & Hound in March 2016 to take up an editorial position in Dubai.