British Eventing has released its 2024 fixtures list, with date changes, replacements, and the return of two historic Scottish venues on the cards.
The eventing season will kick off on 2 March at Epworth (1), South Yorkshire, and Poplar Park, Suffolk.
Weston Park makes a “welcome return” to the calendar on 6-7 April, with classes from novice to advanced, an additional day of cross-country has been added to Cirencester (1) 22-24 March, and Oxtalls (1) will replace Goring Heath for 2024 over the Easter weekend 29 March-1 April. In the southwest, Kingston Maurward College, Dorset, has joined the calendar with classes from BE80 to BE100 on 29-30 June.
Osberton International (1) 3-5 May is a replacement for Rockingham, which announced this year that it would not return in 2024. Osberton will hold national classes from BE100 to intermediate, and CCI2*-S, CCI3*-S, and CCIP2*. Chatsworth will host the British leg of the Nations Cup in May for a second year running, and the organisers of Epworth (2) are “stepping up as a permanent replacement” for Speetley in June.
A welcome addition to the calendar is the return of Scottish events Brechin Castle and Oatridge. Brechin, which last ran in 2012, will hold classes from BE80 to BE100 on 4 May, and Oatride, which last ran in 2011, will hold BE80 to BE100 on 29 to 30 June. The Scottish calendar has seven fixtures, with Glamis Castle and Floors Castle not returning in 2024.
Other notable points include date changes for 2024. Badminton will take place 8-12 May, and Burghley 5-8 September.
“This year’s calendar has been particularly challenging due to both Badminton and Burghley moving their dates which has had a huge knock-on implication for the rest of the fixtures for 2024 and 2025,” said a BE spokesman.
“We have worked hard with organisers to create the most fair and balanced schedules as possible.”
Burghley director Martyn Johnson told H&H Defender Burghley’s cross-country day is always the first Saturday in September.
“1 September is a Sunday this year, and so every now and then we have to move back a week in order for cross-country day to happen in September, otherwise the event would creep further and further into August,” he said.
Other date changes include Bovington moving to 20-21 April, Tweseldown (2) moving to 10-12 May, Little Downham (2) to 3-4 August, Hopetoun (2) with regional championships to 3-4 August, and Chard Equestrian to 31 August-1 September.
The BE spokesman said owing to “reasons beyond the control of the organisers” South of England (2) has had to move to 21-22 September for 2024 only, and this means it will not run any FEI classes.
“A replacement will be announced early in the new year,” said the spokesman, adding that the BE fixtures committee has circulated an expression of interest to existing organisers in the hope that the South of England minimum eligibility opportunities can be replaced.
“This move was enabled due to the organisers of Munstead kindly agreeing to move to the last week in September to help South of England, a splendid example of organisers working together to give members the best opportunities as possible.”
The BE spokesman added that organisers of Horseheath, Floors Castle, Richmond, Speetley, Somerford Park and Warwick Hall are “unable to run this year for various reasons, but we trust that the exciting additions to the calendar will make up for those lost”.
The full fixtures calendar can be viewed at: www.britisheventing.com/events
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