Riders who had qualified for the national amateur championship second rounds under the old criteria will be fast-tracked to the finals, British Showjumping (BS) has confirmed.
BS announced last Friday (15 July) that it had changed the requirements so that instead of riders needing four double clears to be eligible for the second rounds, from which qualification to the finals is secured, only one is now necessary.
BS made the decision owing to the low numbers who had achieved four double clears, in first-round classes from 85cm to 1.10m.
Some riders had been angered by the decision, saying on social media they had “jumped more than they needed to”, or that they had travelled further afield than they would otherwise have done, to find shows running first-round classes.
But it has now been confirmed that those who had managed to secure the four by 15 July will be fast-tracked to the finals, which are to be held at Aintree Equestrian Centre from 16-20 November.
A spokesman for BS’s national sport committee said: “The national sport committee’s objective was to bring the qualification structure for the national amateur championships in line with our other series where consistent clear round performances are rewarded in addition to supporting the category 1 show calendar.
“Ongoing review of the numbers identified that a reduction in the number of double clears needed for second round eligibility was required in order to support both the second round shows and the championships as a whole.
“For those that have three or less double clears, we trust that they will see this positively and for those that have already achieved their four double clears we look forward to welcoming them directly at the amateur and veteran championship finals which take place later in the year.”
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Any combination who achieves or has achieved one double clear will qualify for the respective second round, with the chance of qualifying for the finals as before.
For information on second round venues, click here.
