Competitions cancelled as spring snow hits amid weather warnings across UK

Snow has called a halt to proceedings as the organisers of Oasby Horse Trials (9-12 March) announce that the first two days of competition are cancelled.

The Lincolnshire event marked the second weekend of the British eventing season, after Epworth in North Lincolnshire and Poplar Park in Suffolk ran last weekend (4-5 March).

BEDE Events announced the cancellation of today’s (9 March) competition late last night, but in a further update this morning, organisers confirmed Friday (10 March) will also not go ahead.

“Following continued snowfall on Thursday morning and the forecast continuing to show snow for the remainder of the day, we have taken the decision to abandon all of Friday’s competition on the grounds of horse and rider safety,” said a BEDE spokesman.

“By taking this decision early we hope we can prevent riders travelling in inclement weather and it enables us to make alternative arrangements.”

Oasby runs classes from BE90 to intermediate level, with open intermediate sections A and B, intermediate sections C and D, novice section E, and open novice class scheduled today. Open intermediate sections G and H, intermediate section I, open intermediate under 21 section J and novice section K were scheduled for Friday.

More than 400 combinations had been due to start across Thursday and Friday, including world champions Yasmin Ingham and Banzai Du Loir, Laura Collett and London 52, Oliver Townend and As Is and Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo, in the open intermediate sections.

“We are in the process of finalising details of a day of intermediate/OI on Monday, 13 March. We will be in touch with all applicable entrants to offer the option to move their entry to Monday,” said a BEDE spokesman.

The weather has become increasingly worse in many parts of the UK throughout the week. The Met Office has issued a number of yellow and amber weather warnings for heavy snow and ice for parts of Scotland, northern and central England and Wales, due to be in place until Friday.

A British Dressage competition at Widmer Equestrian Centre, Buckinghamshire, was cancelled on Tuesday (7 March) owing to snow, and British Showjumping (BS) at Ponderosa Equestrian Centre in Newport, Wales, cancelled yesterday (8 March). A three-day BS show at Cabin Equestrian Centre in Aberdeenshire due to start tomorrow, has also been called off.

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