Hoof Hearted, Norfolk Enchance and Boris are among the virtual horses set to take part in a virtual event this weekend (2 May) – with toilet rolls among the prizes.
Munstead, whose first British Eventing competition of 2020 was due to run just after lockdown started, has organised the virtual horse trials “purely as a bit of fun”.
Course preparations are under way for our first ever virtual event. The course has been flagged, joskined and watered to perfection! *No actual riding involved. This is just a bit of fun to give you an eventing fix while we aren't running.Posted by Munstead Horse Trials on Sunday, April 26, 2020
Rebecca Harvey, who owns and organises the event with husband Rupert, told H&H riders entered by commenting on a Facebook post with the names of the “horses” they planned to enter.
“We’ve had some ridiculous, funny names,” she said, adding that the final list of those who scraped through the ballot is online.
The event will feature old videos, edited by Lianne Tadd, covering not only competitors tackling the cross-country but also some hobby horse moments, and footage of “ground preparation” – using a watering can.
“When it comes to the event, we’ll allocate marks completely randomly,” Rebecca said. “We’ve got video of the dressage judge, explaining how the day’s gone so far, we’ve found old footage of a livery cantering round the course with a dog, so we’ll have a loose dog; it’s been fun putting it together.”
Continues below…
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
Spectators can watch from an appropriate social distance – ie online at home, and there are top prizes available.
“The Crosscountry App has donated some vouchers for prizes, and the first horse will get a rosette, a travel mug – and a toilet roll,” Rebecca said. “What more could anyone want?
“It’s all very tongue-in-cheek; a bit of fun to keep people entertained while we can’t do anything else.”
We continue to publish Horse & Hound magazine weekly during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as keeping horseandhound.co.uk up to date with all the breaking news, features and more. Click here for info about magazine subscriptions (six issues for £6) and access to our premium H&H Plus content online.
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.
