Horse Guards Parade in London has undergone a transformation in the past week, as it prepares to host the world’s top showjumpers.
An 80m x 48m sand arena has been built at the central London site ahead of the three-day Longines Global Champions Tour competition, which starts on Thursday (14 August).
(Image credit: creditUnknown)
More than 1,100 tonnes of sand has been delivered to Horse Guards for the arena, which was set up last week (pictured right).
There will be approximately 240 horses competing and nine of the world’s top 10 showjumpers among those in action.
It is the first time the venue has hosted an international equestrian event and Brits — including world number one Scott Brash (pictured below left) and number two Ben Maher — will be competing.
(Image credit: creditUnknown)
“It is great to be at such a fantastic venue. This is a very important international event for British showjumping and all credit to everyone involved,” said Scott.
Showjumping will be shown live on BBC2 on Friday (15 August) from 3pm-5pm and Saturday (16 August) from 5.15pm-7pm.
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
For full report and analysis on the London leg of the GCT, don’t miss next week’s issue of H&H magazine — out Thursday 21 August.
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
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.
