A new annual competition has been launched for top performing former racehorses across the UK’s “best known” hunt rides.
The Retraining of Racehoses (RoR) Hunt Ride League will take place over four rides, the Melton Hunt Club (3 February 2019), the Golden Button (23 February), the Harborough Ride (23 March) and the Silver Spur (27 April) with £500 going to the winner and £250 to the runner-up.
The Melton Hunt Club ride, which has been running for more than 60 years, takes place over three and a half miles of open grassland on Belvoir Hunt country in Leicestershire.
The Golden Button will run over approximately three miles with 22 obstacles on Ledbury country in Gloucestershire and the Harborough Ride takes place over three and a half miles in Fernie country, Leicestershire.
The final event, the Silver Spur which was launched in 2016, will run over two and a half miles on the Bicester with Whaddon Chase country in Northamptonshire.
Between one and 10 points will be awarded to the top 10 eligible finishers at each event, with the first RoR-registered horse home in the ride earning a maximum score of 10 points.
RoR chief executive Di Arbuthnot said: “We are delighted to be associated with this quartet of competitive and exciting hunt rides. We believe the RoR Hunt Ride League represents the first time that these four events have been linked together for an overall prize and we are very grateful to the organisers of the rides for their support and collaboration.
“It will be fascinating to see how the league unfolds and it would be great to go into the final leg with everything still to play for.”
Presentations will take place at the RoR end of season party at Doncaster Racecourse in November where the top 10 former racehorses in the league will receive mementos.
To be eligible for the league, horses must be registered with the RoR prior to the first event they compete in and must be entered under their original racing name.
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Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.
