The dates and venues of qualifying shows for SEIB’s 2021 Search For A Star (SFAS) and Racehorse To Riding Horse finals are now available.
Each venue is set to hold a qualifying class for each of the nine SFAS and Racehorse to Riding Horse classes, including two new classes, the SFAS veteran horse or pony and the SFAS part-bred traditional cob.
The Racehorse to Riding Horse finals are held at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) in October, while some of the SFAS classes take place at Your Horse Live, the others at the NEC.
The following venues will host qualifiers:
Richmond Equestrian Centre (12 July)
Onley Grounds Equestrian Complex (28 July)
Stoneleigh Park (29 July)
West Wilts Equestrian Centre (9 August)
Bury Farm Equestrian Club (23 August)
SEIB marketing manager Nicolina MacKenzie said: “It is a first for Search For A Star to have back-to-back qualifiers, and we have worked with the Traditional of the Year Show (TOYS) and the Trailblazers Championship organising teams to hold our SFAS qualifiers the day before TOYS at Onley and during the Trailblazers Championship at Stoneleigh. This will help ensure that competitors can have as many competition opportunities as possible with a minimal amount of travelling.”
SEIB said that as there are two SFAS competitions on consecutive days, and competitors are required to enter in advance, any competitor that has entered at both Onley Grounds and Stoneleigh and qualifies for either Your Horse Live or HOYS at Onley Grounds will be eligible for a refund of their entry fee for classes at Stoneleigh.
To enable SFAS competitors to make the most of the opportunity offered by the new part-bred traditional cob class, any amateur owned and ridden, traditional part-bred type is encouraged to come forward for this class without having to register with any other organisation.
Do you think the new veteran and part-bred traditional cob classes are good additions to the Search For a Star series? Share your thoughts by writing to hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name and nearest town, for the chance to feature on the letters page in a future issue of H&H magazine
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Former H&H showing editor and deputy features editor
Born and raised in the Lake District, Alex has grown up on the showing scene. She has qualified and competed ponies at the Royal International, Horse of the Year Show and Olympia and has first-hand knowledge of the current issues in the showing world as well as the horses, ponies and riders who compete in the sport. Alex joined H&H in January 2018 as showing editor, cementing its place as the leading equestrian publication for both showing reports and current showing news in the UK. She moved on in October 2024 to pursue other opportunities, but continues to write for us on a freelance basis.
