British Showjumping (BS) has put together a plan in hopes as many championship finals as possible can still run.
As coronavirus lockdown measures continue to ease, BS hopes its plan will demonstrate its “commitment to delivering finals and championship shows for members who had been focusing on them prior to the enforced lockdown of the sport”.
A spokesman said: “It is also one that allows for ongoing adjustment when further government advice is given in respect of the easing of lockdown procedures and protocols that are expected over the forthcoming weeks.
“Full details regarding qualifiers and their respective finals will be announced over the next few weeks once we have a clearer understanding of how August may look.
“This of course very much depends on the advice given by the UK government in respect of ongoing Covid-19 restrictions.”
All BS national championships (BSNC) and Horse of the Year show (HOYS) direct qualifers due to run in July are cancelled. This is to ensure fairness while the other home nations are still unable to compete owing to their governments’ restrictions.
Should multi-day shows be allowed in August, the aim is to run the BSNC at Stoneleigh Park from 4 to 9 August. This would include summer championship finals for those who have qualified, the spring championship finals, existing entry direct finals and two winter finals – the winter novice final and the grade B and C – allocated from Hickstead. If possible, there will be direct qualifiers at the event for some titles.
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Should HOYS run, a qualification route will run in August and September. The winter pony finals due to be held in May will run at the end of August.
The Bolesworth Young Horse Show Championships aims to run between 19 and 23 August with some warm-up shows scheduled beforehand.
The winter pony finals that should have run at Hickstead’s Royal International Horse Show next month will instead run at the venue’s September show, and the BS junior academy show is hoped still to run at Stoneleigh from 11-12 August.
Qualifiers for the Dodson & Horrell amateur & veteran finals at Aintree in November will take place during September and October at venues to be announced.
A BS spokesman said: “British Showjumping are steadfast in their objective of getting the sport back into a position of recovery at the earliest opportunity government protocols allow and we trust that sharing this outline plan will assist members plan their competition season.
“We would also like to inform competitors that the free day ticket offer has been extended to run up to and including 17 July.
“We do ask members that they understand implementing the plan depends entirely on the respective government relaxing the current restrictions and protocols currently in place for us to deliver it. We are continually monitoring the situation and will ensure that members are updated in the event of any changes as we move forward in the calendar.
“In the meantime, we would once again like to thank our members and stakeholders for their ongoing support, patience and understanding during this difficult time and we hope that you are now looking forward to the ongoing resumption of British Showjumping activity.”
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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.
