Somerley Park steps in to fill gap left by cancelled event
Somerley Park in Hampshire will host a second horse trials this summer to fill the void left by the cancellation of Salperton.
The second event will be held on the 27-28 June and will run from novice to advanced intermediate.
There will also be a novice regional final for combinations trying to qualify for the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe (7-9 August)
Salperton Park, near Cheltenham, was dropped from the British Eventing (BE) calendar earlier this year (14 January) because “the estate felt that the impact on the parkland is too much”.
The Gloucestershire estate, which also runs a successful shoot and a working farm, decided that the “impact of building and running a horse trials is significant and adversely impacts on the other estate revenues considerably”.
Somerley organiser Suzie Cotterill said: “In order to provide competitors with a replacement for the recently cancelled Salperton, Somerley Park will put on another event this year.
“This is the second time in recent years that Somerley has stood up to the plate to provide an alternative event at relatively short notice, having replaced Wilton in 2012 with just two weeks notice before.
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“With the demise of an event that was significant to competitors seeking qualifications for the important Novice Regional Final, as well as looking to earn other grading points, we decided that it would be in the best interests of the sport and the riders to organise this replacement event.
“Since we normally run in the early spring, I look forward to welcoming everyone to a green and sunny Somerley Park in June too.”
British Eventing has thanked the organising team at Somerley for its “huge support of the sport” and for its “efforts in stepping up to offer a replacement competition opportunity for riders in the region.”
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Sophia Heath joined Horse & Hound in July 2013 having previously worked for the Daily Telegraph's Olympics website, CNN International and Omnisport. A Durham graduate with a Masters in journalism from City University, Sophia has evented, showjumped and hunted. Sophia left Horse & Hound in early 2015 to join an international boating website.