South of England Horse Trials (2): what riders need to know *H&H VIP*
Get the lowdown on this fixture from Eventing magazine's horse trials guide — including what riders say about the event, plus vital statistics
Date: Saturday 26 — Sunday 27 September 2015
Organisers: Jenny and Tim Nolan
Contact: 01892 783227; 07885 160030; seesltd@aol.com; www.seesltd.com
Location: Sussex
Entries open: 18 August
Ballot date: 1 September at 12 noon
Entries close: 18 September
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Link to South of England (2) entries: www.britisheventing.com/south-of-england-2
How to get there
Grid reference TQ339303. Ardingly Showground is situated on the B2028 four miles north of Haywards Heath.
What the organisers say
The dressage is sited on flat grass. The CIC2*, CIC* and under-21 open intermediate dressage will be held in one of the showground rings.
The showjumping, designed by John Farrell, is in the main Ardingly ring for all classes, giving horses the chance to jump in a large arena.
Scott Brickell and Philip Herbert design the cross-country tracks. The BE100 and novice are flat but intermediate, open intermediate and CIC horses have to negotiate one steep hill. The tracks will be agri-vated and sanded if it is hard. The novice course is solid and inviting for young horses. There will be new fences for all classes.
The courses are suitable for all. Both the novice and intermediate tracks are straightforward and suitable for a newly upgraded horse. There will be alternatives at any difficult fences.
What the riders say
Dressage & showjumping — “The rings are very flat on good ground.” “The dressage is well organised and there is someone on the gate telling you how long you have to get across to the main arena.” “Both the dressage and showjumping are held in the showing rings, so the ground is well levelled and good.” “The showjumping has loads of space in the warm-up and is very flat.” “They always have quite a lot of jumps so you’re not crowding over one fence.” “The showjumping is completely flat and on good ground in the main arena. It’s very well looked-after.”
Cross-country — “You need a fit horse in both the one- and two-star, as you run down a hill to the bottom and then back up again.” “The courses are educational and old-fashioned with some hedges and big fences to ride at like a ditch palisade, so it’s quite a decent track.” “Can be hard to get the time so it makes it a good test.” “They try really hard with the ground — it can get a bit tacky if it’s rained, but they do their best.” “I wouldn’t recommend it as a first-time one- or two-star course as there are some decent questions.”
Percentage of cross-country clears 2014
CIC2*: 62%
OI: 92%
OIU21: 93%
I: 80%
CIC*: 60%
ON: 55%
N: 62%
BE100 Open: 79%
BE100: 72%
Download part two of the horse trials guide for just £1.49: Eventing horse trials guide part two
