Blenheim Horse Trials

Blenheim Horse Trials is one of the most prestigious four-star international three-day events in the world. It is held in the grounds of Blenheim Palace, the home of the Duke of Marlborough, in Oxfordshire. This year’s Agria-sponsored event, which is run by the Stable Events team, will take place on 17-20 September 2026.

The main arena, where the dressage and showjumping take place, is set in front of beautiful Blenheim Palace and the event usually hosts both a CCI4*-L and an eight- and nine-year-old CCI4*-S class, alongside a range of supporting competitions.

History of Blenheim Horse Trials

The CCI4*-L (formerly CCI3*) has been running at Blenheim since 1990. The first event was won by Lucinda Fredericks (née Murray) on Just Jeremy.

The young horse CCI4*-S (formerly CIC3*) was added in 2009, with Piggy French’s ride Flying Machine taking the title in that first year. This class has become a strong pointer to stars of the future, with former victors including Mark Todd’s ride NZB Land Vision, who went on to win Badminton, and London 52, who won Pau two years after his Blenheim triumph with Laura Collett before going on to Olympic medal glory.

Blenheim ran the young rider European Championships in 1994 and the senior Europeans in 2005, when Britain took the team title and Zara Tindall (née Phillips) was the individual gold medallist on Toytown. It also hosted the senior European Eventing Championships in 2025, when Britain’s Laura Collett won individual gold, and Tom McEwen silver, but Britain did not win a team medal on that occasion.