Futurity

The Futurity is a series of young horse evaluations, formerly run by the British Equestrian Federation (now British Equestrian) and more recently organised by British Breeding.

The aim of the Futurity programme is to identify talented young sport horses and ponies, to collect data on British breeding, and to provide feedback to participants on the suitability of their young horses in its intended discipline and market.

The Futurity series is open to both amateurs and professionals, and for British-bred horses aged from four weeks up to five years old. Horses are assessed in separate categories for dressage, showjumping, eventing, endurance and ponies.

A new section for native breeds was added in 2025 as part of an initiative to “recognise and celebrate the special contribution of our British native breeds to the equestrian community”. British-bred horses and ponies aged six weeks to five years, if they are registered with a Defra-approved native breed society, were eligible to enter the pilot.

The 2020 Futurity was run as a virtual series, with videos of horses submitted for evaluation rather than horses presented in person, due to the coronavirus pandemic. In normal years, horses and ponies are evaluated by a vet and a panel of experts from within the specific discipline at one of several regional venues, with evaluations throughout the summer months.