Are you considering competing with British Eventing this season? If so, don’t miss this useful guide on how to get started in affiliated eventing, including what you can expect at a British Eventing one-day event.
Which organisation? British Eventing (BE) is the governing body of eventing in Britain.
How much does it costs? There are a range of membership options available. Full individual membership starts from £90 for those wishing to compete up to and including BE90 level, £135 for those wishing to compete up to and including intermediate novice level and £285 for all levels. Horse registration starts at £50 for six months for a horse with no BE points, or £74 for the full year. Prices increase as horses move up the levels. A full season ticket purchased at the beginning of the year is for the full season and half season ticket when purchase from 1 July is for events help in the second part of the season. There is also a Pay As You Go option. In addition to your membership, there are entry fees and start fees to be paid for each competition to want to take part in.
Why affiliate? There is a certain standard of competition and high-quality technical back-up. All phases should start on time with the event running smoothly, with the sport aimed at encouraging competitors, while not overfacing themselves.
What age can you start affiliated eventing? Riders must be in the year they turn 10 or older to compete with British Eventing. Horses must be at least five years old, although four-year-olds will be allowed to compete up to four times in a combination of BE80 and/or BE90 classes from 1 July each year.
How tall does a horse have to be to do British Eventing? To compete at BE80 and BE90 level, horses must be 132cm. Horses competing in all other national classes under British Eventing rules must be at least 142cms in height.
What to expect – Some of the differences to unaffiliated competition are:
- Start fees: on top of your entry, you will have to pay a start fee on the day. The cost depends on the level you’re riding at and the money goes back into the event, paying for medical cover and course improvements.
- Optimum time: penalties are awarded if you exceed the time limit across country and likewise if you go too fast. Stopwatches are permitted to be worn by competitors at all levels.
- Balloting: balloting will remain part of the British Eventing (BE) entries system for the first events of 2023. For later fixtures, event organisers will be able to decide whether to use this system or take entries on a first come, first served basis. The ballot system is where, if the class is over-subscribed, you may be balloted out. When riders become members, they will have a set number of priority passes for each season, which help to try to avoid you being balloted from events that you really want to compete at.
Pay As You Go membership: Pay As You Go (PAYG) membership replaces the old day pass system and is designed to offer a level of flexibility for members. It is ideal for those trying eventing for the first time, those exploring stepping up to the next level and those who only want to compete a few times per year. PAYG enables you to qualify for Area Festivals and compete in Area Festival Championships.
The PAYG option is available for rider memberships, horse season tickets and owner memberships. You pay a one-off membership fee of £30 for each category you wish to PAYG. So, if you want you and your horse to compete on the PAYG system, it would be £30 for your membership and £30 for your horse to hold a PAYG season ticket.
Once you have a PAYG membership you will be able to go ahead and make your entries. For any entry where a PAYG membership is held – either by the rider, the horse, the owner, or a combination of the forementioned – you will be charged an additional £10 run fee on top of your entry. This applies every time you and/or your horse competes. There is no limit to the number of times you may compete using this membership option.
GO BE membership: GO BE classes enable riders to take part in a British Eventing affiliated competition, without the need of a BE membership and without a BE published record of the results. The classes will be run in accordance with all other BE competitions, just with the difference that they will be open to all riders from the year of their 12th birthday, (non-members will need to complete a free associate registration and horse registration via the website) and results will be unpublished.
This format has been developed to reach out to the groups of competitors that wish to compete with BE but without their results being recorded in the BE database. It is also aimed to appeal to those who wish to try competing with BE for the first time but without the initial commitment of purchasing a membership. Classes are available from 80-100cm and will be known as GOBE80, GOBE90 and GOBE100. MERs as per BE100 classes will be required for GOBE100 level, which is that if the rider in the year of their 12th or 13th birthday, they must have two MERs at BE90 as a combination.
There will be a £10 run fee payable to BE for non-members to compete in GO BE classes.
GO BE summarised:
- Anyone can enter, no paid-for BE membership is required, although non-members will need to complete a free associate registration and horse registration via the website and have their own third party insurance. They will also need to comply with BE’s vaccination rules for equine infuenza
- Same courses and organising team as national BE classes
- Results will be available on eventingscores website, but will not be published as official BE records
- Entry fees will be set at the lower limit
- No prize money will be awarded
- Results will not count for MERs and qualifications
Guide to British Eventing levels
- BE80(T): For horses with no points. Showjumps are no higher than 0.85m (2ft 8in) and cross-country fences 0.80m (2ft 6in).
- BE90: For horses with no points. Showjumps are no higher than 0.95m (3ft 1in) and cross-country fences 0.90m (2ft 11in).
- BE100: No points. Showjumps are a maximum height of 1.05m (3ft 5in) with cross-country jumps 1m (3ft 3in).
- Novice: For horses with less than 20 points. Showjumps are a maximum of 1.15m (3ft 9in), cross-country 1.10m (3ft 7in).
- Intermediate: For horses with 21-60 points. Showjumps are a maximum of 1.20m (3ft 11in), cross-country 1.15m (3ft 9in).
- Advanced: 61 points and above. Showjumps will not exceed 1.30m (4ft 1in) and cross-country 1.20m (3ft 11in).
British Eventing foundation points are allocated for wins and placings in BE80(T)—BE100 classes. British Eventing points are introduced at novice level. BE90 open, BE100 open classes also exist to allow riders to compete on schoolmasters, so that less experienced riders don’t have to take on courses they are not ready for. There are also intermediary classes such as BE105, intermediate novice and advanced intermediate, which mix the higher level dressage and showjumping with the lower level cross-country. Horses are graded according to the number of points they have won.
Find out more: Contact British Eventing on email: info@britisheventing.com, phone: 0330 1748196 or visit: www.britisheventing.com
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