The eventing European Championships will take place in Britain next year, at the Agria Blenheim Horse Trials in Oxfordshire, from 18-21 September 2025.
Britain’s host duties for the eventing European Championships seem to run on a 10-year cycle – Blenheim Palace previously ran the European Championships in 2005 and this is the first senior eventing championship to be hosted in Britain since the event was held at Blair Castle in Scotland in 2015.
“It is a great honour to be bringing the FEI Eventing European Championship back to Britain,” said Katrina Midgley of organisers Stable Events.
“Blenheim is such a fitting backdrop, with the Palace and the spectacular parkland cross-country course, and we look forward to welcoming the teams and their supporters for a truly memorable occasion. Thanks must go to the teams at British Equestrian, FEI, British Eventing, Agria and UK Sport who have been instrumental in securing this exciting fixture.”
UK Sport’s head of major events Esther Britten added: “Delivering major events like this continues to demonstrate the UK’s reputation as one of the world’s leading hosts, creating extraordinary sporting moments that reach, unite and inspire the nation.
“We look forward to working collaboratively with the teams at Blenheim and the FEI on this exciting event which will showcase the best British athletes on home soil.”
This will be the 37th running of the bi-annual eventing European Championship, which started in 1953, the 12th occasion that Great Britain has been the host nation, and the 35th anniversary of the first international horse trials at Blenheim.
Britain has dominated the eventing European Championships since its inception, accumulating a total of 20 gold medals in the individual category as well as 24 team golds. One of the individual winners was Zara Tindall (then Phillips), who took the title at the last Europeans at Blenheim in 2005 on Toytown, while Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo were the most recent champions, at Haras du Pin in 2023. Britain also took the team title on both those occasions.
“Blenheim is long established as a popular and beautiful eventing venue and we are very much looking forward to the FEI Eventing European Championship taking place there,” said FEI eventing director Catrin Norinder.
Next year will be Agria’s first as title sponsor of Blenheim.
“Could there be a more thrilling way to celebrate the third UK birthday of our game-changing lifetime equine insurance than by becoming Blenheim’s title sponsor for the 2025 Agria FEI Eventing European Championships?” said Vicki Wentworth, chief executive of Agria UK.
“Agria celebrates another birthday next year – the 135th since it was founded in Sweden – and we can’t wait to host the best riders in Europe, plus owners and horse fans from far and wide at Blenheim on its 35th anniversary. It’s a brilliant event that always produces a memorable competition.”
What are your favourite memories of the 2005 Blenheim Europeans? Write to hhletters@futurenet.com with your full name, nearest town and county, for a chance to be published in Horse & Hound.
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