The British Eventing (BE) fixtures list for the 2021 season has been revealed.
As previously announced by BE, the organisation is offering members several new competition opportunities for next year including the Novice Masters Series, the Area Festivals and the introduction of a BE90 three-day event at Bicton Arena.
The season kicks off at Epworth, South Yorkshire, Poplar Park, Suffolk, and Aston-le-Walls, Northants, on 6-7 March and the final events will take place at Bicton Arena International, Devon, on 21-24 October and Norton Disney (3), Lincolnshire on 22-24 October.
The team challenge will return in 2021, open to adult riders at BE80(T) and BE90 open level. Qualifiers for teams of four will take place ahead of the championship at Weston Park (2) in October.
“Following the running of an adapted presentation of the team challenge in 2020 due to Covid-19, we are looking forward to hosting the 2021 team challenge for the first time in its full pilot format,” said a BE spokesman.
“The team challenge aims to give grassroots riders, and those not currently eligible to compete in more restricted classes, the opportunity to come together with friends in a fun and supportive competition.”
The CCI1*-intro pilot, which had been planned for 2020 but was cancelled owing to Covid, will also take place next year.
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“The new one-star level was introduced to the international calendar by the FEI in 2018 and following member feedback in the members’ survey, BE will pilot the short-format one-star at three venues; Offchurch Bury, Warwickshire, 3-4 July, Chilham Castle (2), Kent, 31 July-1 August, and Blair Castle International, Perthshire, 26-29 August,” said the spokesman.
Fixtures not returning in 2021 are Wilton in Wiltshire, which announced in the summer that after 44 years running BE it was calling time on its event. Treborough Hall in Somerset, and Brand Hall in Shropshire will also not return. The organisers of Brand Hall will run Chillington Hall, host of one of the new Area Festivals.
In Scotland Floors Castle International Horse Trials, Roxburghshire, announced in October that its 2019 event was to be the last. Also not returning is Eglinton Horse Trials, which had planned to run its final fixture in 2020 after more than 60 years on the calendar – but this was cancelled due to Covid.
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