The organisers of Royal Windsor Horse Show are running virtual competitions and a range of other content to “fill the gap” left by the cancellation of this year’s show.
The event was due to run from 13 to 17 May but plans had to be shelved last month owing to the coronavirus pandemic.
So organisers have launched Virtual Windsor 2020, a free online hub.
Visitors will be able to enter online competitions, including a number of showing classes, which will be close to those in the original schedule.
Entrants will upload or email photographs, from which 10 finalists followed by a winner will be selected in each class, by a Royal Windsor Horse Show judge. Each class winner will go forward to the championship on the Sunday, 17 May.
Show director Simon Brooks-Ward said: “This online platform is a way for the equestrian community to come together, it aims to support and entertain, keeping the spirit of Royal Windsor Horse Show alive during this difficult time.
“The platform involves everyone, from fans to riders, shops, competitors and officials. We wanted to find a way that we could support the shops at the show and engage with our competitors and customers and I’m genuinely excited to see what we can accomplish.
“Our hope is that it will go part of the way towards recreating the magic in Windsor Castle’s iconic private grounds that we all expected to see in May.”
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Also on offer will be a virtual shopping village, featuring brands that would normally have had trade stands at the show, as well as a range of other features and content from the show’s archives.
Fairfax and Favor events manager Ben Buxton said: “Virtual Windsor is an exciting real and online opportunity for Fairfax and Favor to have a presence at one of the leading horse shows of the year.
“While we may not see customers (both new and existing) in person, we relish the opportunity to connect with anyone who would have seen us, and let them see our range.”
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