Britain will not host the FEI Emirates International Endurance Open European Championships, which were planned to take place at Alfred’s Tower on the Stourhead Estate in early August. The International Equestrian Federation (FEI) is now looking at rescheduling the championships somewhere else.
The organising committee decided to cancel the event yesterday (Monday 9 May), after consulting with the FEI, the British Equestrian Federation and title sponsor Emirates International Endurance Racing (EIER). Had the event gone ahead it would have been the second time in the championships’ history that it had been held in Britain.
“The organising committee is devastated to have cancelled the event. We felt we had an exciting event which would have been very attractive to spectators,” said committee member John Hudson.
He quoted funding problems as the reason behind the cancellation. “It was for funding reasons. I am not prepared to say any more,” he said, before ruling out the possibility of organising any future events at the venue. “There won’t be further events at Alfred’s Tower run by this organising committee. It’s a terrible shame.”
EIER agreed that the organising committee won’t have to return the funds it has spent so far in putting the event together. “The OC are very grateful to Emirates International Endurance Racing for their continued assistance in this way, without which cancellation would incur a significant loss,” the committee said in a statement.
Hudson went on to thank the BEF and the FEI for their support “and especially the many Endurance GB members, friends and other volunteers who have given up many days of time and effort to help in this venture.”
The FEI has already identified a potential replacement venue to run the Championships and is currently discussing this arrangement with the event’s organising committee and the relevant national federation.
“Details of the rescheduled championships will be announced shortly and all National Federations advised accordingly,” they wrote in a statement.
