Andrew Nicholson and Avebury at Barbury. Photo by Adam Dale.
The Barbury Castle Estate in Wiltshire, UK, home of the Barbury International Horse Trials, will be put up for sale according to British Eventing. After 11 years of hosting this popular, world-class competition, Nigel Bunter said that he and his wife Penny have decided to move on.
“We want to move whilst we are young enough to embrace such a big change to our lifestyle,” Nigel said. “We will miss Barbury of course but the time is now right for us. We have loved being part of the horse trials which was conceived over a quiet drink with David Green and we owe a huge debt of gratitude for all the support that Barbury has received particularly from the riders and owners who made Barbury so special.”
Barbury served as the third leg of the 2016 Event Rider Masters Series and was an important event ahead of the Rio Olympics. It is also where Andrew Nicholson and the late Avebury made history with four consecutive victories in the CIC3*.
The 2017 competition will remain on the calendar as planned, but the future of the event beyond that is not yet decided.
“This popular venue has been a key part of the plans for many riders and teams during its time but until the future is certain Barbury Castle International will remain in the calendar for 2017,” said Chris Farr, British Eventing’s Sport Operations Manager. “Barbury Castle International has been a phenomenal success since it first came into the BE calendar in 2005, raising the bar for our sport in so many ways.”
