Bubby Upton pilots Cola III around Thoresby’s spring CCI4*-S fixture. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
BEDE Events, which runs popular events including Oasby, the Eventing Spring Carnival at Thoresby, the first British four-star of the season, Osberton International Horse Trials, and a roster of national events, can confirm a return to the standard ballot system for British Eventing entries.
Entries for will open on 29th January for Oasby (1), which takes place from March 7-10 in Lincolnshire. As one of the most well attended fixtures in the early season calendar, competitors are urged to get their entry in ahead of ballot on the 6th February.
Of the decision, BEDE Director Stuart Buntine commented: “Despite our enthusiasm for change and to move areas of the sport forward, we will be moving back to a ballot system for entries as per the British Eventing rules. We had hoped that changes to the BE entries systems would be in place for the start of the 2024 season, however this has not been possible and as we saw last year the system could not cope with the surge in volume for first-come-first-served entries.
“This will undoubtedly come as a disappointment to many who felt that the first-come-first-served system offered confidence in their entry and allowed them to plan in advance without the risk of either not gaining their entry or having the day of competition changed.
”We will continue to work with British Eventing to support the development of a more robust system, in order for a first-come-first-served approach to be adopted.”
Rosie Williams said, “Whilst the objective is to modernise our incumbent entries system, the complexity of eventing means it is a considerable technical challenge. We rely heavily on the partnerships we have with our organisers and we look forward to continuing the work we have been doing with Stuart and others to achieve our aim.”
2023 entries for Oasby (1), which was later sadly abandoned due to snow, filled within 24-hours. A significant entry is once again expected for the 2024 fixture, with BEDE opting for a reduced window for entries giving them increased time to plan the event for the relevant level of entries.
Oasby (1) will play host to three new BEDE Events leagues – the EcoVoltz League that focuses on horse/rider combinations and runs across all classes, the Agria BE100 league and the Arena Saddles Novice league. Details for all leagues, and registration links, can be found via the BEDE Events website.
Further information can be found via www.bede-events.co.uk
