British Eventing to Introduce Six- and Seven-Year-Old Classes in 2023

Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent add another completely penalty-free cross-country run to the mare’s spotless record at her second Le Lion d’Angers appearance in 2021. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

British Eventing’s commitment to providing pathways for young and upcoming horses and riders – a commitment we’ve seen magnified in 2023 – has been bolstered by a new series of classes for six- and seven-year-old horses this season.

These Young Horse classes are being supported by The Howden Way, which has provided a significant cash injection for the sport since its introduction last year. In this case, that means that the prize pot will be increased from that offered in the non-age-specific sections: the top three combinations in each class will receive £250, £150, and £100, respectively, on top of the prize money already stated on the schedule.

These new classes will be held across the spring and summer, allowing for horses of each age group to test their mettle against their peers – a huge benefit for owners and riders aiming their charges at the FEI World Breeding Championships at Le Lion d’Angers, which hosts a CCI2*-L World Championship for six-year-olds and a CCI3*-L World Championship for seven-year-olds.

Piggy French and Cooley Lancer, winner of the Six-Year-Old World Championship in 2019. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Six-year-olds will run at the Novice level, beginning with a kick-off event at Gloucestershire’s Cirencester Park from April 29-30. Seven-year-olds will run at the Intermediate level, beginning on the weekend of the 10-14 May at Northamptonshire’s Aston-le-Walls.

The full lists of venues and classes are available here:

6YO

7YO

“Developing the equine talent that we have in this country is vital to the future of our sport,” says Justine Parker, BE head of training and development. “The new provisions that we have been able to implement thanks to the support from The Howden Way – such as the Young Horse Academy – are helping us to take big strides forward in developing our home-grown talent. These new young horse ages classes will provide yet another string to the bow and will be invaluable for helping riders assess the progress of the equine proteges against their peers.”

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