Tiddlypom
Carries on creakily
How much in £££s did those of you who had entered Portman 2023 lose when it was abandoned?
So what has British Eventing done wrong?
- Thread starter Orangehorse
- Start date
sugarpony
Well-Known Member
I think the other problem with Portman is that its running mid-week (one reason I haven’t entered) with Larkhill running only 3d later, which is less likely to abandon. I might have taken the risk to enter this year with the abandonment fund if it had been the weekend but 1) can’t get the time off work and 2) am running at larkhill and eventing twice in 4d is far too much!
TheMule
Well-Known Member
I don’t know why BE have allowed Portman and Larkhill to continue to clash- they must be 2 of the geographically closest events in the calendar!
teapot
Well-Known Member
I see Cirencester has been abandoned, another to the pile already.
Also what went on at Lincoln? So many withdrawals - ground that bad, or people not willing to/allowing themselves to run on ground that wasn’t perfect…
Also what went on at Lincoln? So many withdrawals - ground that bad, or people not willing to/allowing themselves to run on ground that wasn’t perfect…
Ambers Echo
Still wittering on
The people I know who went said the course rode well. All jumped round XC clear and in 2 the time (3 horses). So can't have been that bad.
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
Is Chatsworth running this year? Judging by the ground there yesterday they're going to struggle to have it ready in time if it is. They couldn't get the heavy machinery on it to build the course or the arena and trade stands at the moment and the trade area in particular has ducks on it.
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TheMule
Well-Known Member
Ground good on Friday, bearable on Saturday, terrible on Sunday apparently
Ambers Echo
Still wittering on
That makes sense - they were there on Friday.
Ambers Echo
Still wittering on
The are still heavily advertising on FB so I guess so.
RachelFerd
Well-Known Member
I rode round Lincoln on Saturday - ground was soft but absolutely fine and mine galloped through it very merrily. It was better ground than Oasby the week before, I would have said - a little softer but less holding. Grateful to have the opportunity to run on soft going, as he loves it. However I can imagine Sunday was much worse with overnight rain.
The Prices ran 10 between them though on Sunday and went XC, albeit fairly steadily, on all of them. I think many of those that WD may have already had their OI run at Oasby and didn't feel desperate to have one. Or don't have a spring 3DE so weren't so desperate to have the run.
I have to say that Spring eventing does feel increasingly implausible... Poplar really is unique in its ability to always run. Tweseldown is nearly as reliable. I'm surprised that Larkhill doesn't manage to run as a March date given how well it drains - and wouldn't it be a great venue to also have an early season intermediate at?
On the plus side - it does sound like a pragmatic approach might be happening with some of the SW cancellations - with some events being rescheduled rather than just cancelled outright...
The Prices ran 10 between them though on Sunday and went XC, albeit fairly steadily, on all of them. I think many of those that WD may have already had their OI run at Oasby and didn't feel desperate to have one. Or don't have a spring 3DE so weren't so desperate to have the run.
I have to say that Spring eventing does feel increasingly implausible... Poplar really is unique in its ability to always run. Tweseldown is nearly as reliable. I'm surprised that Larkhill doesn't manage to run as a March date given how well it drains - and wouldn't it be a great venue to also have an early season intermediate at?
On the plus side - it does sound like a pragmatic approach might be happening with some of the SW cancellations - with some events being rescheduled rather than just cancelled outright...
RachelFerd
Well-Known Member
And good to see Tweseldown have stepped up to run a replacement for Cirencester this weekend (which is crazy short notice, so good on them!)
ihatework
Well-Known Member
TheMule
Well-Known Member
I think Larkhill like to finish the PTP season before eventing and that run to end of March. I'm also not sure they could create a long enough track for an Intermediate? I guess they might be able to run a min length course. I love Larkhill, but I've never really had one that could cope with the open atmosphere of it there
Orangehorse
Well-Known Member
I was hoping to go to Cirencester - but if their land is anything like ours it would be impossible to drive across it to prepare the course.
Nicnac
Well-Known Member
Tweseldown picking up Novice and Intermediate only. Amazing effort from the team there with new courses vs those run a couple of weeks ago.
They do need dressage judges though List 3 or higher.
They do need dressage judges though List 3 or higher.
RachelFerd
Well-Known Member
Cirencester was only running N and I so just a direct replacement
The Fuzzy Furry
🦄 🦄
Mega job from Tweseldown, they are completely re sorting the xc course so it will run very differently from the routes it took 2 weeks ago.
Nicnac, they've had fab offers from dressage judges to divert or step in.
Fingers crossed the weather is more kind in the coming days.
Nicnac, they've had fab offers from dressage judges to divert or step in.
Fingers crossed the weather is more kind in the coming days.
ihatework
Well-Known Member
Mines going to Twezeldown now and I’m really pleased. It will be a better suited xc run for him anyway, should be meatier than Ciren would have been.
RachelFerd
Well-Known Member
Great news! Shame for me that I'm a bit too far from Tweseldown these days. Have to say that Rachel Faulkner seems like a breath of fresh air as an event organiser and supporter of the sport.
ester
Not slacking multitasking
I do have a slight lol that ALW are always there offering to run extra too, it might well be entirely genuine but I can't help reading it with an air of 'don't worry you can come to us (again)'
teapot
Well-Known Member
I do have a slight lol that ALW are always there offering to run extra too, it might well be entirely genuine but I can't help reading it with an air of 'don't worry you can come to us (again)'
ALW 36 on the calendar
myheartinahoofbeat
Well-Known Member
I wondered that what was going on to.
greasedweasel
Well-Known Member
Blair have announced 2024 is their last year.
LEC
Opinions are like bum holes, everyone has one.
Shocking about Blair as one of the Big Bs
Roasted Chestnuts
Well-Known Member
There won’t be an eventing scene soon. I hope BE is proud of itself 
Looks like arena and UA will be the only way anyone will do any soon.
Looks like arena and UA will be the only way anyone will do any soon.
Snowfilly
Well-Known Member
If you wanted to do a case study on how to run a sport into the ground, BE could hardly give you a better example.
Patterdale
Well-Known Member
Exactly. They can blame covid and rain as much as they like, no other sport is disappearing so quickly.
The bottom line is they’ve done a stand up job of royally pissing off all the big organisers. It’s disgraceful.
RachelFerd
Well-Known Member
Gutted about Blair. BUT read the statement - this is to do with global change in land management - something I think I've rattled on about quite a lot in reference to the fact that big estate eventing is probably not something that will last for the long term (and there's probably very little that BE can do about that).
"A statement from the event said that the farmland where it is held “is increasing its involvement in regenerative agriculture and in future the land will require to be managed all year round in a way that is in accordance with its environmental aims”.
"A statement from the event said that the farmland where it is held “is increasing its involvement in regenerative agriculture and in future the land will require to be managed all year round in a way that is in accordance with its environmental aims”.
Patterdale
Well-Known Member
I cannot fathom your constant stance on this that none of it is BE’s fault.
RachelFerd
Well-Known Member
I'm not saying that none of the issues that have happened aren't BE's fault. But the changing pressures on owners of large areas of land are real. The National Trust put an end to horse trials because of environmental sustainability and biodiversity loss. The emerging environmental markets offer huge £££££ to landowners, but will prevent land being used for activities like horse trials. BE doesn't have the power to fight that (and lets be honest, things that help solve the climate crisis are probably more important than continuing to event on fancy estate land).