So what has British Eventing done wrong?

[LEC]

This will be a Bramham decision. BE opened up the criteria to qualify when Bramham said it needed 100 entries to make it viable would have meant an income of £14k instead of £10k from entries alone. Bramham has now pulled the plug. This isn’t BEs fault.
It will be interesting to see if there is an impact on gate takings. Wednesday at Badminton is a huge day now in itself with people attending and is the only day I go now. I thought Bramham might head the same way.

 

[Ahrena]

I feel for the 80s riders.
I was lucky enough to get the chance to go to the Badminton grassroots and the entire reason I pursued the qualification was because of the venue.

It was, and still is, one of the best days of my life. Drinking Pimms at the pre-event party at the lakeside terrace, the thrill of driving a horsebox past signs saying ‘Badminton horse trials’, riding past the house. I still vividly remember saying to myself, on a gallop stretch across country, remember this, this is what you worked for for so many years. I can’t describe what it meant to me.

If it had been rerouted somewhere else, frankly anywhere else, I would have been devastated. All of it was about the venue for me.

 

[Patterdale]

This will be a Bramham decision. BE opened up the criteria to qualify when Bramham said it needed 100 entries to make it viable would have meant an income of £14k instead of £10k from entries alone. Bramham has now pulled the plug. This isn’t BEs fault.
It will be interesting to see if there is an impact on gate takings. Wednesday at Badminton is a huge day now in itself with people attending and is the only day I go now. I thought Bramham might head the same way.

It’s a Bramham decision but as a major championships for its members, BE should have managed it. They should have subsidised this year and then made venue change decisions for next year.

 

[Gamebird]

Another who's pretty disappointed. Having done plenty 'proper' BE in the past, but had a longish break from it, the opportunity of competing at Bramham had persuaded me to dust off my number bib. I'd even taken the week off work (even though I hadn't qualified yet , but qualification seemed pretty simple!). I can only thank my lucky stars that I hadn't paid for membership yet. I have no interest at all in going to Chillington. So BE have lost membership (me plus horse) entry fees for 5-7 qualifying events (possibly a full season if for any reason I didn't get Q'd for 2025 and aimed for 2026 instead) and entry etc. for the champs. Judging from the FB comments I am far from the only one.

Having been lucky enough to have competed at many bucket list events over the years I am now in a position where I am competing at a much lower level these days, so am picking and choosing special days out. Bramham would certainly have been one of those for me. Chillington, not at all. I feel sorry for those whose families have all bought tickets/camping etc. already and who feel similarly to me and spent a lot of money on the premise that Bramham was worth it. At least I can pull the plug without having paid anything out.

 

[Patterdale]

Another who's pretty disappointed. Having done plenty 'proper' BE in the past, but had a longish break from it, the opportunity of competing at Bramham had persuaded me to dust off my number bib. I'd even taken the week off work (even though I hadn't qualified yet , but qualification seemed pretty simple!). I can only thank my lucky stars that I hadn't paid for membership yet. I have no interest at all in going to Chillington. So BE have lost membership (me plus horse) entry fees for 5-7 qualifying events (possibly a full season if for any reason I didn't get Q'd for 2025 and aimed for 2026 instead) and entry etc. for the champs. Judging from the FB comments I am far from the only one.

Having been lucky enough to have competed at many bucket list events over the years I am now in a position where I am competing at a much lower level these days, so am picking and choosing special days out. Bramham would certainly have been one of those for me. Chillington, not at all. I feel sorry for those whose families have all bought tickets/camping etc. already and who feel similarly to me and spent a lot of money on the premise that Bramham was worth it. At least I can pull the plug without having paid anything out.

I am in a similar position although I only competed up to novice.

Like you though, I’m just so relieved I hadn’t paid for membership yet. I certainly won’t bother now.

 

[millitiger]

This will be a Bramham decision. BE opened up the criteria to qualify when Bramham said it needed 100 entries to make it viable would have meant an income of £14k instead of £10k from entries alone. Bramham has now pulled the plug. This isn’t BEs fault.
It will be interesting to see if there is an impact on gate takings. Wednesday at Badminton is a huge day now in itself with people attending and is the only day I go now. I thought Bramham might head the same way.

I'm sorry, I disagree it isn't BE's fault.
Why was the venue not in contract with BE for this year, when the qualifiers had already run last season?
There shouldn't be an option for the venue to withdraw at this late stage.

Also, BE were very vague NOT to answer the question when many people asked whether Bramham could have been subsidised just for the 2025 running.
Piss poor show by BE, still relying on a handshake and basing a whole series around it.
People have spent £1000s qualifying and it just isn't on.

I appreciate them sorting an alternative at short notice so it can go ahead but people shouldn't have to be 'grateful' for that. They're paid their money and qualified based on what BE advertised.

 

[Squeak]

Having read the facebook post, BE are very much blaming Bramham for it having to be moved and the short notice - it would be interesting to hear Bramham's version as there were quite a few events/ organisers that BE have upset over the last year or two.

I agree with others who say that there should have been contracts in place or subsidisation and it seems a bit suspicious to me that BE haven't mentioned either of these and why they weren't options, possibly just more convenient to keep blaming Bramham?

Regardless of the reasons for it, BE do seem to have misread the room by publishing it as good news instead of a more oh dear, this is what has happened and why and we're working hard to make sure there's a champs and we're going to try and make it special and a proper champs by doing x, y, z.

 

[ihatework]

I'm sorry, I disagree it isn't BE's fault.
Why was the venue not in contract with BE for this year, when the qualifiers had already run last season?
There shouldn't be an option for the venue to withdraw at this late stage.

Also, BE were very vague NOT to answer the question when many people asked whether Bramham could have been subsidised just for the 2025 running.
Piss poor show by BE, still relying on a handshake and basing a whole series around it.
People have spent £1000s qualifying and it just isn't on.

I appreciate them sorting an alternative at short notice so it can go ahead but people shouldn't have to be 'grateful' for that. They're paid their money and qualified based on what BE advertised.

I completely agree, I have no skin in the game and will often be on BE’s side. Not this time.

 

[RachelFerd]

I completely agree, I have no skin in the game and will often be on BE’s side. Not this time.

yeah - same here. This is a real dick move and will cut entries at 80 level massively across the event calender. I suspect it would have been in BE's interests to subsidise it.

the grumpy part of me has always seen the Badminton grassroots champs as more of a curse than a blessing - but I can't deny their appeal. The timing of them makes no sense and I think it would be much better to just run a massive champs at Hartpury along with the rest of the festival of eventing. At the very least the 80 champs should be running alongside an FEI event with plenty of pros at it - Belsay would have been a much nicer replacement (albeit probably a bit far north for most!!) Or run alongside Frickley - at least still in Yorkshire. Chillington wasn't anything to write home about last year.

 

[I'm Dun]

I bet they will lose significantly more than the 4k they needed to subsidise.Seems very, very short sighted.

 

[Ahrena]

yeah - same here. This is a real dick move and will cut entries at 80 level massively across the event calender. I suspect it would have been in BE's interests to subsidise it.

the grumpy part of me has always seen the Badminton grassroots champs as more of a curse than a blessing - but I can't deny their appeal. The timing of them makes no sense and I think it would be much better to just run a massive champs at Hartpury along with the rest of the festival of eventing. At the very least the 80 champs should be running alongside an FEI event with plenty of pros at it - Belsay would have been a much nicer replacement (albeit probably a bit far north for most!!) Or run alongside Frickley - at least still in Yorkshire. Chillington wasn't anything to write home about last year.

Out of interest, why do you see the grassroots champs as a curse?

 

[LEC]

yeah - same here. This is a real dick move and will cut entries at 80 level massively across the event calender. I suspect it would have been in BE's interests to subsidise it.

the grumpy part of me has always seen the Badminton grassroots champs as more of a curse than a blessing - but I can't deny their appeal. The timing of them makes no sense and I think it would be much better to just run a massive champs at Hartpury along with the rest of the festival of eventing. At the very least the 80 champs should be running alongside an FEI event with plenty of pros at it - Belsay would have been a much nicer replacement (albeit probably a bit far north for most!!) Or run alongside Frickley - at least still in Yorkshire. Chillington wasn't anything to write home about last year.

Hartpury has a rammed schedule now and zero capacity. I went last year and they were busy with the amount of courses - Corinthian, ROR, 2*, British Novice, 3*, 4*, open champs and Intermediate champs. The Corinthian cup ran over 3 days as had to be slotted in and xc started at 8am. The 4* alone has over 100 entries. The loss of Bramham will be a big blow to 80cm numbers as they will just do cotswold cup now with a very decent champs at a beautiful and special venue.

 

[iknowmyvalue]

Sad about the loss of Bramham for BE80 champs, I was lucky enough to compete there last year and it felt really “special”. A really bummer for everyone who qualified last year that they’ve moved it last minute too.

Although, I’d probably have been pretty happy to have qualified for a championship anywhere! But I know a lot of people put a lot of effort in to qualify for it, whereas I qualified almost by accident because I just wanted to run at Frickley but they only had RQs that year (we qualified for that in 3 runs and then happened to come 2nd on the day)

I do think a lot of people won’t bother with the BE80 stuff, wasn’t Bramham introduced to encourage people to enter the 80 classes? I know they didn’t used to have a championship at all…

 

[teapot]

I see BE has limited comemnts on the 80 champs post!

 

[TheMule]

I see BE has limited comemnts on the 80 champs post!

Brilliant- stop people from having an opinion
It was very short sighted of BE to announce it like this, if they learn nothing else then perhaps better communication would be a good outcome.

 

[Ambers Echo]

People I know who qualified are gutted. People who just missed out on a final DC last year, and had every intention of trying again this year, won’t now bother. That’s minimum 5 runs per combination . In practice 7 or 8 as it’s common to have the odd pole SJ or a glance off a corner etc. Very shortsighted not to subsidise Bramham. And a totally tone deaf way to share the news.

I love Chillington but it’s not Bramham!

 

[Boots*McGruber]

I don’t think everyone will divert to Cotswold Cup as most of the venues are South West. I’ll still do BE80 as they offer more competitions East Midlands/North.

 

[Chuffy99]

Yes some regions are ok but the eastern region has none bar Lt Downham

 

[NeverSurrender]

Llanymynech have posted the cancellation of their July 2025 date and disaffiliation with BE

 

[HufflyPuffly]

I think that only leaves Kelsall within a reasonable distance to me now… doesn’t make it that tempting to join

 

[photo_jo]

I think that only leaves Kelsall within a reasonable distance to me now… doesn’t make it that tempting to join

Bradwall?

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Bradwall?

Never been but on the maps about 2hrs.

I’m not in a position this year, but it’s making me very sad for future years where I could be thinking of joining, and how many will be left then…

 

[Boughtabay]

I think that only leaves Kelsall within a reasonable distance to me now… doesn’t make it that tempting to join

Yup I’m hoping to get mine jumping this year and if he takes to it I would have been interested in grassroots BE but there’s absolutely nowhere within a reasonable distance now for us as first timers

 

[Jango]

From the fb post it looks like Radfords will still run ODEs, they just don't want to be involved with BE. BE really need to explain what they are doing to collaborate with venues to encourage them to stay in affiliated sport. The North West is a hugely equestrian area that used to have tonnes of events and now there is just 1 or 2. The unaff venues get decent entries so it's not a lack of people who want to event at 80/90 level... BE need to properly investigate the issue and propose solutions to venues, before the sport as we know it disappears for good

 

[RachelFerd]

From the fb post it looks like Radfords will still run ODEs, they just don't want to be involved with BE. BE really need to explain what they are doing to collaborate with venues to encourage them to stay in affiliated sport. The North West is a hugely equestrian area that used to have tonnes of events and now there is just 1 or 2. The unaff venues get decent entries so it's not a lack of people who want to event at 80/90 level... BE need to properly investigate the issue and propose solutions to venues, before the sport as we know it disappears for good

It read to me like they're just running the dressage/SJ at Radfords and the eventing is gone... But maybe I read it wrong!

 

[Squeak]

Just seen that Sapey are no longer running events Sad to lose both Sapey and Llany within a couple of weeks of each other, more venues disappearing.

 

[millitiger]

I'm pretty close to Sapey but usually avoided as the ground could be dreadful.
Shame as a lovely course, usually a really good run (unlike 3min course at ALW) and more 'old school' and flowing, actually crossing the country.

 

[Bobthecob15]

Just seen on the Burghley page that they aren’t going the “grand slam” this year with the 4 big events. Does anyone know why?!

 

[teapot]

Just seen on the Burghley page that they aren’t going the “grand slam” this year with the 4 big events. Does anyone know why?!

Reads like the sponsorship has ended...

 

[ester]

Rolex pulled the sponsorship