In July Barbury Horse Trials will reopen the British eventing season - behind closed doors
No crowds & no trade stands - 2020's Barbury Horse Trials will not be 'normal' Barbury Horse Trials will be kicking off the return of the British eventing season next month - organised as last year by Musketeer Event Management.
Barbury Horse Trials - without the usual 'International' in their title - will run on Saturday and Sunday, 11 &12 July, albeit in a much lower key way than originally planned.
In compliance with government guidelines, the event will not be open to the general public and, with the exception of one mobile tack shop to cater for riders who may have left a crucial item at home, there will be no trade stands.
The International eventing classes will not run, nor will the Additional Classes that have proved so popular at Barbury over the years. National novice and intermediate classes will take place.
Musketeer hope that all being well it will be business as usual next year with a bigger and better than ever Barbury International.
Alec Lochore is the director of the Barbury Trials: “I believe we can successfully run a socially responsible, socially distanced event. We must do it responsibly and we must do it well. The challenge is going to be recognising the differences we face at an event, and adhering to the new normal – there will be strict guidelines for all on site."
“We want to run good events. We want the horses to have a good experience and get the education and qualifications they need – and we want the riders to enjoy the day. But it's not going to be normal.”
Also running on the re-opening weekend will be similarly restricted events at Tweseldown and Aske. The lockdown has meant the loss of many competitions from Badminton to junior eventing, and has delayed many riders gaining the qualifications they need for competitions later in the year.