Inaugural Summer Area Festival Championship venue announced

British Dressage and title sponsor Petplan Equine are delighted to announce Lincolnshire venue Arena UK as the first ever host of the Summer Area Festival Championships over 10 – 13 September. The new two-season Petplan Equine Area Festival series was announced earlier this autumn following a calendar review and feedback from BD members’ survey, and the Summer Area Festival dates have been released.

BD Sport Operations Manager Lou Jones commented; “We were delighted to award this new championship final to Lauren Humphries and her team at Arena UK. Their facilities are first rate and they were excellent hosts of this year’s BD Youth Home International. The Area Festival series has been the mainstay of competition for our grass roots riders for over twenty years now and with Petplan Equine’s valued and continued support, next year promises to be the start of a new era. Qualification opens on Sunday 1 December for the Petplan Equine Summer Area Festivals so riders can now add a trip to Arena UK in September to their 2020 goals.”

Situated near Grantham with easy access off the A1, Arena UK is one of the largest equine showgrounds in the UK and hosts a number of large scale showing and showjumping events, including a CSI. They’ve played host to a Petplan Equine Area Festival for a number of years so many riders will have visited their facilities, which include world class arenas and surfaces plus a new Pavilion. The Freestyle to Music Area Festival classes will be in the spacious indoor with plenty of viewing seats.

For riders aiming to qualify for our Welsh Petplan Equine Area Festival, we’ve had to make a change of venue and date. Mount Ballan are unable to host so Beacons Equestrian in Carmarthenshire have stepped in and will run three days over 25 – 27 July.

The 2020 Petplan Equine Summer Area Festival calendar is now:

Eastern Easton & Otley College (Music) - 6 - 12 July
Northern Alnwick Ford (Music) - 10 - 12 July
South West Moreton Equestrian Centre (Music) - 10 - 12 July
Southern Speedgate Farm (Music) - 16 - 19 July
North West Kingswood (Non Music) - 16 - 19 July
South West Bicton (Non Music) - 17 - 19 July
North West Myerscough College (Non Music) - 23 - 26 July
Eastern Brook Farm (Non Music) - 24 - 26 July
Wales Beacons Equestrian (Non music) 25 – 27 July
Scotland The Cabin (Music) 31 July - 2 Aug
Northern Port Royal EC (Music) - 1 - 2 August
Central Onley Grounds Equestrian Centre (Non Music) 7 - 9 August
North West Kings Equestrian (Music) - 13 - 16 August
Northern Sheepgate (Music) - 13 - 16 August
Central Addington (Music) - 20 - 23 August
North West Field House Equestrian Centre (Music) - 20 - 23 August
Central Sparsholt College (Non Music) - 28 - 30 August
Championship Arena UK – 10 – 13 September

Kate Hopkins, Marketing Consultant for Petplan Equine commented, “We can’t wait for the new format Petplan Equine Area Festivals to get underway and we know there’ll be lots of dressage devotees out there working hard preparing for the 2020 qualification season. The Area Festivals are all about encouraging more people to participate in grassroots dressage and enjoy the friendly and positive aspects of competing. The addition of the Summer Championship at Arena UK in September will be the perfect finale to the first new summer season of Petplan Equine Area Festivals.”
Petplan Equine Winter Area Festival dates will be announced in due course.