Plan your young horse campaign for 2021

The name Shearwater Insurance is renowned as one of the country’s leading companies when it comes to protecting your horse, vehicles, yard and business but in dressage, it’s also synonymous with the British Young Horse Championships.

For over two decades they’ve loyally supported the series for four, five and six year old horses which has started the careers of many international Grand Prix horses, notably Valegro and Uthopia who powered Britain to Olympic team gold at London 2012.

British Dressage can now announce the 2021 Shearwater Insurance British Young Horse Series dates for next year which get underway in March. A series of 20 preliminary qualifiers for horses foaled in 2017, 2016 or 2015 are running across England, Scotland and Wales.

Placing in the top two with a score of 7.0 or over will earn a place at the semifinals where a podium finish gives a championship spot. The Shearwater Insurance Young Horse Championships are held as part of the LeMieux National Championships in September at Somerford Park in Cheshire – and are a true crowd favourite.

“Shearwater Insurance is delighted to be continuing their support of the Young Horse classes for a further year, and would like to wish all riders, producers, owners and breeders the very best of luck for the 2021 season,” commented Managing Director Jeremy Lawton.

He continued; “The Young Horse Championships play a pivotal role in the development of these young dressage horses and in the promotion of British breeding. We’re proud to have a long and continuing relationship with British Dressage as their insurance partner, providing public liability and personal accident insurance to members as part of their membership fee.”

2021 calendar

Venue	County	Date
Qualifiers
Myerscough	Lancashire	03 March
Widmer Equestrian Centre	Buckinghamshire	03 April
Kingswood Equestrian Centre	Staffordshire	16 April
Parwood Equestrian Centre	Surrey	16 April
Alnwick Ford Equestrian	Northumberland	17 April
Keysoe	Bedfordshire	25 April
Sheepgate Equestrian	Lincolnshire	04 May
Moreton Equestrian Centre	Dorset	13 May
Cherwell Competition Centre	Oxfordshire	15 May
Morris Equestrian	East Ayrshire	16 May
Stourport Riding Centre	Worcestershire	21 May
Hickstead	West Sussex	21 - 23 May
Kings Sedgemoor Equestrian Centre	Somerset	22 May
Wix Equestrian Centre	Essex	22 May
Field House Equestrian Centre	Staffordshire	03 June
Beechwood Equestrian Centre	Essex	05 June
Windmill Farm	Buckinghamshire	05 June
Manor Grange Stud	West Yorkshire	08 June
Wellington Riding	Hampshire	09 - 10 June
Sparsholt College	Hampshire	13 June
Semi-finals
Hartpury Festival of Dressage	Gloucestershire	07 - 11 July
Port Royal Equestrian & Exhibition Centre	North Yorkshire	23 - 25 July
Championships
LeMieux National Championships, Somerford Park	Cheshire	TBC

Key points:

• Qualifiers feature classes for horses foaled in 2017, 2016 and 2015
•  Tests ridden: first round – commanded route plan in pairs for age group, semi-finals – BD national test for age group
• At the championships, combinations ride the BD national test for their age group on day one which qualifies the top placed combinations go through to the finale where they ride the commanded route plan before being ridden by an international rider judge.
• Qualification to the semi-finals is gained by finishing in the top two with a score of at least 7.0 or over.
• Qualified combinations may ride in both semi-finals unless they qualify at the first.
• Riders and horses must hold a minimum of Club membership to contest the qualifiers but Full membership status is required

Outside the Shearwater Insurance support, British Dressage also host a British Seven Year Old Championship and British Young Pony Championship with classes for four, five and six year old ponies. Qualifiers are held at the same venues as above.

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Coming soon – news on a British Dressage International Young Horse championship – new for 2021.