News
Preview: NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships
- Written By: Anna Chadfield
- Published: Tue, 15 Apr 2025 11:11
This week attention turns to Addington Equestrian in Buckinghamshire for one of the most anticipated events on the British Dressage calendar – the NAF Five Star Winter Championships, incorporating the Petplan Winter Area Festival Championships (16 - 20 April 2025).
With over 40 titles to be decided across the week, the NAF Five Star Winter Championships provides a thrilling opportunity to celebrate success across all levels, from Prelim to Intermediate I, Freestyle and Area Festival.
What to expect
Running from Thursday 16 April to Sunday 20 April, this unmissable equestrian fixture is set to be a five-day showcase of top-class competition featuring a mix of established names, rising stars and grassroots combinations.
The NAF Five Star Winter Championships will feature a full roster of classes from Preliminary to Intermediate I across the Silver and Gold categories, including the ever-popular Freestyle classes.
Last year, Amy Hose competed in her first Winter Championships and described the experience as “what dreams are made of.” Her winning PDS Saddles Elementary Freestyle set to music by Elvis stood out, as not only was it a hit with the judges and spectators, but it also held special significance for her: "I listened to it a lot growing up through my mum and grandma. My grandma is no longer with us, but it just means so much to me.” Every year, the Freestyle classes and the stories behind them are a real highlight, and this year promises to be no different.
The Petplan Winter Area Festival Championships run alongside the NAF action, presenting a long-standing favourite that continues to provide a platform for grassroots riders to shine on a national stage.
We wish the best of luck to all competitors heading to Addington and conclude with the words of last year’s Petplan Medium Bronze winner Ben James, who perfectly captured the essence of what the event is all about: “All the long days, training, money, tears to get to places like this is worth it.”
Follow the action
To help you make the most of the event, our Championship Hub has everything you need in one place, including timetables, results, spectator information and live stream details.
We’ll also be sharing daily show reports from the event on our news feed, alongside live social media coverage and highlights as the competition unfolds.
VISIT THE WINTER CHAMPIONSHIPS HUB
What’s on outside of the white boards?
Away from the arena, the Winters Shopping Village will be open throughout the show, offering shopping opportunities to stock up on all of your must-have equestrian products.
During your time at the Championships, the on-site Addington Bistro will offer a range of food and drink from 4pm – 9pm on Tuesday 15 April, and from 7am on competition days.
Find the competition timetable and programme
The class start times and prizegiving times for each day are now available.
Times and results
The starting times are now available on Equipe and live results will be published on the day of the competition.
Watch
If you can’t make it to the Championships in person, Horse & Country will be live streaming the competition in all three arenaa. You can keep up with the action, support your friends and family and enjoy the competition live or on demand.
Don't forget that if you are a BD member you have an exclusive discount on an H&C TV annual subscription.
Share your stories!
We’d love to hear how you got on and how much fun you had at the Championships, so please do share and tag us in your social posts and stories.
Follow us on our social media channels
Our sponsors
NAF Five Star are our proud title sponsors of the Winter Championships. If you've qualified for the NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships, NAF always love to hear the experiences and stories of riders like you! Share your journey with NAF and your thanks for their sponsorship by sending them your story on their website.
VISIT THE NAF WEBSITE TO SHARE YOUR STORY
Petplan have been the proud sponsor of the Area Festival series for over 26 years. The series has continued to grow and inspire every year and Petplan would love to hear your stories! Please get in touch to share your area Festival stories and thank Petplan for their incredible support.
