News
The road to crown our 2024 KBIS Young Dressage Horse champions has began
- Written By: British Dressage
- Published: Tue, 12 Mar 2024 09:22
The first KBIS Young Horse and Pony classes of 2024 took place last week at Myerscough College Premier League, kicking off the 2024 championship campaign. Get to know the series and keep up to date with all the latest news and upcoming qualifier dates.
Supported by BD Official Insurance Partner KBIS, the British Young Dressage Horse Championships are the annual aim for many young horse producers, breeders, owners and riders. The series has opportunities for four, five, six and seven year old horses and four, five and six year old ponies, so there is a class to suit all the young equine talent at different stages of their development.
With the aim to help produce and educate the future stars of the sport with, health, happiness and the career longevity of each equine athlete in mind, the qualifiers take place from March to mid-June. Each age group rides a test that is designed to showcase age-appropriate scales of training. The top placed horses from these events head to two semi-final competitions to decide entries for the Championship final, taking place at the LeMieux National Dressage Championships in September.
The Young Dressage Horse classes have an alternative format to standard BD classes, designed to give each age group maximum confidence and security in the arena. The first round of qualifiers see combinations ride the required route plan in pairs and the top two from each age group, with scores over 7.0 will go forward to the semi-final. At the semi-finals, the BD National Tests for each age group are used to determine the National final places, with the top three horses given direct qualification. The KBIS Young Dressage Horse Championships follow the same format as the semi-finals, with the top placed combinations going forward to final judging where rider judge testing contributes to the ultimate results.
Membership
A minimum of Club membership for both horse and rider is required to participate in KBIS Young Dressage Horse and Young Dressage Pony qualifiers. If a combination qualifies for a subsequent semi-final or championship, an upgrade to a Full (competing) membership and horse registration is necessary.
Riders can take part in young horse and pony classes from the start of the year of their 12th birthday. If you are an owner, you will need either Full (non-competing) or Full (competing) membership.
2024 dates for Young Horse and Pony Classes
With opportunities for horses and ponies at different stages of development early in their career, the KBIS Young Dressage Horse Championships allows the younger generation of equine athletes to gain competition experience in a low-pressure atmosphere, as a part of their education. If you are a young horse producer, breeder, owner or rider, these competitions exist to help produce the future high-flyers of our sport, the upcoming qualifier dates are listed below.
| Parwood Equestrian Centre | Surrey | 16 March |
| Hunters Equestrian | Gloucestershire | 31 March |
| Moreton Equestrian Centre | Dorset | 4 April |
| Kings Sedgemoor Equestrian Centre | Somerset | 19 April |
| Alnwick Ford Equestrian | Northumberland | 21 April |
| Addington Equestrian | Buckinghamshire | 26 - 28 April |
| Sheepgate Equestrian | Lincolnshire | 7 May |
| Hickstead | West Sussex | 10 - 12 May |
| Stourport Riding Centre | Worcestershire | 17 May |
| Rockrose Equestrian Sports Centre | East Lothian | 18 May |
| Sparsholt College | Hampshire | 19 May |
| Somerford Park | Cheshire | 25 - 26 May |
| Manor Grange Stud | West Yorkshire | 29 May |
| Beechwood Equestrian Centre | Essex | 2 June |
| Wellington Riding | Hampshire | 4 - 7 June |
| Kingswood Equestrian Centre | Staffordshire | 14 June |
KBIS Young Dressage Horse Semi-Finals
| Hartpury University & Hartpury College | Gloucestershire | 2 – 7 July |
| Northallerton Equestrian Centre | North Yorkshire | 26 - 29 July |
KBIS Young Dressage Pony Championships
| Hartpury University & Hartpury College | Gloucestershire | 1 – 7 July |
KBIS Young Dressage Horse Championships
| Somerford Park | Cheshire | 12 - 15 September |
2023 KBIS Young Dressage Horse/Pony Champions
Last year our three Young Dressage Pony champions were crowned at The Hartpury Festival of Dressage in July 2023, where the outstanding equine talent was showcased in front of judges Stephen Clarke and Matt Hicks. The final judging of the Young Dressage Horse championship took place at the LeMieux National Dressage Championships in 2023, where the top four from each category went before the panel of Christine Prip and Erik Theilgaard and ride judge Lewis Carrier who selected our incredible winners.
KBIS Young Dressage Horse 4-year-old Champion 2023
Ashley Jenkins with Game On l
KBIS Young Dressage Horse 5-year-old Champion 2023
Amy Woodhead with MSJ Viva Dannebrog
KBIS Young Dressage Horse 6-year-old Champion 2023
Tom Goode with Iceland Girl PS
KBIS Young Dressage Horse 7-year-old Champion 2023
Nicola Buchanan with St Giles Flamboyant
KBIS Young Dressage Pony 4-year-old Champion 2023
Robert Gilsenan with Sam Diarado's Destiny
KBIS Young Dressage Pony 5-year-old Champion 2023
Daisy Bullman with Godrics Chemin de Vie
KBIS Young Dressage Pony 6-year-old Champion 2023
Hannah Esberger Hancock with Breakheart Bridget Jones
