News

World leaders in manufacture of equine surfaces and arena construction Andrews Bowen has committed to support British Dressage for a sixth year with a new contract to cover 2021 as our Official Surface Supplier and partner.

Chagall, the Grand Prix partner of FEI 5* Judge Isobel Wessels, has passed away at the age of 18. Isobel and the elegant Contendro x Galatea gelding were a prolific partnership winning Advanced Medium and Inter I titles at Stoneleigh and a Winter Championship Advanced Medium-PSG Freestyle double on their journey to Grand Prix. Here, Isobel pays tribute to the horse with whom she flew the flag for Great Britain at numerous CDIs.

All those members who put hard work into qualifying for the Petplan Equine Winter Area Festivals only to have their hopes dashed by lockdown can celebrate with all 12 fixtures back in the 2021 calendar. With the first Festival getting underway on 30 April, there’s only a matter of weeks to wait and entries are opening for the first few dates.

The FEI has imposed a further two-week extension of the shutdown of all international events in mainland Europe until 11 April 2021 due to the ongoing outbreak of the neurological form of Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1). The FEI had previously announced a 28-day shutdown on 1 March 2021.

Following announcements this week by First Ministers Nicola Sturgeon and Mark Drakesford, we can now provide members with an update on plans for the easing of restrictions in Scotland and Wales over the coming weeks.

Are you passionate about our sport? Do you have the time to give as a volunteer in your region? We're recruiting for a range of roles across five of our regions in key areas of expertise.

Further to the publication of our Sport Operational Plan last week, British Dressage is delighted to confirm the full calendar of dates and venues for the rescheduled Winter Regional finals, with the announcement of a venue in the eastern area of England. Codham Park Equestrian, near Braintree in Essex, will now host a Regional to replace Easton College, who were unfortunately unable to host a rescheduled fixture due to educational commitments.

Get to know all about our fabulous winner Maisie Hodge, winner of the incredible Bates Artiste Saddle worth £3500!

Many of you will have seen reports on the current major outbreak of a very aggressive strain Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1 – neurological form) which is active in Europe. The origin of the outbreak has been traced to a jumping show in Valencia and horses have travelled onwards from the venue and inadvertently spread the virus across Europe and beyond.

A week on from the welcome news that BD activity can resume in England from 29 March, British Dressage can now share with stakeholders our operational plan for the safe return of training and competitions.  We await further news from the devolved governments of Scotland and Wales to confirm a resumption date for these nations in due course.