Hartpury to host British Eventing National Championships following Gatcombe cancellation

Hartpury University and College will host this year’s British National Championships at the NAF Five Star International Hartpury Horse Trials (7-11 August 2024). The national championships are usually held at Gatcombe Park, but have been moved to Hartpury following the cancellation of this year's Festival of Eventing at Gatcombe.

The world-class equestrian centre will run the championships alongside its well-established NAF Metazone CCI2*L, NAF Superflex CCI3*L and NAF Magic CCI4*S classes. The addition of the British Open Championship, British Intermediate Championship, British Novice Championship, British Novice Restricted Novice Championship (Corinthian Cup), and Retrained Racehorse Championship, will mean an additional day of cross country action on Sunday 11 August. Britain’s national champions will then be crowned in a fitting finale to a week celebrating the sport of eventing.

Deputy Vice Chancellor Rosie Scott-Ward said: “Like many others, we were sad to hear of the loss of Gatcombe’s Festival of British Eventing from the calendar this year, and it’s our privilege to be trusted with delivering these championships in 2024.

“While it’s not easy stepping up at relatively short notice, I’m very proud of our team here at Hartpury who have already got to work to ensure we deliver a superb competition and championship atmosphere for competitors.

“We are working with designer Eric Winter and Jump1 to create world-class tracks and exceptional going, both for the championships and also for our prestigious international classes. We look forward to welcoming everyone in August.”

British Eventing CEO Rosie Williams said: “We are really pleased to be working with the team at Hartpury to host our prestigious national championships. We are all focussed on building this back to a major event for our members of all levels to aspire to, and it is brilliant to have Hartpury on board to help us do that. Members attending the championships will have access to top-class facilities across all days of competition, whilst also being able to enjoy the atmosphere that the existing international event brings with it. Our national classes are the pinnacle in the calendar for many of our members, and we look forward to being able to watch the titles being contested within a top-class environment.”