All four members of Britain’s gold medal-winning team at the Paris Olympics – Laura Collett, Tom McEwen, Ros Canter and “alternate” rider Yasmin Ingham – are entered for Cornbury House Horse Trials (11-15 September), alongside multiple Olympians from other nations.
With some of the sport of eventing’s most famous names – equine and human – set to compete at the highly popular Oxfordshire event, the stage is set for a truly golden celebration of equestrian sport.
Cornbury House Horse Trials was founded by David Howden and his family in 2020, and immediately became one of the highlights of the eventing season for riders, owners, grooms, sponsors and spectators. For the second year running, Cornbury hosts the British Eventing Young Horse Championships, as well as Youth Championship classes for under-21 riders, supported by The Howden Way, and international classes at CCI3*-S and CCI2*-S level. There are also hotly contested national classes – the Open Intermediate alone boasts two CCI5* winners in 2023 Defender Burghley hero Ballaghmor Class (Oliver Townend) and Falco, winner of the Pau CCI5* and sixth individually at the Paris Olympics with New Zealand’s Tim Price.
David Howden said: “We are thrilled and flattered by both the exceptional quality and amount of entries – nearly 1,100 of them – that we have received for Cornbury 2024. It’s particularly pleasing that the numbers for the Young Horse Championships and the Youth classes have grown again, as well as those for the supporting classes.
“Cornbury House Horse Trials has always aimed to be the best event for horses, riders and owners, and we are tireless in our efforts to improve on all fronts. The site and the ground conditions are looking fantastic. Following consultation after last year’s event, it was recommended that we ran fewer horses to ensure that we could preserve the all-important footing for horses over all four days of competition. As a consequence, we agreed to run one section less per day on the Thursday and Friday of this year’s event.
“In accepting our entries, we have tried to allow as many people are able to compete at Cornbury House Horse Trials as possible while preserving the best conditions for horses that we can – it is so important to us that we enable the stars of the sport and the best up-and-coming horses and riders with what they need to be able to perform at their optimum.
“As well as our Olympic gold medallists, I am delighted that all four members of the British team that took gold at the recent Young Riders European Championships in Poland – including individual gold and bronze medal winners Jasmine Underwood and Isabelle Cook – are coming to Cornbury. Nurturing and rewarding our rising stars is so important to us.”
“I can’t wait to show everyone what we have in store for them at Cornbury House 2024 – see you all there!”
In keeping with David Howden’s determination to reward riders and owners for their efforts and achievements, Cornbury House Horse Trials offers unprecedented levels of prize-money, including the much-coveted £2,500 Leading Rider Award. Since its inception in 2022, this has been won by two local Cotswolds riders – Tom McEwen and Laura Collett, who now have two Olympic team gold medals, an individual silver (Tom, Tokyo 2021) and an individual bronze (Laura, Paris 2024).
Laura said: “My owners and I love Cornbury – it is so special and we feel so well looked-after and valued there. It has got better and better each year and I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I will be trying very hard to win back the Leading Rider Award this time!”
As well as a feast of equestrian sport, featuring many of the world’s most famous riders, Cornbury Horse Horse Trials is an innovative and exciting blend of local, sustainable food and drink from our neighbouring farms, premium hospitality, and interactive children’s activities in the stunning setting of Cornbury Park. There’s no doubt that Cornbury House Horse Trials promises a fantastic day out for families, as well as riders, owners, guests and spectators.
Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to be part of one of the most anticipated equestrian events in the area. Book your tickets today and join us for an unforgettable day at Cornbury House Horse Trials!
All the cross-country action from Cornbury House Horse Trials will be shown live on Horse & Country TV.