International and National Dressage will return to Royal Windsor Horse Show this year after an absence of four years, as the UK’s largest outdoor show becomes a CHI (Concours Hippique Internationale) for the very first time. The CDI3* Grand Prix will take place on the evening of Thursday 15 May and the CDI3* Freestyle on the evening of Friday 16 May. Fifteen competitors will be invited to take part; five from the UK and ten from overseas, and it is expected that there will be six nations competing in total.
The addition of the international Dressage competition allows Windsor to reintroduce its popular evening programmes, which will also include equestrian displays from The Household Cavalry and The King’s Troop, as well as The Pony Club Mounted Games, The Shetland Pony Grand National and an Arab Horse Display from Bahrain.
In addition, a new Advanced Medium Freestyle Dressage Championship has been introduced to the programme. The Royal Windsor Freestyle Challenge will be staged on the afternoon of ‘Windsor Wednesday’ (14 May) when Windsor will throw open its gates to all visitors offering free of charge entry for the day.
A total of 12 competitors will be invited to take part in the Championships. Eligibility to receive an invitation will be awarded to the five best placed horse/athlete combinations at the Advanced Medium Open Final at the British Dressage Winter Championships taking place at Hartpury College on Saturday 12 April, and the five best placed horse/athlete combinations in the Advanced Medium Freestyle Final at the same Championships on Sunday 13 April. An additional two wild cards will be offered at the discretion of the Organising Committee*.
As well as international Dressage, Royal Windsor Horse Show 2014 introduces CSI3* Show Jumping to its already established international Driving and Endurance competitions.
The 71st running of the Royal Windsor Horse Show takes place on 14-18 May 2014 in the beautiful grounds of Windsor Castle, Berkshire.
Photo © Astrid Appels
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