It is with much excitement that British Eventing are sharing the news that the BE80 National Championships are to be hosted at the Bramham International Horse Trials within their CCI4* Event from 2022 onwards
This news follows their announcement last week that there will be a restructure of the British Eventing membership offer which introduces a significantly reduced membership at BE80 & BE90 levels to allow for a much more affordable entry point into the sport for those competing at the grassroots levels.
Helen West, Chief Executive for British Eventing said “I am absolutely delighted to be in a position of announcing this and I can’t thank Nicholas Pritchard, Event Director at Bramham, enough for his enthusiasm and commitment to delivering such a fantastic Championship opportunity at this iconic venue for our members. Bramham Park is synonymous with Eventing with their first event having run nearly fifty years ago and it has run as an International event for over four decades. The cross country is always a proper test at Bramham and I can’t wait to see what designer Ian Stark and builder David Evans have in store for our competitors. To have the opportunity to contest a BE80 National Championship in such a spectacular setting which is so intrinsically linked with the top end of our sport is something that we feel extremely fortunate to be able to offer our membership.
“I have always believed that there was a deep-seated need to create an affordable entry point into the sport accompanied by a clear pathway to culminate at a prestigious Championship. In making the changes to the membership structure and by introducing this exciting new finale at Bramham it has allowed for exactly this to happen. I’m confident that by introducing the two together for the next season we can be assured of an increase in membership at the entry level which will help provide a solid and progressive future for the sport going forward.
“We will be announcing the qualification process for the 2022 BE80 National Championship at Bramham shortly along with that for 2023 and beyond. This is an extremely exciting time for us, and it brings a much-needed boost for this level of the sport combined with the confirmation that the BE90 and BE100 National Championships are secure at Badminton. Having these National Championships within just a few weeks of each other will provide a much clearer pathway for our grassroots riders.”
Event Director Nicholas Pritchard commented, “Bramham promises one of the best days out of the year and we’ll be striving to be back better than ever in 2022. We’re honoured to be asked by British Eventing to host the BE80 and will certainly work hard to give the competitors a world-class experience alongside our established classes. It also adds a great dimension for our loyal audience who come to Bramham year on year as it’s an inspirational competition and highlights the diverse range of competitors in eventing – aspirational for anyone who wants to take up the sport. There’s so much planning going on at present in our office and we can’t wait to share more in the New Year. Make sure you get the dates in your diary, 7 – 12 June 2022!”
For next season the date for Bramham is 7 – 12 June 2022 which will require, for the first year only, a direct qualification process for the BE80 National Championship. A qualification path for the 2023 Championships will also run throughout the 2022 season with members qualifying for the BE80 National Championships 2023 at one of four Area Festivals hosted nationally throughout 2022.
Further and more detailed information will be issued on the website ahead of the 2022 season along with information on the new membership fees in the near future.
