There’s just one week to go until British Eventing’s (BE) first The Howden Way Young Horse classes of the season at Cirencester Park (26^th-28^th April). These classes give riders and owners the chance to showcase their 6- and 7-year-old horses in specific sections for horses in these age groups.

The Young Horse classes are the ideal way to expose young horses to events with a big atmosphere while offering riders the opportunity to assess their horses against others of the same age, and offer recognition for the highest performing young horses in these classes. Thanks to the support from The Howden Way, the classes also provide increased prize money, with the top 3 combinations in each class will receiving an additional £250, £150, £100 respectively on top of the prize money already generated and awarded by the prize money calculator.

The classes take place throughout the spring and summer in some of BE’s most stunning venues. The 6-year-old classes will be run at novice level, while the 7-year-old classes will be run at intermediate level.

Dates of the 2024 Young Horse classes:

Alongside these classes, the performance of young horses competing with British Eventing is acknowledged within The Howden Way Young Horse Leagues which can be found here. There are four leagues which cover the ages of 5 years, 6 years, 7 years and then the ages of 8 & 9 combined. The leagues display the average of a horse’s three best finishing scores via a Power Based Average score which highlights the ability to repeatedly finish on a low score.

The 2024 Young Horse Championships take place at Cornbury House Horse Trials in Oxfordshire between 12-15 September. The classes will also benefit those aiming their young horses at the FEI World Breeding Championships at Le Lion d’Angers, which hosts a CCI2*-L World Championship for six-year-olds and a CCI3*-L World Championship for seven-year-olds.

British Eventing CEO Rosie Williams said: “Following on from a successful launch of the Young Horse series last season, we’re delighted to be offering these fabulous classes – a showcase of the young equine talent here in the UK – to our members again this season. We take the development of our equine talent very seriously and these classes are perfect for giving up-and-coming horses much-needed experience and exposure. They are also essential for helping riders assess the progress of their young event horses against other horses of the same age. A big ‘thank you’ must go to The Howden Way for their continued support of these classes.”

To find out more, click here.