It is with great regret that we announce that Somerford Park International Horse Trials, scheduled to run on 30th June – 2nd July has been cancelled.
Organiser of Somerford Park International Debbie King said “It is with great consideration and regret that we have decided to cancel Somerford Park International Horse Trials 2023.
Somerford is not prepared to run without abandonment insurance. Having built up a trust with our client base over several years we are not prepared to jeopardise this and leave our clients out of pocket in a challenging economic climate.
We self-insured last year and due to the high volume of cancellations this year the cost for us to insure has escalated by over 100%, something we simply cannot afford to absorb along with the other escalating costs.
We would like to thank all the sponsors, riders and volunteers who have supported our event over the years and hope to return to the calendar if the situation can be resolved”
British Eventing is deeply saddened to hear the news about the cancellation of Somerford Park International Horse Trials and understand that this cancellation on top the recent abandonments at Chatsworth and Rockingham International will be a real concern for Members particularly for those wishing to compete in the FEI classes.
We appreciate, that for many of you, these will have been key opportunities to gain MERs or educational runs for your horses and therefore British Eventing is currently looking at alternative opportunities to add additional International and National classes into the calendar. Any International additions would be subject to FEI approval. We will of course keep you updated as and when any plans have been confirmed however, in the meantime, we want to reassure you that we are doing our best to work with Organisers in replacing these valuable lost MER opportunities where possible.
In addition to this ahead of the 2024 season, and in light of the unprecedented abandonments due to the prolonged adverse weather, British Eventing is also undertaking a full stakeholder review of the existing arrangements in relation to abandonment insurance. An update will be provided to Members once further discussions have concluded.
