The world of equestrian has been hit by the series of lockdowns, like all sports, but there are definitely still events to look forward to at Bicton Arena.
While the arena is currently closed for bookings, the major news before Christmas was that Bicton has been chosen as the venue for a new BE90 Three-Day Event to be held in 2021 and 2022.
This will be a pilot event, including a dressage test and steeplechase phase.
Helen West, Bicton Arena’s Manager commented: “We are delighted to have been awarded the BE90 3 Day Event pilot class to run alongside our extremely popular BE100 3 Day Event class.
“We plan to develop this into a Grassroots Festival in the future and are excited about working with British Eventing to establish this fixture, which provides direct qualification to the Science Supplements Cup at Badminton Horse Trials, as a destination event for the Grassroots membership.”
The class will give riders the chance to compete as they would at an international three-day event, as the competition takes place over multiple days with the showjumping phase being held on the last day, in reverse order of merit.
They will also undertake the Road & Tracks and Steeplechase phases, as well as a trot up in front of a Ground Jury on the final morning of the competition. The unique format of this event is always popular amongst the grassroots riders finishing the season on a high.
“It is more than just a class,” added Helen West, who is also Cross-Country Course Designer at the venue, “It is about the whole experience. We want to ensure those competitors coming to the glorious Grade One Listed Park at Bicton have the most wonderful few days with us.
“This is the only opportunity for the BE membership to compete in traditional long format classes and we really want them to have the best experience possible.”
The Arena runs showjumping events throughout the year, with both grass and all-weather facilities.
For more details on the superb events hosted at Bicton Arena, pay a visit to www.bicton-arena.co.uk