Piggy French, DHI Topper, winners of the Fidelity Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials 2011. Photo: Fiona Scott Maxwell
It seems like only last week that we were at the 2011 Fidelity Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials. In actual fact it was last September and we had a wonderful time there, despite the fact that the Aussie team had a bit of a disaster and failed to qualify Australia for a team spot. However, this will no doubt be overcome through our individually ranked riders on March 31st and it will be all systems go for the Australian eventing team.
The Japanese team took the Olympic qualification at Blenheim and were understandably very emotional about their success
If you are intending to be in the UK from 6-9th September 2012 I can’t recommend this event enough. It doesn’t quite have the glitz and glamour of Burghley or Badminton but it has a wonderful country feel to it and of course it takes place in the magnificent Capability Brown landscaped grounds of the Duke of Marlborough’s Blenheim Palace - birthplace of Winston Churchill.
Blenheim Palace
Having said that it has a lovely country feel to it, you might interpret this as being a small event – but far from it. Is one of the world’s most prestigious three star events attracting some of eventing’s largest spectator crowds in Europe; regularly attracting over 60,000 across the four days and making it one of Oxfordshire’s biggest sporting events.
Shopping at Blenheim Photo: Adam Fanthorpe
The village of Woodstock, where Blenheim Palace is located, is one of the loveliest villages in England and has some great pubs and restaurants. The village is buzzing each evening, especially on cross country night when you can easily identify those celebrating or commiserating at the next table! The countryside is beautiful and, for those more interested in shopping, there is not only the trade stands at the event itself but also the strange but interesting Bicester (pronounced Bister) Village close by, which boasts 900 outlet boutiques of the world’s leading fashion and lifestyle brands
The village of Woodstock has many charms
But back to the event itself. In addition to the top CCI*** event, Blenheim hosts the British Championships for 8/9 year old horses. This is a less demanding event than the CCI *** event with a shorter, less technical cross country course and it runs to the easier format where the show jumping phase comes before the cross country. Because of this, the event offers two days of top cross country action and is one of the only events in the sport’s calendar when spectators can see cross country action on both Saturday and Sunday
A delighted Pippa Funnell on Billy Landretti
There is also the ‘Grass roots’ competitions as Blenheim is one of the few events in the UK where amateur and less experienced riders can compete alongside the top professional riders. So in addition to rubbing shoulders with riders such as Mark Todd, William Fox-Pitt, Piggy French (who won the CCI*** in 2011)and Pippa Funnell there are Pony Club and amateur riders zooming around in the Grass Roots competitions also taking place over the four days. These include the Tri-Zone Eventer Challenge for BE100 competitors and Riding and Pony Club Team Challenges sponsored by Dodson & Horrell.
Paul Tapner loses his shirt in the high jump Photo: Fiona Scott-Maxwell
Blenheim is also the place to lose the shirt off your back. Not just by spending too much at the tradestands but by competing in the AmTrust Equine High Jump where event riders opt to ride bareback and (male) riders strip off their shirts to earn extra ‘lives’. Last year Australian rider Paul Tapner joined in the fun but the event was won by JP Sheffield jumping a Blenheim record of 1.90m
JPSheffield wins the high jump minus shirt Photo: Fiona Scott-Maxwell
&nbAll in all it is a great event for everyone - with a wide range of free-to-view displays and demonstrations, attractions, eating facilities and hundreds of trade stands. Spectators can choose between admission-only tickets and those which include allocated grandstand seats or VIP Members passes which allow access to the Main Arena Ringside Members facility. All tickets include complimentary general public parking. The advance online box office offers significant savings over the ‘on event’ gate prices. Unfortunately we’ll be flying back from the UK to Australia on that weekend, having spent several weeks there for the Olympics and Burghley but we’ll be sure to find someone to cover it for An Eventful Life! If you can get there in person however, it’s definitely worth a visit. See www.blenheim-horse.co.uk for further details.
