Two popular events on the British Eventing calendar, Bramham International and Rockingham International, have been cancelled for 2021
“We’ve explored every avenue possible to keep Bramham 2021 in the calendar” say the organisers of Bramham International which normally runs in early June at Bramham Park in West Yorkshire “However, the health, safety and welfare of all who are involved in the Event, or come to watch it, is our number one priority and we just can’t guarantee that within the government’s rules”
“Due to the nature and scale of the Event, it is impossible to enforce social distancing reasonably. The extent of the site makes it unfeasible to completely control public access. Sadly, a park isn’t the same as a stadium and whilst there’s plenty of space, we can’t guarantee social distancing in busy areas. We’re a 500-acre park with several footpaths crossing the estate and with spectator numbers limited to 4,000, we can’t be confident on keeping to this”
The event would have hosted Open CCI-4* long and short format classes, along with the prestigious CCI4*-L Under 25 class
Rockingham Castle International Horse Trials is also “deeply disappointed to announce the cancellation of the 2021 Horse Trials, which were due to run from 21-23 May”
The Government Road Map for the summer has provided much cause for optimism, however, the timetable that has been laid out is still very fragile and subject to change. Therefore, it is simply not possible to deliver the event safely and in a way the team would want within these parameters.
“We are so deeply disappointed to have had to make this difficult decision for a second year,” says event organiser, Lizzie Saunders Watson. “The Horse Trials are part of the lifeblood of the Rockingham Estate and our whole team has felt the loss of this much-loved event.
Lizzie and her team are now looking forward to the Horse Trials returning better than ever in 2022 – a landmark year for Rockingham Castle as it celebrates its 950th anniversary.
“It is so important to safeguard the future of these events and we cannot wait to be able to welcome everyone back to the Great Park next year. We are extremely excited to be celebrating 950 years of the Castle’s rich and captivating history in 2022 and we look forward to the Horse Trials being right at the heart of these celebrations.”
The event would have hosted National classes from BE100 to Advanced along with a CCI2*-S and CCI3*-S
British Eventing has confirmed that it will try to replace the lost events, saying that "With the impacts of Brexit and COVID-19 on travelling across Europe, we want to ensure that we have sufficient opportunities for GB based athletes within the UK this season"
"We have already commenced the process for replacement of Withington Manor and Rockingham classes, and we will start the process for also replacing Bramham’s CCI4*-S, CC4*-L and CCI4*-L under 25 classes to an appropriate time in the fixtures calendar. We are working with our Performance Managers and the Event Riders Association to ensure that we consider all possibilities"
Sadly, we therefore won’t be filming at Rockingham or Bramham this year, but we look forward to returning in 2022 and will continue to keep the ‘feel’ alive with lots of footage from these events during the year!
