An Eventful Life is filming all competitors on cross country at
Fairfax & Favor Rockingham International Horse Trials 2023 - find out more here
Rockingham Castle International Abandoned - Update 18th May
Sadly, all competition scheduled to take place at the Fairfax & Favor Rockingham International Horse Trials from 18-21 May has been abandoned due to the prolonged adverse weather
Despite a positive drying forecast the site, including the ground for all three phases, has not dried sufficiently to allow the event to proceed in a safe manner and the decision has been made to abandon the event by the BE & FEI officials.
“We are absolutely devasted that this call had to be made,” said Horse Trials organiser, Lizzie Saunders Watson. “But the safety of horses and riders is paramount. We were conscious that the weather was against us and had been taking every precaution we could to enable the event to run.
“Tracking has been installed for vehicle access and our stabling and marquee suppliers have gone above and beyond to get the infrastructure set up on extremely challenging ground.
“Despite these best efforts, the biggest test was always going to be whether the ground was going to be safe for our competitors. A full ground inspection took place this morning with FEI and British Eventing officials. This included test runs with a horse and rider in all warmup areas, all arenas and the cross county course. Following this, we were told that it would not be safe to run.
“We are working with our insurers to establish next steps in terms of refunds and will be in touch with everyone as soon as we know more. As you can imagine, this is a huge task to undertake so please bear with us.”
Fairfax & Favor Rockingham Castle Horse Trials Event Preview - 17th May
The Castle that has seen nearly 1000 years of history will mark another special moment this year – the tenth anniversary of the Loomes Championship at Rockingham Castle International Horse Trials
The hand-produced watch made locally by the event's Official Time Keeper, Robert Loomes & Co, is awarded to the rider in the top five who finishes closest to the optimum time on the cross country across the Advanced Intermediate and Open Intermediate classes
In celebration of this landmark anniversary for the Championship, Loomes is offering an incredibly special 'Model Ten' watch - created for this year only. One of just 10 to be made and worth a staggering £10,000, it promises to be an extremely popular prize at this year’s event.
This year the Fairfax & Favor Rockingham International Horse Trials runs from 19th – 21st May 2023 and will feature the Loomes Championship cross country phase on Sunday 21st. The International classes take centre stage for the first two days, with many of the world's top event riders heading to Northamptonshire to contest the CCI-S 2* and CCI-S 3* as well as the Loomes Championship
Past watch winners, Australia’s Bill Levett and New Zealand’s Clarke Johnstone are returning along with the World Number One and Two, Tim and Jonelle Price and the current top two on the British Eventing leaderboard, Oliver Townend and Piggy March, who have 11 and 9 wins respectively so far this year, will be competing at various levels.
In addition to the eventing classes there will also be Pony Club Team Show Jumping, Riding Club Team Show Jumping, Arena Eventing classes and qualifiers for the prestigious Burghley Young Event Horse.
The event offers a wide range of attractions, from the chance to meet some friendly Shire horses to 'have-a-go' dog agility for canine family members. Alongside the sport there will be an array of trade stands, children's entertainment, and a food, drink and crafts marquee full of local delights.
Ticket prices start from just £10 for adults and £3.50 for children, with children aged five and under getting in free. There are currently some great discounts available on ticket prices, which will remain until the competition begins.
For more information and to book tickets visit rockinghamcastlehorsetrials.com.
Clarke Johnstone receives the Loomes watch at Rockingham Castle International Horse Trials 2022
