Organisers of Royal Windsor Horse Show have announced that National entries for the prestigious five-day event, taking place from 10-14 May, 2017, will open at 10am on Thursday 2 March.
As the largest outdoor equestrian competition in the country, the five-day spectacle is the highpoint of the summer show calendar, with competitors travelling from across the UK to attain one of the many sought-after titles. With over 175 classes on offer, organisers are expecting a record number of entries.
Competitors in this year’s highly-anticipated Showing classes have been given a greater incentive, as selected champions across the five days will have the opportunity to compete to be the overall Supreme Ridden Champion of Royal Windsor Horse Show.
Traditional classes such as the In-Hand Showing will be back in the private grounds of Windsor Castle, along with some welcome additions to the schedule, such as the return of the Pure Bred Arab, Ridden class. After a 15-year absence from the Royal Windsor Showing schedule, the show Committee called for the return as a movement to accommodate the increased popularity of the class.
Riders will be competing in front of many of the best UK judges and this year they will be joined by leading international Showing judge Gregory Goss, from South Africa. Goss, who will be overseeing the Ridden Hacks and Ridden Show Pony Class, speaks of his excitement for Royal Windsor:
“It is a great honour to be judging at Royal Windsor Horse Show, one of the most prestigious shows in the world. It is such a fantastic setting and there is always an extremely high standard of competition. It’s the one everybody wants to win.”
Britain’s best up and coming Dressage riders will have the opportunity to grace the Castle Arena on Wednesday 10 May in the Advanced Medium Freestyle to Music. Entry to this class is by invitation only to those who have qualified at the NAF Five Star Dressage Winter Championships, being held at Hartpury College on 15 and 16 April.
On Wednesday 10 and Thursday 11 May, the National Show Jumping classes will host top British riders in a variety of classes from Grade A to Grade C level. This includes a 1.40m Grade A & B Competition with a prize fund of £4,800, as well as an Olympic Star Spotters Competition for 6-year-old horses.
For the first time at Royal Windsor, Oxford and Cambridge will be furthering their university rivalry as they battle it out in Varsity Dressage and Show Jumping, taking place on Saturday 13 May. This will be followed by an Inter Schools Show Jumping Competition, a great opportunity for the younger generation of riders to take to the big stage.
For more information and how to enter, please click here.
Tickets to Royal Windsor Horse Show can be purchased at www.rwhs.co.uk or by telephoning the box office on 0844 581 4960 from the UK; for local bookings call the Windsor Information Centre on 01753 743589 and +44 (0)121 7966290 internationally.
For more information, please contact Gayle Telford, Revolution Sports + Entertainment E: gayle@revolutionsports.co.uk T: +44 (0)203 176 0355