Bramham International Horse Trials is one of the Europe's leading three-day events, taking place every June at Bramham Park, near Wetherby in West Yorkshire. The event attracts around 60,000 spectators over four days of competition. [1]
The event first ran in 1974 under the direction of George Lane Fox, then owner of Bramham Park and was won by American rider Bruce Davidson from a field of only 25. The horse trials has grown considerably over the years, gaining international status in 1981. There has only been one cancellation in the event's history, which was in 2001 due to the foot and mouth disease epidemic.
The main horse trials regularly attracts in excess of 140 competitors internationally. [2] In 2012 Bramham attracted its largest ever field, and was used by many as a final run for the London 2012 Olympics.
In 2016 it was used as the Olympic Trial for the British Team, which was won by Gemma Tattersall. [3]
The horse trials is a 3-star level international event and hosts four classes: CCI*** senior; CCI*** British Under 25 Championship; CIC***; and Event Rider Masters CIC***.
A host of other arena classes are held alongside the main event. These include British Show Jumping classes; hunter and young stock classes; Burghley Young Event Horse competition; and a stallion parade.
Day | Events |
---|---|
Thursday | CCI***, CCI*** U25 and CIC*** dressage, hunter and young stock classes |
Friday | CCI***, CCI*** U25 and CIC*** dressage, Burghley Young Event Horse competition |
Saturday | CCI***, CCI*** U25 and CIC*** cross country, British Show Jumping classes, Pony Club mounted games and Pony Club show jumping |
Sunday | CCI***, CCI*** U25 and CIC*** show jumping, British Show Jumping classes, Pony Club mounted games |
Year | Notable Event |
---|---|
1974 | Bramham three day event was born; the inaugural Stirling section winner was Bruce Davidson with Paddy from a field of 25 |
1981 | The event gains international status and Mike Etherington-Smith joins as cross country course designer |
1985 | After a couple of years of hosting the a Young Rider section, Bramham is awarded the official British Young Rider Championships |
1986 | Mary King becomes the first rider to finish first and second with King Cuthbert and Silverstone, respectively |
1988 | Jane Wallace (then Thelwall) becomes the first rider to score back-to-back wins with King's Jester; Mike Tucker becomes the new cross country course designer |
1989 | Bill Henson begins his 11-year involvement with the horse trials as Event Director |
1997 | Captain Mark Phillips takes over as cross country course designer |
2000 | Sue Benson adds her name to the esteemed list of cross country course designers |
2001 | The event is cancelled for the first time in its history due to the foot and mouth disease epidemic |
2002 | The British Young Rider Championship is extended to the British Under 25 Championship, the first of which is won by Zara Phillips on Toytown |
2003 | Gail Dale, the event's long-standing secretary retires after a 21-year involvement with the event |
2005 | The first year that Bramham runs in the 'short format' without roads, tracks and steeplechase |
2010 | Ian Stark becomes takes over as cross country course designer and makes a big change using previously unused features in the Park |
2011 | Course builder of the London 2012 Olympics, David Evans joins the team as cross country course builder |
2012 | Bramham attracts its largest ever field and is used by many as a final run for the London 2012 Olympics |
2013 | The event sees its 40th anniversary, and the first without founder George Lane Fox who died in 2012 |
2014 | William Fox-Pitt proves his title as 'King of Bramham' with his eighth win, this time riding Chilli Morning |
2017 | Yoshiaki Oiwa becomes the first Japanese rider to win at CCI*** level outside Japan, riding Calle 44 |
The Badminton Horse Trials is a five-day event, one of only seven annual Concours Complet International (CCI) Five Star events as classified by the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI). It takes place in May each year in the park of Badminton House, the seat of the Duke of Beaufort in South Gloucestershire, England.
The Defender Burghley Horse Trials is an annual three-day event held at Burghley House near Stamford, Lincolnshire, England, currently in early September. Defender Burghley Horse Trials is classified by the FEI as one of the seven leading three-day events in the world. It has competition at CCI5*-L level. The prize for first place is currently £110,000. Prize money is given down to 20th place.
Philippa Rachel "Pippa" Funnell MBE is an equestrian sportswoman who competes in eventing. In 2003, she became the first person to win the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing. She also won Badminton in 2002 and 2005. At the European Championships, she has won two Individual golds (1999–2001) and three team golds (1999–2003). She is a three-time Olympic medallist, winning team silver in 2000 and 2004, and an individual bronze in 2004. She also competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Mary Elizabeth King is a British equestrian who competes in eventing. She has represented Great Britain at six Olympics from 1992 to 2012, winning team silver in 2004 and 2012, and team bronze in 2008. At the World Equestrian Games, she won team gold in 1994 and 2010, and team silver in 2006. She has also won four team golds and one team bronze medal at the European Eventing Championships.
The Kentucky Three-Day Event, currently the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event due to sponsorship, is an eventing competition held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. Land Rover Kentucky is a CCI5*-L eventing competition. Five stars is the highest level of competition in the sport, the same level of competition as Eventing at the Olympics and the World Equestrian Games. The event is sponsored by Land Rover. Prize money of $400,000 is distributed among the top placings with $110,000 as well as a Rolex watch awarded to the first place horse and rider.The winning rider also gets a 12-month lease of a Land Rover
William Speed Lane Fox-Pitt is an English equestrian who competes in eventing. His career highlights include winning three Olympic medals in the team event, with silver in 2004 and 2012, and bronze in 2008. At the World Equestrian Games, he won team gold and individual silver in 2010, and team silver and individual bronze in 2014. He also won World team medals in 2002 and 2006. At the European Championships, he has won six team gold medals, as well as Individual silver in 1997 and 2005, and Individual bronze in 2013. He is the recordman CCI*****'s winner with 14 grand slam titles. In 2011, he became the first rider to win five different five-star events, having won the Burghley Horse Trials a record six times, Rolex Kentucky three times, Stars of Pau twice, the Badminton Horse Trials twice, and the Luhmühlen Horse Trials once (2008). A serious fall in 2015 left him in a coma for two weeks, but he came back to make the British eventing team and attend the 2016 Summer Olympics. He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2018 Birthday Honours.
The Blenheim Horse Trials is an annual international three-day event held in the park of Blenheim Palace, at Woodstock, England. It is rated CCI***.
Heyday was a Thoroughbred gelding that competed in the sport of eventing, ridden by American Bruce Davidson. He was one of the Top Ten All American High Point Horses of the Century in eventing. He stands 16 hands.
Priceless was a horse ridden by British rider Virginia Leng. She competed the gelding in the sport of eventing. Priceless won four team gold medals for Britain, as well as the Badminton Horse Trials and Burghley Horse Trials.
The Concours Complet International (CCI) is the competition rating for the equestrian sport of eventing, given by the international governing body for the sport, the FEI. The rating system was recently changed, effective 1 January 2019.
Windfall II is a Trakehner stallion that has competed internationally in the equestrian sport of eventing.
Christopher Bartle, FBHS is a British equestrian who has enjoyed success in both Dressage and Eventing. He is currently the Managing Director of the Yorkshire Riding Centre and Performance Coach to the British Three Day Event Squad. Chris Bartle was a member of the British Dressage Team from 1981 to 1987 and was placed 6th in individual dressage in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. From 2001 to 2016, together with Hans Melzer, he was the German Three Day Eventing National Team Trainer. Chris is the brother of Jane Bartle-Wilson, who was also an Olympian in the '84 Los Angeles Olympics.
Toytown was a British event horse owned and ridden by Zara Phillips.
Lucinda Fredericks is an equestrian athlete who competes in eventing. Having formerly competed for Great Britain, she now represents Australia. Riding Headley Britannia, she has won three CCI 4* events; winning Burghley in 2006, Badminton in 2007 and Rolex Kentucky in 2009. She won an Olympic silver medal in the team event at Beijing 2008, and also competed at the 2012 London Olympics.
The Étoiles de Pau or Stars of Pau is an annual three-day event held in Pau, in the South of France, near the Pyrénées mountains. It is one of only seven annual Concours Complet International (CCI) five-star events in the world as classified by the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI) and the only one held in France. It takes place every year in October in the Domaine de Sers in Pau.
Georgina "Piggy" March is a British equestrian sportswoman who competes in eventing. She won the 2019 Badminton Horse Trials and 2022 Burghley Horse Trials on Vanir Kamira, and finished second at the 2011 Badminton Horse Trials and the 2017 Burghley Horse Trials. She won Individual silver at the 2009 and 2021 European Championships and a team gold at the 2018 World Equestrian Games. She earned selection for the 2012 Olympic Games, but was forced to withdraw due to an injury to her horse, DHI Topper W. She was also selected for Tokyo 2020 Olympics, as a reserve; however, her owners did not want the horse to travel, Brookfield Inocent, if it was not to compete.
Christopher "Burto" Burton is an Australian equestrian. He was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Olympics in equestrian eventing.
Jonathan "Jock" Paget is a New Zealand equestrian who won a bronze medal in Team eventing at the 2012 Summer Olympics. In 2013 he became only the second rider to win the Badminton Horse Trials on debut after fellow New Zealander Mark Todd.
William Coleman III is an American equestrian. At the 2012 Summer Olympics he competed in the Individual eventing and Team eventing. At the age of six, Coleman's family moved to Charlottesville, VA where he started riding. His first horse was a Shetland pony that arrived in the bed of a pickup truck. Coleman soon started riding in the hunt fields of Virginia Piedmont Hunt where he learned the fundamentals of horse back riding. His father was his first show jumping coach, being an avid fox hunter and horseman in his own right. As his love for eventing grew he started training with Olympic veterans Karen and David O’Connor regularly. After graduating from Woodberry Forest School in 2001, Coleman took an apprenticeship with the O’Connors.
The Bicton Arena International 5*, known for sponsorship reasons as the Chedington Bicton Park 5* Horse Trials was a CCI 5* eventing competition held as a one-off replacement for the Burghley Horse Trials in 2021, following the cancellation of both UK 5* events in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The event was won by Gemma Tattersall riding Chilli Knight.