Competition opportunities for young horses and ponies within British Dressage exist to produce and educate the future stars of the sport with the health, happiness and career longevity of each equine athlete in mind.

With opportunities for four, five, six and seven year old horses, there’s a class to suit any young horse at different stages of their development.

Shearwater Young Dressage Horse Championships

Supported by BD Official Insurance Partner Shearwater Insurance, the British Young Dressage Horse Championships are the annual aim for many young horse producers, breeders, owners and riders. Qualifiers take place from early spring through to mid-summer, before the top placed horses from these events head to two semi-final competitions to decide the entries for the Championship final, taking place at the LeMieux National Dressage Championships.

Format

The qualifiers are open to four, five and six year old horses and the tests are designed to give each age group maximum confidence and security in the arena. First round qualifiers see combinations ride the commanded route place in pairs, before the top six are called back into the arena for final judging to decide the placings. The top two from each age group, with scores over 7.0, will go forward to the semi-final of their choice.

At the semi-finals, the BD National tests for each age group are used to determine the National Final places, with the top three horses given direct qualification. Wild cards are issued following the two semi-final competitions to complete the line-up. The Shearwater Young Dressage Horse Championships follow the same format as the semi-finals, with the top placed combinations going forward to final judging the next day where the popular rider judge testing contributes to the ultimate results.

British Dressage Seven Year Old Championship 2021

The qualifiers will run a dedicated Advanced Medium Seven Year Old class where Advanced Medium 92 will be ridden and judged as normal BD competition with one judge at the appropriate level. The top two horses with scores 63% or over will qualify for the semi finals. If either horses are already qualified, the place will roll down to the next horse, provided they have a score of 63% or over. At the semi finals, the test ridden will be Advanced Medium 96 2011. The top three will qualify providing they score 65% or over and any remaining championship places will be filled by wildcards. 

British Dressage Young Pony Championships 2021

For four, five and six year old ponies not exceeding 149cm, this exciting championship concludes in a final held at The Hartpury Festival of Dressage, 07 - 11 July. The rules and qualifying fixtures reflect the first round system of the Shearwater Young Dressage Horse Championships, with the top four placed combinations earning over 7.0 achieving a place at the coveted final. Adults of appropriate size and weight and young riders over the age of 12 are permitted to ride in the classes. 

2021 Dates for all three championships

Venue	County	Date
Qualifiers
Myerscough	Lancashire	03 March
Widmer Equestrian Centre	Buckinghamshire	03 April
Kingswood Equestrian Centre	Staffordshire	16 April
Parwood Equestrian Centre	Surrey	16 April
Alnwick Ford Equestrian	Northumberland	17 April
Keysoe	Bedfordshire	25 April
Sheepgate Equestrian	Lincolnshire	04 May
Moreton Equestrian Centre	Dorset	13 May
Cherwell Competition Centre	Oxfordshire	15 May
Morris Equestrian	East Ayrshire	16 May
Stourport Riding Centre	Worcestershire	21 May
Hickstead	West Sussex	21 - 23 May
Kings Sedgemoor Equestrian Centre	Somerset	22 May
Wix Equestrian Centre	Essex	22 May
Field House Equestrian Centre	Staffordshire	03 June
Beechwood Equestrian Centre	Essex	05 June
Windmill Farm	Buckinghamshire	05 June
Manor Grange Stud	West Yorkshire	08 June
Wellington Riding	Hampshire	09 - 10 June
Sparsholt College	Hampshire	13 June
Semi-finals
Hartpury Festival of Dressage	Gloucestershire	07 - 11 July
Port Royal Equestrian & Exhibition Centre	North Yorkshire	23 - 25 July
Championships
LeMieux National Championships, Somerford Park	Cheshire	TBC

Membership

A minimum of Club membership for both horse and rider is required to participate in Shearwater Young Horse and BD Young Pony classes. If a combination qualifies for any of the subsequent championships, an upgrade to a Full membership and horse registration is necessary. Riders can take part in young horse classes from the age of 12 and above. Full registration is required for horse and rider for the seven year old classes.