Forces Equine Championships - all you need to know

After the huge success of the Forces Equine Championships last year, British Dressage is proud to present this popular series for a third year. Dressage and service personnel are steeped in history and tradition. After all, dressage was developed by the military to make horses more obedient and responsive in battle and on parade, so this is a very fitting collaboration.

Forces Equine is for equestrians in HM Forces, Government Services or Public Services, and their dependents. The organisation proactively helps forces riders and their families meet, interact and compete within their equine communities. The championship final will be held at Moreton Morrell in Warwickshire on the weekend of 20 & 21 October 2018. 

What levels do they run at?

o Intro
o Prelim
o Novice
o Elementary
o Medium
o Including a Quadrille

Who can compete?

o The Championships are open to current and new members of Forces Equine: Full Senior FE Members and Full FEYRA FE Members.
o Those who have never competed BD before are welcome. 
o They’re run under BD/Quest rules and combinations must be eligible for the level at which they wish to compete.

Who can compete with Forces Equine?

Forces Equine is a UK recognised organisation supporting riders who are:
o Serving Personnel
o Ex-Serving Personnel
o Retired Personnel
o Dependents of Serving Personnel
o Wives of
o Husbands of
o Partners of 
o Children of
o Cadets of any of the above services
o *Associates of any of the above services

*An associate member to Forces Equine is someone that does not have a direct link (as above) to any of the services listed below. All associate members will be asked when applying, why they would like to be a Forces Equine member. You may be looking to join one of the below services or have a friend, colleague or relative that is a member of Forces Equine and therefore wish to compete with us. Please contact Debi Heath French to discuss being an associate member further, debi@forcesequine.com.

And in any of the following services:

o The UK Police Forces
o Ambulance service
o Fire Brigade
o Coastguard
o Lifeboat service
o Mountain rescue service
o Cave rescue service
o Moorland search and rescue service
o Quicksand search and rescue service
o Mine rescue services
o HMRC Personnel
o Civil Service
o Court Officials
o HM Prison Services
o NHS Staff
o All other Government Personnel
o Royal Navy
o British Army
o Royal Air Force

Which organisations do I need to be a member of to be able to qualify?

BD membership/ registration to qualify: 

o Forces Equine will provide five free class tickets to any FE member who is not a full BD member and would like to try and qualify. Please contact Debi Heath French at debi@forcesequine.com 01522 370284 for more details. 

Membership required for the final:

- All horses and riders must be full BD members. 
- All riders must be members of Forces Equine www.forcesequine.com.
Membership types that are eligible to compete are: Full Senior Forces Equine Members, Full FEYRA Forces Equine Members and Full Senior or FEYRA Associate Members.

Take a look at the membership options and benefits with FE here.

How do I qualify?

o Qualification period is between the 1 December 2017 and 31 August 2018.
o To qualify directly for the final for the championship, horse and rider combinations must achieve three scores of 60% or above, gained between 1 December 2017 and the 31 August 2018. 
o Horse and rider combinations must be eligible for Bronze or Silver sections for the level they wish to qualify in accordance with BD Rules.

What shows can I get my scores at?

o Scores can be gained in any regular BD affiliated competition or BD Team/My Quest competition. To see a list of competitions please follow this link.
o Score sheets from Area Festivals, Regionals, Winter or National Championships and Quest Regional or Quest National Championships, may not be used towards qualification. 

Can I compete at different levels?
o Combinations may compete and qualify at different levels but can only compete in two levels/classes at the final. 

How do I know when I have qualified? 

o Once you have achieved your three qualifying scores, you need to register your qualification with BD. 
o Please fill in the qualification form and then send an e-mail to fixtures@britishdressage.co.uk or post to: British Dressage, Meriden Business Park, Copse Drive, Meriden, West Midlands CV5 9RG, stating where and when you achieved your three qualifying scores.
o You’ll then receive an invitation to the final with all the championships details. 

Where and when is the final?

o The final will take place 20 – 21 October at Moreton Morrell in Warwickshire.

What happens at the championships?

Friday night:

Competitors arrive and settle down for welcome drinks and evening nibbles (self-provided).

Saturday:
o All other competitors arrive.
o Show Jumping and the SJ section of the combined training commences.
o Gala evening including Quadrille Final and BBQ (drinks self-provided).

Sunday:
o Open Dressage & Championship classes commence.
o Presentation of the Forces Equine Services Challenge Plate & Cup for best overall Serving & Non-Serving Competitor.

All classes have mounted presentations and the chance to purchase your photographs from the competition.

Additionally, the highest placed RoR registered horse will receive a rosette kindly donated from RoR. 

There will be a stand from Forces Equine along with other services on site.

Quote from Sally Ann Walker, BD Member & Cleveland Fire Service: "Immediately we arrived at the Forces Equine Championships we were made to feel very welcome by lovely friendly people. The stabling facilities and venue were very professional and the event was very well organised. A real fun and enjoyable championships for a competitor who had never competed with Forces Equine!"

I still have questions, who should I contact?

o Christina Stuart at British Dressage: Christina.Stuart@britishdressage.co.uk 02476 698909
o Debi Heath French at Forces Equine: debi@forcesequine.com 01522 370284