Tickets are now on sale for one of Britain’s premier indoor equestrian events, the British Open Show Jumping Championships.

Following the hugely successful 2009 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS), Grandstand Group, the team behind HOYS and the British Open, has today announced that tickets for the British Open Show Jumping Championships 2010 have hit the NEC Box Office and are already exceeding previous sales records. The 2010 dates (Wednesday 7th – Saturday 10th April) have been allocated to close the Show with the Championship Final performance on Saturday evening and with no split performances, tickets are now valid all-day on the day the visitor has purchased. With great value tickets and more time to shop and enjoy the first-class entertainment, anyone looking for the perfect Christmas present for their family members and friends need look no further than www.britishopenshowjumping.com.

World-class riders from Britain and abroad will be invited to compete in this unique Championship competition held over four days next April. Leading British rider and three times Champion, Robert Whitaker will return to defend his title as the 2009 British Open Show Jumping Champion and compete in the top speed and jump-off international classes on offer at this FEI 4* event. The crowd favourite Puissance competition, featuring the legendary red wall, will also take place during Friday’s performance.

The unique format of the British Open Championship involves four competitions held over consecutive days with each competition designed to test the riders’ skill and ability in different ways. Round one commences on Wednesday with two further rounds on Thursday and  Friday, after which a ‘cut’ will decide the top twenty riders who will go forward to contest Saturday’s Final.

In addition, the jam-packed British Open also features a range of national show jumping and showing classes:
Amateur SJ Championship
BEF World Class Development Programme Championship
PCA Futura Final
BSJ Winter Premier Grand Prix Championship
Working Hunter Grand Prix

New classes for 2010:
Ponies UK Superleague
BSJ JA Championship
BSJ British Riding & Pony Club Team Competition
Grade C

Entertainment:

H Factor!
‘Let me entertain you!’ Our four H Factor finalists will be performing their unique routines every day of the British Open vying for your votes to win the H Factor 2010!

1. Here come the girls! An all action stunt show featuring solely female riders, Equestrienne.
2. Strictly come Dressage! Saffron Walden Musical Ride performing dressage to music.
3. Knights in shining armour! Medieval jousting and stunt riding with a twist from the Knights of Middle England.
4. Rock & Roll with Rockin’ Horse! The eccentric, fast paced stunt show that will keep you rockin’.

British Open Indoor Cross Country
On Thursday Evening the world’s top eventers will compete at Britain’s most prestigious indoor cross country event. Famous faces such as Pippa Funnell, William Fox-Pitt and Zara Phillips will be invited to participate in this hugely popular discipline.

Dakota
The boyband with a difference! On Saturday Evening, show jumper Ben Talbot will provide the vocals alongside dressage guru Richard Davison’s son Tom on bass, Aaron Whelan on guitar and Rob Armitage on the drums. With such strong equestrian links, the boys are really looking forward to entertaining the British Open crowd during Saturday night’s Championship Final performance!

Parelli Zone
The Parelli Zone is back by popular demand!
“The Parelli method is a training method that allows horse lovers at all levels and disciplines to achieve: success without force, partnership without dominance, teamwork without fear, willingness without intimidation, and harmony without coercion.” Sue Shoemark of Parelli.
See it demonstrated every day at the British Open!

Osborne Refrigerators Scurry Racing
Hold on to your seats and prepare for some fast and furious scurry racing! The louder the crowds cheer the faster the ponies will go in the Osborne Refrigerators Scurry Challenge! In a nail-biting competition, spectators will be treated to a thrilling action-packed race as the double harness scurry carts whiz around the tight arena obstacles.

Shopping
Improved shopping! A record number of stands are expected to form part of the British Open Shopping Pavilion. Selling everything from tack to tweeds under one roof, it’s the perfect place to treat you and your horse!

For show information and to book, click here or call the Box Office 0844 581 1301.

Four equestrian acts have made it through to the H Factor Final which will take place throughout the week at the British Open 2010 (Wednesday 7^th – Saturday 10^th April at Birmingham’s NEC). The final judging will take place during Saturday’s performance when the winner will be announced. The winning act will then have the unique privilege to follow in the footsteps of the Household Calvary, Jean François Pignon and the Metropolitan Police, to name a few, by showcasing their talent at Horse of the Year Show 2010 in front of over 60,000 visitors.

The acts through to the Final are:

Saffron Walden Quadrille

The Knights of Middle England

Equestrienne Stunt Show

Rockin’ Horse Stunt Show

In a bid to find the next big thing in equestrian entertainment, Grandstand Group, the company behind Horse of the Year Show and the British Open Show Jumping Championships, hosted the H Factor qualifier at Addington Equestrian Centre last weekend (8^th August). The four successful acts all wowed the judging panel who were extremely impressed with the calibre of all the displays that were selected to perform at the H Factor qualifier.

The four qualified acts will perform each day at the British Open, with the aim to impress the audience who will be able to vote for their favourite act by text. Saturday’s Final will feature all of the acts consecutively before live feedback and a verdict is given by Grandstand’s judging panel. New band, Dakota, will provide live music alongside the H Factor Final and the British Open Show Jumping Championship Final during Saturday’s jam packed performance.

The British Open Show Jumping Championships takes place at the NEC, Birmingham from Wednesday 7^th – Saturday 10^th April 2010. Tickets will go on sale in October 2009.

…Or those of you that want to hear about what went on behind the scenes… Let us fill you in!

Excuse my French…
French Fisherman protesting against EU fishing quotas blockaded three Channel ports on the week of the British Open, almost singlehandedly stranding our foreign competitors in Europe! The International trot-up was due to take place on the Wednesday evening before the start of the show on the Thursday. All horses competing in International classes must attend the trot-up to be applicable to compete. However, a significant number of horses had not yet made it across from France and it was unclear whether they would make it at all. At the eleventh hour the remaining lorries got through the blockade and arrived on site on Thursday morning! A revised trot-up was organised and by a feat of logistics and hard work the late arrivals were able to compete in their afternoon classes! PHEW!

Spotted!

Footballer Paul Ince in the Shopping Pavilion!
Amy Guy and fellow Gladiator friends at the BSJA Ball
Katie Price in Hospitality
Myleene Klass in the Press Office

Lights, Camera, Action!

You never know who you’re going to bump into in the Shopping Pavilion, but you would be forgiven for not expecting to see Myleene Klass and the crew from 10 Years Younger! Channel 4 were on site at the NEC to film the age polls in our very own Shopping Pavilion.  Unsuspecting members of the public were put on the spot to guess the contestant’s age whilst browsing the trade stands. Floor Manager Ben Baseley was cornered and asked to give his answer too. Don’t you know never to ask a lady’s age Ben?! This episode of 10 Years Younger will be shown in the autumn so keep an eye out for your friends and family in the background!

Sleepy head

So what do you do if you have been in a horse box for the best part of 48 hours, you are in a foreign country and you are competing against some of the world’s best show jumpers in less than a few hours? Get some sleep? Well you might try but the British Open Press team are hard task masters and when we want someone’s photo for press purposes I am afraid we will not be deterred.  Cue the search. Riders are elusive creatures and try as you might to find them in the Rider’s Lounge or with their horses they are usually in some other undisclosed location. Hence in driving rain and wind, we found ourselves trudging the length of the lorry park looking for a rider. After knocking on several doors and stepping over several ramps we located the Belgian Vincent Lambrecht’s lorry.  There was a small pause before the door opened and then a very sleepy Vincent appeared, surprised to say the least, to see two strangers brandishing a camera and requesting a picture. We are not sure to this day whether he thought we were officials or stalking fans but he very obligingly put his boots on, rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stood in the rain for us to take his picture!

Testing Testing 123!

CBBC Competition winner Jess had her dream come true at this year’s show when she won the chance to join legendary commentator Mike Tucker in the Commentary box,  announcing her favourite rider Joe Whitaker as he entered the International arena for the BEF World Class Development Programme Pathfinder.  On show day, Jess had another treat in store by meeting Joe himself!  Joe met up with Jess  to wish her luck in her debut at commentating… and because Jess had won the CBBC  competition that had taken place earlier in the day  she was granted VIP access to the International stable block to help Joe get ready for his big class! What a day!
Prior to Jess’s big day CBBC and the team from Sportsround visited Joe and his brothers, Donald and Thomas at their family home in Yorkshire to see their training regime for the show in full swing! The tv crew were treated to watching the boys exercising and jumping their horses and interviewed Joe about his preparation for the show, his top horse and his thoughts about being the next hotly tipped Whitaker!  A very cold but good day was had by all and we’re sure these younger Whitakers are going to be just as popular with the media as their famous relatives!

A certain ‘je ne sais quoi’…

For those of you unfamiliar with this unique horseman, Jean François Pignon is to horses what the pied piper was to rats! Except glamorous, infinitely more enchanting and actually real!  Watching this man work with the horses in the arena was a sight to behold in itself.  You would think that with over 140 horses on site, stabled in a car park at the NEC, a stone’s throw from Birmingham International Airport, you would need to keep your horses under tight control. Not Jean Francois, his happy brood of horses stood when they were asked, moved when they were asked, walked with him and even had their feet washed without once being tied up or having a headcollar on! Everyday Jean François set off for the International Arena to perform his display, accompanied by five very relaxed, immaculately behaved horses ambling next to him for the five minute walk down to the arena entrance, without a headcollar or bridle in sight! Now that is something you don’t see every day…

Champion MIA:

When filming behind the scenes at the British Open, it is really important to interview key contenders for the Championship title and of course the reigning Champion, Robert Whitaker.  So Horse and Country TV patiently parked up outside Lacroix’s stable in the International block to seize the perfect  opportunity to interview Robert on Thursday morning. However, Robert was MIA somewhere on the enormous NEC site and not even his long term groom Russ had any idea as to his whereabouts! So like a seasoned media professional, Russ gave a lovely interview to the presenter discussing Robert’s horses and what it was like being a top groom at such a prestigious event.

Rest assured when H&C TV did eventually track Robert down later in the day he was taken hostage by the film crew and gave his thoughts and feelings on this year’s Championship!

‘All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances….’ 

Markus Fuchs is one of the greatest and most respected show jumpers of this generation and at the age of 54yrs is hanging up his spurs at the end of the year. The British Open was to be Markus’ last show in the UK and therefore the last opportunity to see this legend in action. Markus has an impressive CV by anyone’s standards; World Champion in 2001, representing Switzerland at every Olympic Games since 1988, ridden in 142 Nations Cups and competed in every European Championship since 1987.  Well we couldn’t just let him leave quietly out the back door! Markus has been one of the biggest supporters of the show since its conception so we felt it only right to mark the occasion with a beautiful framed print by Terry Kirkwood, presented to him in the International Arena in front of all his British fans.  Markus’ skill and knowledge of the sport will be greatly missed so we wish him all the best for his last year in competitive show jumping.

Both Glamour Girls go lame!

Luck was down in the Katie Price camp when Jordan’s Glamour Girl had to be withdrawn from the Dressage Pas de Deux due to a small injury. The lovely black mare was due to partner Andrew Gould and perform alongside Daniel Timson and Feinthyme in the Dressage to Music routine choreographed exclusively for the British Open.  At such a late stage, no replacement was found but Daniel Timson and Feinthyme stepped up to the challenge and pulled off a beautiful solo routine to the delight of the audience.

It was then poor Katie Price’s turn to be sidelined. Due to commence battle in the Celebrity Arena Polo Match against Gladiator Siren, Amy Guy.  Katie was forced to pull out after sustaining a knee injury whilst training for the London Marathon. Keen to show her support she cheered on her team, signed autographs and presented the prizes at the end.   Fingers crossed this equestrian duo recover tout de suite and continue to take the equestrian world by storm.

Check below to see when your favourite feature is to be shown or go directly to the Horse & Country website for full details and listings www.horseandcountry.tv

British Open Championship:

First Round                   Saturday 2nd May 09:00, 17:00
                                               Sunday 3rd May 01:00

Second Round              Saturday 2nd May 10:00, 18:00
                                                Sunday 3rd May 02:00

Third Round                  Saturday 2nd May 11:30, 19:30
                                                 Sunday 3rd May 03:30

FINAL                                 Saturday 2nd May 12:30, 20:30
                                                 Sunday 3rd May 04:30

Other show jumping classes:

The Puissance               Sunday 3rd May 20:00
                                                  Monday 4th May 04:00

The Accumulator       Sunday 3rd May 13:00, 21:00
                                                  Monday 4th May 05:00

British Speed Stakes  Monday 4th May 12:00, 20:00
                                                  Tuesday 5th May 04:00

Highlights                        Monday 4th May 13:00, 21:00
                                                 Tuesday 5th May 05:00

Watch the coverage on Sky Channel 280 or from the Horse & Country TV website.

23,000 visitors graced the LG Arena for the British Open to enjoy the fabulous jumping and exquisite equestrian entertainment including a spell binding display by Jean Francois Pignon. Grandstand Event Management, Managing Director, Helena Pettit commented,” It has been a really fabulous show. Visitor numbers are significantly up on last year’s event and the feedback from visitors, competitors and those involved has been extremely positive. We are also delighted with the Championship result and very pleased Robert has succeeded in breaking yet another British Open record.”

This year’s British Speed Stakes started in true style with strong line up of competitors. The triumphant winner was Laura Renwick on her super speedy mare Limelight de Breve. British leading lady Laura set the unbeatable time of 55.99 seconds early on in the competition. Swiss rider Marcus Fuchs finished second on Granie 5 in a time of 58.70. While Robert Smith and Columbia 11 competed the course in 59.27 to gain third place.

The PCA Futura Final saw Helen Tredwell and Naomi V gain their first win from the past four days. Six of the 18 riders in the class went through to the jump-off where Helen rode an impressive clear in the fastest time of 30.61 seconds. Mark Bunting and bay mare Arletter II finished second with a double clear and a time of 31.53 seconds. Mark was followed by Joe Clayton riding Saveur, in third, in a time of 33.77 seconds.

In other show competitions, Team KP Equestrian and The A Team drew in the Celebrity Arena Polo competition. Sadly Katie Price was unable to compete due to a recently sustained injury to her knee. However, she was ringside to cheer on her substitute, the British Open’s very own Marketing & PR Manger Jade de Vere-Drummond, and the rest of her team. Amy Guy, captain of the A Team, and Katie were both extremely happy with the result.

The British Open Celebrity Arena Polo competition had a dramatic turn shortly before today’s match. Due to a knee injury recently sustained, Katie Price was unable to compete in the Celebrity Arena Polo competition against Amy Guy, aka Siren of the Gladiators. At the tenth hour Katie had to be substituted by Organiser’s, Grandstand Event Management, very own Marketing & PR Manager, Jade de Vere-Drummond. Katie was still ringside to captain her team vocally with cheers of support and to present the awards to the teams that drew with six goals a piece.

For more information and full results visit www.britishopenshowjumping.com

Ellen Whitaker has been in superb form all week and tonight was no different. Taking the Accumulator title with a score of 65 points and an incredible time of 44.99secs Ellen, riding Kanselier, stormed into the lead. Kanselier is a notoriously consistent speed horse and watching them in action is always a pleasure.  Guy Williams was the next best Brit taking 3^rd place coming in just behind Dutch rider Leon Thijssen.  The Accumulator is always a great spectator’s class for the speed and the drama and the crowd were certainly not disappointed. 

In the www.myhorseclub.com Pony Club Home International Show Jumping Final the Welsh team continued their success by maintaining their leading score of eight faults from yesterday’s round one. The team made up of four Pony Club members, were delighted to be crowned the first ever www.myhorseclub.com Pony Club Home International Show Jumping champions. The Scottish team finished second with a total of 20 faults while Ireland and England finished joint 3^rd with a total of 28 faults. 

The brand new Working Hunter Grand Prix class proved to be popular this morning with a selection of the top working hunter horses battling it out for the title.  The crème de la crème came to the British Open to claim this new title and the judges were faced with a very tough task separating this class of competitors. Talk Talk with Tim Fairburn was crowned the winner with Keep Talking and Joli Smith taking Reserve.

In addition to the show jumping, Team Vinopolis was victorious in the British Open Arena Polo. Dean Lines, Mikey Henderson and Oscar Mathies secured victory over opposing team Zinc, comprising of Howard Smith, Philip Baker and Will Almond, 10 -7. It was a highly charged game with both teams really battling for the title. The team enjoyed rapturous applause from the thousands of spectators and provided great entertainment with lots of thrills and spills.   

Rounding off the evening entertainment was the British Open Indoor Cross Country competition, featuring top international event riders including Oliver Townend and Jeanette Brakewell. The fast and furious competition was won by 2006 champions Mark Kyle and Drunken Disorderly. Midway through the competition Mark set a very impressive time of 40.55 seconds. Oliver Townend and ODT Sona Rovatio weren’t quite quick enough to catch him and were placed a credible second in a time of 41.10 seconds. Gemma Tatterstall and Ollie Artois finished third and last year’s champion Georgie Spence followed in forth.

For more information and full results see the website.

A limited number of tickets are still available for Sunday’s Championship Final. Book online or call the Box Office on 0844 581 1301.

In the most important show jumping class of the day riders faced the second round of the British Open Show Jumping Championship. Only four riders went through to the jump-off and victory went to Roelof Bril from the Netherlands, riding Calover. Roelof took a risk at the last fence to make a fast time of 37.69 seconds. Second place went to Brit, Ellen Whitaker riding Ocolado who went clear in a time of 38.33 seconds, followed by another Whitaker success with reigning Champion Robert on Lacroix 9 who went clear in 39.28 seconds. With the top twenty riders going through to Sunday’s final, they will start to feel the pressure during tomorrow’s third round to ensure they make it through.  Robert currently holds the top spot on the leaderboard with 1.5 points, four points ahead of 2^nd place Roelof Bril. Only ½ point behind Roelof in joint third place lies 2005 and 2006 Champion Robert Smith together with French rider Kevin Staut.

The MyHorseClub.com Pony Club Home International Team show jumping was one of the new classes for the British Open this year and provided a real opportunity for selected Pony Club riders to compete at such a prestigious event.  Wales are the runaway leaders going into the final tomorrow. The team performed brilliantly with every rider going clear in round one, putting Wales in a very comfortable position for the Championship.  The England team has had an unfortunate start tying in 3^rd place with Northern Ireland on 28 points. Scotland managed to hold onto second place with a score of 20 points but Wales were a formidable force and finished on 4 points. Going into the championship tomorrow the other teams have some ground to make up, but with it all to ride for, it is sure to be a great competition with a dramatic finish. 

The Grandstand Classic resulted in another win for Great Britain with Laura Renwick and the fantastic Limelight de Breve.  This horse is a consistent campaigner for Laura having been carefully produced for international competition.  A clear round and super quick time put her just in front of Jean-Marc Nicolas putting the pressure on with his ride Ami Van’t Geyzeven a lovely gelding by Orlando.  There were seven clear rounds in this class, one of whom was William Whitaker finishing a credible 7^th.

In the BEF World Class Development Programme Championship, Ellen continued showing top form by winning the class on CS Online with a double clear in 40.30 seconds. This was an extra special win for Ellen as it was her last opportunity to win the Under 23 BEF Championship which she has been unfortunate not to claim in the past. Tim Gredley also rode a classic double clear in 42.78 seconds on Valente for second place. Third went to Lucy Guild on Titi D’Oase who was the only other rider to go clear in both rounds.

Finally, the highlight of Friday’s performance was the crowd favourite Puissance class. Three riders made it to the fifth round, Derek Morton, Ellen and then William Whitaker on two rides, to challenge the apposing 7foot 2 ½ inches wall. William went first riding Cyber Space and soared over with great style. Next was Ellen who was equally stylish in her execution of clearing the wall meaning her and William would tie 1^st. However, Derek was still in contention to join them. Sadly it wasn’t to be as his ride Teddy Bear slid a brick out from the wall. There was more drama to come as William entered with his second ride Leonardo. Together they masterfully jumped the wall clear making the final result a joint win for William, on both Cyber Space and Leonardo, and Ellen on Ladina B. The cousins were overjoyed with the result and the crowd celebrated with rapturous applause for the elated riders.

For more information and full results visit www.britishopenshowjumping.com

A limited number of tickets are still available for the weekend. Book online visit the British Open website or call the Box Office on 0844 581 1301.

The hotly contested BEF World Class Development Programme Pathfinder class got off to a cracking start today with Nicole Pavitt taking the spoils. Nicole is clearly on course for emulating her sister’s win here last year in the same class. Nicole will be lining up for tomorrow’s final against the best young British talent so her task will not be easy. Both Jemma Kirk and Joe Clayton rode double clears to take second and third respectively. Riding fast and fault-free is a skill and with three riders achieving double clears today the final is sure to be a dramatic end to this series.  Crowd favourite Ellen Whitaker rode a terrific round in the jump-off to finish on 33.83secs but was unlucky to pick up four faults leaving her in 4^th place. However, Ellen is never out of contention and will be back tomorrow to challenge for the title. Check the website tomorrow to find out who ends up taking the inaugural BEF World Class Development Programme Championship.

In the other International classes today, the Deltasec Challenge and Midland Masters proved to be the perfect warm up for the Championship class. Flying the flag for Britain in the Midland Masters was Robert Smith who won with an impressive time of 29.55 seconds. The British Open is always a good show for Robert and it looks like he is in the same great form this year.  British riders claimed the top four spots with cousins William and Ellen Whitaker finishing second and third respectively.

This year’s Deltasec Challenge also proved to be fantastic display of the world’s top riders. The first round proved challenging for most riders with only five out of the twenty five starters going through to the jump-off. Geoff Luckett produced an outstanding performance, with a foot perfect first round. Geoff had the crowds on the edge of their seats with his ride Brickfield Boy and a winning time of 29.32 as he just piped to the post French rider Jean-Marc Nicolas by 0.02 seconds. Great Britain had further success with William Funnel taking third place with a time of 33.52 and Ryan Prater closely following behind in fourth with a time of 33.82 seconds.

In the national classes, twenty-four of the countries’ best Amateur riders kicked of the show in the first class of the day. This class has been introduced to the 2009 British Open and offers amateur riders the chance to compete in an International Show environment. After eight qualifying rounds, held at major equestrian centres across the country, the competition was set to be fierce. Eighteen competitors made it through to the jump-off with Nicky Jennings riding her grey mare, Sky Classic, becoming the first ever British Open Amateur Champion in an impressive time of 32.41 seconds. Hannah Mousley riding bay stallion Temple Croesus followed closely behind in a time of 32.02 seconds and Matt Cartmell took third place in a time of 33.05 seconds riding bay gelding L’image.

The evening performance started with the BSJA Winter Premier Grand Prix.  Irish riders Anthony Condon and Shane Breen took the top two places, Anthony taking first place with a fantastic double clear in 40.12 seconds riding Cruising Mikey Finn, Shane following closely behind riding Mullaghdrin Gold Rain in a time of 40.46 seconds. Mark Bunting took third place riding Bay Mare Arlette II.

For more information and full results visit www.britishopenshowjumping.com A limited number of tickets are still available for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Book online or call the Box Office on 0844 581 1301.

Those planning to visit the event are advised to book at their earliest convenience. Limited tickets are also available for the rest of the week (Thursday 16^th, Saturday 18^th and Sunday 19^th), however certain price bands are not available and the NEC Box Office is receiving record interest.

This prestigious indoor equestrian event returns to the NEC, Birmingham from 16^th – 19^th April with a spectacular programme of events. World-class riders from Britain and abroad have been invited to compete in this unique Championship competition held over four days in April. Leading British rider and two times Champion, Robert Whitaker, will return to defend his title as the 2008 British Open Show Jumping Champion and compete in the top speed and jump-off classes on offer. The crowd favourite Puissance competition, featuring the legendary red wall, takes place during Friday’s performance. 

There is more to keep you entertained alongside the show jumping, including on Saturday evening the world’s top eventers will compete at Britain’s most prestigious indoor cross country event. Famous faces such as William Fox-Pitt and Zara Phillips have been invited to participate in this hugely popular discipline. On Sunday Katie Price will battle it out with Gladiator Amy Guy, aka Siren, in the British Open’s first Celebrity Arena Polo match. Comprising of two chukkas, the Polo match will give thousands of expected visitors an insight into the “moves” and “shots” the celebrities have learnt in preparation for the fierce competition.

Returning to headline the entertainment this year is the Metropolitan Police Activity Ride sponsored by Equimax Tabs, and back by popular demand, witness a totally unique and inspiring display of unsurpassed horsemanship by the world-famous Jean François Pignon and his magical white horses. But that’s not all……The British Open will also present a broad spectrum of equestrian entertainment such as the exhilarating Osborne Refrigerators Scurry Racing, high-speed Barrel Racing and a pas de deux to music Dressage display performed by the much acclaimed Andrew Gould and Daniel Timson.

NEW FOR 2009 

New Parelli Zone

A number of activities have been planned for the Parelli Zone including seminars and demonstrations on Natural Horsemanship and Parelli training methods.

New Shopping Pavilion

The Show layout has also been improved! Trade stands will now be located in the new, enlarged Shopping Pavilion which will be situated directly adjacent to the International Arena and the Parelli Zone. Selling everything from tack to tweeds under one roof, it’s the perfect place for all your equestrian needs.

New Classes

NATIONAL SHOW JUMPING – Amateur Championship

SHOWING – Working Hunter Grand Prix

PONY CLUB – Home International Team Show Jumping

Whichever day you choose to visit the British Open you are guaranteed a fantastic equestrian experience and remember, tickets for Thursday and Friday performances are valid all-day allowing you to soak up the atmosphere from morning to night. 

The British Open Show Jumping Championships takes place at the NEC, Birmingham from Thursday 16^th – Sunday 19^th April 2009. For tickets, call the Box Office on 0844 581 1301 or click here.