Riders from across the world will compete at inaugural horse trials event near Banbury this weekend

It will not be open to spectators but the showjumping and cross-country phases of all classes will be live-streamed for free
Event president David Howden.Event president David Howden.
Event president David Howden.

Riders from 19 different nations will compete at the inaugural Cornbury House Horse Trials this weekend (September 11-13).

Set in the stunning surroundings of Cornbury Park in Oxfordshire with the ancient Wychwood Forest as a backdrop, organisers say that this new horse trials has received a particularly large number of very high quality entries.

British stars such as Zara Tindall, William Fox-Pitt and Laura Collett will face competition from the likes of Australian Olympic gold medallist Andrew Hoy, Chinese Olympian Alex Hua Tian and the brilliant New Zealand husband-and-wife team Tim and Jonelle Price - and riders from countries such as Sweden, South Africa, the USA and Hong Kong.

Cornbury House.Cornbury House.
Cornbury House.

In a year when Covid-19 has seriously affected prize-money levels in all sports, Cornbury House will hand out £2,500 to the winner of the feature CCI3*-S class and £1,250 for the winner of the CCI2*-S class.

Event president David Howden said: “Launching a brand-new horse trials in 2020 has been an extraordinary and complicated process, but we have always been utterly determined that we should not compromise our vision of a truly top-class event.

"We have invested considerably in producing the very best conditions for horses, riders and owners, and believe that they should be properly rewarded for winning what are going to be extremely competitive classes.”

In accordance with government regulations, Cornbury House Horse Trials is not open to spectators in 2020, but the showjumping and cross-country phases of all classes will be live-streamed for free on the event website (www.cornburyhousehorsetrials.co.uk) and on its Facebook page, www.facebook.com/cornburyhouseht, alongside interviews with riders and other key figures, and exclusive behind-the-scenes footage.

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