British Eventing (BE) has released its 2020 fixtures list, with new events, and some losses, plus welcoming CCI1*-S events next year.
The CCI1*-S level was rolled out this year to encourage developing eventing nations to get their riders on the international pathway. The old one-star level has stepped up to two-star, the new one-star is effectively a BE100 (US Training level) international.
Three competitions will be trialled at this new level from 2020-2022.
The first will take place at Brand Hall in Staffordshire (May 30-31 ), the second at Chilham Castle in Kent (July 25-26 ), and the third and final one will be at Blair Castle International in Scotland (Augusr27-30). This will give one-star debutants the chance to rub shoulders with fellow international competitors through the CCI4*-L level.

Sussex event rider Gemma Tattersall and Chico Bella Haras competing at Burghley Photo courtesy of British Eventing
“Led by the BE Board, the BE Fixtures Team were tasked with developing a framework for this pilot,” explained BE on its website.
“From this framework, the venues have been carefully selected based on various factors, including location, the current event set up, infrastructure and organisers with experience of presenting International competition. The class will run at these selected venues as a pilot from 2020 for three years to provide an opportunity to trial the popularity, viability and value to the BE membership.”
The 2020 fixtures list also sees the addition of three new or returning venues: Cirencester Park returns to the calendar after 47 years, replacing the spring fixture previously held at Gatcombe, and will offer classes from Novice-Advanced on March 21-22.
Thoresby Park in Nottinghamshire makes its BE and FEI debut, filling the hole left by the loss of Belton, and will run classes from Novice-Advanced as well as CCI2*-S, CCI3*-S, and CCI4*-S sections on March 27-29.
Finally, Cornbury Park in Oxfordshire makes a welcome return, running Novice and Intermediate sections alongside a CCI2*-S and a CCI3*-S on September 11-13.
There are other changes afoot, too, particularly to championship and regional final classes. Perhaps the biggest is that the British Open Championship, held at the Magic Millions Festival of British Eventing (August 8-9), will no longer run as a CCI4*-S. Instead, it will run as a national Advanced class, meaning that the prestigious summer fixture will now no longer host any international classes.
The structure of the four-year-old championship at the Osberton International Horse Trials and Young Horse Championships (October 8-11) has been slightly revised, too. Instead of relying on specific qualifiers, the class – now rebranded as a ‘Showcase’ – will require horses to contest regular BE80(T) and /or BE90 classes in the latter part of the year. Full qualification details will be revealed soon.
2019’s BE80(T) championship, which was unfortunately abandoned, will be rescheduled for April 4 at Norton Disney (1), while the 2020 edition will be held for the first time at its new home at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials