After months of preparation and qualifying at BE events across the country, some of the best grassroots riders gathered at the stunning Staffordshire venue of Chillington Hall to contest the Aspen Cooling BE80 Championship. Making the most of the beautiful setting, the Plant A Fence team pulled out all the stops to give the event a truly championship feel, with immaculately dressed fences, expertly designed courses, and foot-perfect going that delivered an exceptional experience for both horse and rider.
A 21-dressage score and two flawless jumping rounds secured victory for Hannah Taylor and Maureen Aspinall’s seven-year-old gelding Crixus HSH who were crowned Aspen Cooling BE80 Champions. Hannah completed her dressage test on Saturday morning before pulling out all the stops to produce a superb double clear that saw her rise to the top of the leaderboard and take home the title.
“He went great from start to finish and I’m really pleased with him. He did a really great test for me this morning – it’s a phase we’ve been working on, so it was great to see that reflected in our scores. The course was great – built really well and definitely some questions which took some strong riding. He’s only young – he did his first event a year ago so had never seen anything like that before, but he coped really well. It’s been a really great show with a brilliant prize giving. It’s a real team effort as his owner Maureen rides him as well and it was lovely that she was here to share the experience with me.”
Second and third places were closely contested, with overnight dressage leader Caroline Bridge and Trinity O Really finishing on their dressage score of 22 to sit in runner-up sport, and Susan Bill and Unnamed taking third with a strong double clear to finish on 26.4.
British Eventing extends its thanks to all competitors for their enthusiasm and dedication, which helped make the Aspen Cooling BE80 Championship a truly memorable event. Sincere thanks also go to Chillington Hall and the Plant A Fence Event team, whose hard work and attention to detail created a high-quality championship experience for all.
British Eventing CEO Rosie Williams commented: “We’re thrilled to see such a fantastic weekend of sport at Chillington Hall, and I’d like to extend my warmest congratulations to our newly crowned Aspen Cooling BE80 Champion. This championship is about so much more than winning — it’s a celebration of dedication, progress, and the incredible community that underpins grassroots eventing. The BE80 Championships give riders a real sense of occasion and something to aim for, and it’s always inspiring to see so many combinations giving it their all. My sincere thanks go to Aspen Cooling for their generous support, the team at Plant A Fence Events for hosting such a brilliant event, and to everyone who helped make this such a memorable and successful event.”
The event would not have been possible without the generous support of air conditioning and refrigeration experts, and long-term eventing supporters, Aspen Cooling Ltd, who are sponsoring the championship for the first time this year. Their commitment has enabled us to add a range of new features and exciting enhancements to the course and wider experience for riders, including trophies for the top six placed riders.
Steve Morton, CEO of Aspen Cooling Ltd, said:
“We’d like to extend our warmest congratulations to the winner of the Aspen Cooling BE80 Championship at Chillington Hall – a fantastic achievement and a brilliant showcase of talent at grassroots level. Supporting events like this is incredibly important to us, as they form the backbone of British Eventing and provide vital opportunities for riders to progress and enjoy the sport at every stage. We’re proud to sponsor not only this championship, but also several events throughout the season. It means a great deal to be part of something that helps nurture future talent and celebrates the spirit of eventing. A huge thank you to Chillington Hall for hosting such a superb event – we’re already looking forward to supporting the championship again next year.”
To ensure a full championship feel, winners were treated to some fabulous prizes kindly supported by Bates Saddles and Zebra Products for the top 10 riders. There was also a whopping £1,600 prize fund, as well as trophies for the top six riders and rosettes for the top 15, kindly provided by title sponsor Aspen Cooling Ltd.
Prizes included:
- 1st: £400 & trophy and Burghley Membership for two.
- 2nd: £300 & trophy
- 3rd: £250 & trophy
- 4th: £200
- 5th: £150
- 6th: £100
- 7th: £80
- 8th: £70
- 9th: £60
- 10th onwards: £50
