The organisers of Chatsworth International Horse Trials announced today, Thursday, 16th May, that the event, scheduled to take place between 17th May 2024 and 19th May 2024, has been cancelled.
The statement retrieved from the event website reads:
We are devastated to announce that due to the last 12 hours of heavy rain on site, under instruction from the BE and FEI officials we have been forced to cancel the 2024 Chatsworth International Horse Trials.
“We are sorry for the disappointment and inconvenience this will cause. Our team has worked incredibly hard to organise the event, however the decision has been taken to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our athletes, visitors and horses, which is our number one priority.
“All ticket holders will be contacted to process a full refund.”
There is no need to contact us.
The news comes just days after the successful conclusion of the 2024 Badminton Horse Trials, which welcomed sunny skies and soaring temperatures. Only two days ago the team at Chatsworth took to social media to express their excitement at welcoming competitors and spectators to the beautiful grounds of the Estate.
After an unusually wet start to the year, the grounds of many BE fixtures had started to dry out. However, the torrential rainfall experienced, particularly over the past 12 hours, has sadly made the conditions at Chatsworth unsuitable for competition. The safety of horses, riders, grooms, stall holders, stewards and all involved remains at the forefront when deciding to cancel an event, whether it be 1* or 5*.
Rosie Williams, CEO for British Eventing, said:
“We are so very sad for the team at Chatsworth. The work that has been done in the background to put this event on is extreme, and to have a huge downfall at this late stage is just unfair. We will work with them to recover from this disappointment.”
Sadly, Chatsworth International Horse Trials isn’t the only major equestrian event to be cancelled this year. In March, the eventing community received news on the cancellation of the Magic Millions Festival of Eventing, held at Gatcombe. However, this was not due to the weather but the economic climate that also faces the UK at present.
Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.