Heading to Belsay Horse Trials next month (15-17 May 2026)? Sponsored by Barbour, here’s a run-down of the top horse and rider combinations you can expect to see competing.
Feature class – the Houghton Country CCI4*-S – has received more than 100 entries, with British Olympic gold medallists Laura Collett and London 52 making their first appearance at the event. Belsay forms a vital stepping stone to selection for the FEI World Eventing Championships in August, so competition is bound to be fierce. Alongside Collett, reigning world champions Yasmin Ingham and Banzai Du Loir and CCI5* winners Ros Canter and Izilot DHI and Caroline Harris with D Day are also in the running.
Said Collett: “I’m very excited about making my first visit to Belsay – I’ve heard so many good reports about it, and I have had lots of great experiences at other northern events with ‘Dan’ [London 52] such as Burgham and Scone Palace.
“He’s on great form and was squealing with excitement in all three phases at his last event. I’ve had to change my plan for the season a bit after injuring my collarbone in March, and actually it’s really nice for a horse of his age, who has pretty much been to the same events year after year, to be going to some new places.
“He’s just a dream – I get to appreciate him every day, but it’s so lovely to see other people appreciate seeing him, and I know that he will love the crowds at Belsay!”
Laura Collett
Last year’s Belsay CCI4*-S heroine Piggy March returns with her newest top-level partner, MCS Maverick. Others include Olympic individual silver and team gold medallist Tom McEwen, CCI5* winner and Olympian Gemma Stevens, New Zealand medallist and CCI5* champion Tim Price, Irish European medallist Aoife Clark and CCI5* runner-up Tom Jackson.
The Chaser Communications Advanced class is equally starry, with Olympic partnership Clarke Johnstone and Menlo Park, among the entries, as well as the likes of Bubby Upton and local five-star rider Katie Magee.
Many up-and-coming pairings are also welcomed in the Forsters CCI3*-S and N.I.S Ltd CCI2*-S, as well as the British Eventing national classes. Ones to watch will include Japanese Olympic riders Yoshiaki Oiwa, Ryuzo Kitajima and Toshiuyi Tanaka, China’s Alex Hua Tian, British Olympian Kitty King and a strong local contingent that includes Storm Straker, Emma Carmichael, Jack Mantel, Lucinda Atkinson and Holly Richardson.
Belsay organiser Laura de Wesselow said: “I’m thrilled that we’ve received such brilliant entries for Belsay – it really goes to show what a great success our inaugural CCI4* event in 2025 was, and once more proves that Belsay has become really popular with the very best riders in the world as well and our very supportive grassroots competitors.
“Belsay Horse Trials is a true celebration of the horse, and of all things Northumbrian. There is so much to watch and so much to do – for example, the Dachshund Derby, in aid of our supported charity, the British Eventing Support Trust, on Saturday evening, should be a real crowd-pleaser.”
The CCI4*-S, CCI3*-S and CCI2*-S classes are the first leg in the big-money Northumberland Challenge, supported by Belsay’s official hotel partner Matfen Hall, An Eventful Life and N.I.S Ltd, which unites the three Northumbrian international events (Belsay, Alnwick Ford and Burgham).
Belsay Horse Trials also features Dubarry Burghley Young Event Horse qualifiers, and a multitude of competition opportunities for local grassroots riders, including showjumping and arena eventing classes, BSPS showing and the ever-popular inter-hunt relay. There are outstanding shopping opportunities, delicious food and drink – including the new Northumbrian Larder – and lots of family-friendly activities on offer.
The cross-country action from Belsay Horse Trials can be watched live on Horse & Country TV’s livestreaming platform, H&C+.
Advanced booking prices, only available until 30 April, mean that entry costs from £12.50 for an adult and £8 for a child aged six-16 – children aged five and under are free – and season admission (Thursday, 14 May-Sunday, 17 May) costs £36 per adult and £22.50 per child aged six-16.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.belsayhorsetrials.co.uk.
