Winners at British Eventing International Youth Championships crowned champions at Bishop Burton College

The International Youth Championships, which were hosted by Bishop Burton College and run by British Eventing, saw talented young athletes compete in dressage, cross country and showjumping classes at CCI2*-L and BE100 level.

The event kick-started on Wednesday 26 July with a stunning Opening Ceremony, held in the world-class Bishop Burton Arena. Following an exciting procession of the competitors and a warm welcome from Bishop Burton Deputy Principal and Deputy CEO Kirsti Lord, the assembled audience was treated to a performance from liberty and classical dressage rider Mia Rodley.

A seasoned performer and with her own horse training and teaching business, The Heart of Horsemanship, Mia stunned the crowd with a breath-taking liberty display and bridleless Roman riding in a team. She said ‘It was an honour to be asked to perform for these talented young riders. The atmosphere in the arena was amazing and it was a real privilege to be included in such a fantastic event.”

The competition itself ran from Thursday 27 until Sunday 30 July, with eight teams battling it out for individual honours and the highly coveted team honours for their region.

Entrants competed on courses designed by Joe Weller, British Eventing Gold Course Builder and a BE Gold Course Designer. Joe has been a member of the XC build team for Burghley CIC5* since 2005 and was part of the XC repair team for the Eventing competition at the 2012 London Olympics. The ground was good going across the undulating Bishop Burton parkland, making for an exciting ride in the cross-country competition.

Winners of the various classes were presented with prizes supplied by event headline sponsors and the college on the final day; with the South East regional team clinching the sought-after overall team honours.

The BE100 Youth Championship Open under 18s Championship individual honours was won by Millie Plumb. In the Novice Youth CCI2*-L Championship, individual honours went to Anna Price.

Ann Paling, Assistant Principal at Bishop Burton College who presented the winners with their prizes, said, “It has been a joy to host the International Youth Championships for the third year. The atmosphere has been amazing and the standard of riding exemplary. It has been a true privilege to see these future stars of the equine world competing at the college and enjoying our fantastic facilities.”

Main event sponsors were Bedmax, NFU Mutual Hedon and Beverley and Visit East Yorkshire; with additional support from fence sponsors AJW Equestrian, My Eventful Life, Lindum, NFU Mutual Beverley and Holderness and Yorkshire and Humber Institute of Technology.

In addition to the exciting competition, hosts Bishop Burton College also provided competitors, friends and family and spectators with the opportunity to explore and enjoy the world-class facilities with activities including a dissection of an equine leg in the laboratories, tours of the Animal Management Centre and a demonstration of the college’s equine water treadmill.

Catherine Sykes, Event Organiser at Bishop Burton said “As always it’s been an absolute delight to host the International Youth Championships. We have seen outstanding sportsmanship and riding from all the competitors, making it a really fantastic competition. On behalf of the college, I’d like to thank everyone who has supported the Championships. All of the amazing sponsors, officials, volunteers and trade stand holders for helping to make this prestigious event such a fantastic experience for young up and coming riders.

Further horse trials are planned for October 2023 and May 2024 at Bishop Burton, in addition to Lincolnshire Horse Trials in March 2024. For further information on any of the events please call 01964 553087 or email equine@bishopburton.ac.uk.

International Youth Championships Champions 2023

BE100 Open under 18 Championship

Individual honours
1. Millie Plumb (rider) and Curolea Mika (horse) (29.5) – Eastern
2. Florence Drewitt (rider) and Crossgales into the Blu (horse) (30.6) – South East
3. Araminta Spencer-Churchill (rider) and Neds Legacy (horse) (31.5) – Central

Novice Youth CCI2*-L Championship

Individual honours

1. Anna Price (rider) and Keep Happy (horse) (26.1) – Eastern

2. Ivy Fisher (rider) and Global Promise (horse) (27.3) – Eastern

3. George Vergerson-Rowley (rider) and Poppys Law (horse) (31.9) – East Midlands