NEWS


RDAVIRTUAL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS OPEN TO ACCESSIBILITY MARK RIDERS


The 2021 VirtualRDA


National Championships will welcomeentries


from AccessibilityMark riders forthe firsttime


HORSEFEST CANCELLED FOR 2021


I


tiswith greatregret that the organisersof the exciting newevent HorseFestatWeston Park, July 23–25, have made the very


difficult decision to cancel the eventthis year due to the ongoing uncertaintiessurrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Co-foundersTheaRobertsand Heidi


Hunter-Cope have assured everyone the event will launch in 2022 with all plans in placefor this innovativenew festival. This decision has not been takenlightly


and reflects the fragile natureofthe roadmap and the considerable investment required forinfrastructureinthe run up to the event. Said Thea: “Weare all extremely saddened to have come to this decision however,without aguarantee of being able to run and being unable to insurefor COVID related cancellation, it means that it would be toogreat arisk forus to continue with our plans forthis year.” Continued Heidi: “The reaction to the


HorseFestconcept has been phenomenal –we arehumbled by the response and excitement people have expressed. Please rest assured, we are100% committed to delivering HorseFestin 2022. Datesare confirmed (22-24July 2022) and the planning starts now! Our brilliant headlinerswho were scheduled forthis year will be back next year to see everyone. “Wewant to take the time to thank


the delight of disabled ridersthatparticipate at accredited centresnationwide. The Riding forthe Disabled Association


T


(RDA), in partnership with the British Equestrian Federation (BEF), launched the revolutionary AccessibilityMark scheme to work with riding centreswith the aim of opening up moreopportunitiesfor disabled people to participateinriding. This year’schampionships will be held


virtually on Saturday, 26th andSunday27th September due to the on-going challenge of hosting an event during the pandemic. Previously only participantsfromRDA Groups


have been eligible to enter the charities flagship event which is not justabout the competition but is also achancetocelebrateachievement. Anumber of dressage classeswill be open


to AccessibilityMark riderswith aqualifying competition also being held virtually and the winners going through to the Virtual Championship Finals. With aslightly different feel to the normal


partyatmosphereatHartpury College when participantsand volunteerscome together, the virtual competition with twodaysof livestreaming offersriders, driversand


vaultersthe opportunitytostill compete. Foranyone that would liketoget involved


and their coaches, RDAhas produced aseries of videos about howtorecordyour entry which canbefound along with the schedule on the RDAwebsite. The closing datefor entriesfor the qualifying competition is June 30th and Friday, August27th forthe National Competition. AccessibilityMark status is awarded to a


riding centre that has been approvedbyRDA following training and assessment. The close link with the RDAmeans that theyoffer continuous support to the establishment to ensurethey provide youwith a firstclassserviceand an experiencethataims to be hugely beneficial. Thereare currently 51 AccessibilityMark


approvedcentres acrossthe country. To find out moreabout entering the RDAVirtual National Championships contactyour AccessibilityMark Centre directly or to find your nearest RDA Group or AccessibilityMark centre visit www.rda.org.uk/rda-groups/


he 2021 RDANational Championships will welcome entriesfromAccessibility Mark ridersfor the firsttime,much to


everybody who has supported us so far, including our much-valued sponsors, and in particular the wonderfulJohn Oates Horseboxes, our presenting partner.We knoweventsare an integral part of business promotion and awareness,and we will put on the very best event we cannextyear. We thank youfor your understanding this year. “And to our ridersand experts–weknow


youare all chomping at the bit to get out and about, provide demonstrations and talks, as well as compete, and we cannot wait to see you!” We would liketoencourage anybody who


has purchased ticketsoraccommodation for this year’sevent to roll them overand come partywith us in 2022. Foranyone who would prefer arefund, this canbearranged by logging ontotheir TicketSellersaccount (details areon the email sent to ticket holders).Those who have wontickets-these will transfer to next year’sHorseFestautomatically. Said Thea: “Weare both extremely


passionateabout the festival and the HorseFestcommunityand have exciting plans to expand our digital offering, bringing our experts, eliteridersand greatquality information to horse-loversthrough our membership communityHorseTribe.Wewant to bring the horse communitytogether and we still need abig partywhenwecan all reconnect in person next year!” Forfurther information please contact Heidi or Theaon01743642500 or hello@horsefest.org


Please mention CentralHorseNewswhenresponding toAdvertisementsJUNE/JULY2021


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