The indoor cross country proved so popular at last year’s British Open that the organiser, Grandstand Event Management, has announced that the 2008 Championships will host an additional Indoor Cross Country competition. This modern discipline will now feature the Championship on the Friday Evening (4th April) and a Power and Speed team competition on the Saturday Afternoon (5th April)
For Friday’s Championship, Britain’s top equestrian course designer, Bob Ellis, and Eventing guru Mike Tucker will create the course of approximately 18 show jumps/ cross country fences – some of which will be jumped in both directions. The show jumps will be set at near maximum height allowed in eventing and will form the first phase of the course. The riders will be against the clock requiring them to ride with skill, speed and courage. Two seconds will be added for every show jump knocked down meaning any fences down will require the riders to up their pace over the cross country fences.
Saturday’s Power and Speed Indoor Cross Country competition will pair top show jumpers and eventers to work together against the clock to complete the fastest clear over cross country fences and show jumps. In teams of two, the eventers and show jumpers will tackle a series of jumps in their designated section of the course. The event is tipped to be a crowd favourite as each team battles for the title in this unique class.
The British Open Indoor Cross Country welcomes some of the most famous names in the world of eventing such as last year’s winner Raf Kooremans, world number three Clayton Fredericks and World Champion Zara Phillips MBE (who also holds the accolade of Horse of the Year Show Equestrian of the Year 2006 and BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2006) will each tackle the specially made cross country fences designed by David Evans and Richard Taylor, the duo behind the construction of the fences for the Beijing Olympics.
The exhilarating event was launched to great acclaim at the 2006 British Open Show Jumping Championships and has continued each year to give visitors the only opportunity in the UK to witness top-level indoor cross country alongside world-class show jumping and thrilling equestrian entertainment.