British Open Show Jumping

The Championship's Main Event!

British Open Show Jumping Championship Competition

The world’s leading International show jumpers, including reigning Champion Robert Whitaker will be invited to compete for the richest single class in British indoor show jumping and for the esteemed title of British Open Champion 2009.

The British Open is a unique format with a Championship class each and every day including Saturday afternoon’s thrilling Championship class after which a ‘cut’ will be made where only the top twenty riders will go through to contest the British Open Final on Sunday afternoon.

Show Jumping

A wide range of exciting international and national show jumping classes will be held in addition to the British Open Championship over the four days including:

International Classes:	National Classes:
Puissance Accumulator British Speed Stakes	World Class Development Programme Young Riders Championship NEW Amateur Championship BSJA Winter Premier Grand Prix Championship NEW Home International Pony Club Team Show Jumping

Plus many more!

The total prize fund at the event extends to over £150,000

2008 British Riders

• John Whitaker MBE
• Michael Whitaker
• Nick Skelton
• Robert Whitaker
• Tim Stockdale
• Ellen Whitaker
• William Whitaker
• Robert Smith
• William Funnell
• David McPherson

In addition to the top ten riders, two other British riders will have won the opportunity to qualify for this year’s British Open by coming 1st and 2nd at the Addington Classic. These two 'Wildcard Riders' will be announced after the Addington Classic 2009.

Format for the Championship Competition

The top ten ranked British Riders as at 31st December 2008 and a number of additional International riders are invited to compete in The British Open Championship which consists of three initial championship classes, (‘First Competition’, ‘Second Competition’ and ‘Third Competition’) and the British Open Championship ‘Final’.

Riders are only allowed to ride one horse in each of the championship competitions, although they may select to ride the same or a different horse in each of the three different types of competition.

Riders are then awarded penalties according to their final placing in each of these three competitions (the highest placed riders incurring the least penalties) in order to achieve an accumulated score by the end of the third competition on Saturday afternoon. The top twenty riders according to their accumulated penalties (i.e. those twenty with the least penalties) become eligible to compete in the Final of the Championship on Sunday afternoon.

At the end of the first round in the ‘Final’, those eight riders with the least accumulated penalties/faults go forward to the final jump-off against the clock.

In the jump-off, each of the eight riders again add any faults incurred in this round to their accumulated penalties to give them a final score. The rider with the least penalties at the completion of this jump-off will be crowned the 2009 British Open Champion winning a £25,000 share of a prize fund in excess of £150,000. In the case of two riders tying for any position, the rider with the fastest time in the jump-off will be awarded the higher place.