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Celebrating 25 years of Petplan Area Festivals
Petplan has been supporting the Area Festivals for 25 years - Petplan is delighted to confirm its ongoing sponsorship of the Petplan Area Festivals. For over 25 years Petplan has joined forces with British Dressage to provide riders of all levels the opportunity to experience the thrill of taking part in prestigious championship style dressage shows. High profile, yet relaxed and friendly; they are the perfect introduction to the excitement of competing for you and your horse.
The Petplan Area Festivals structure now consists of a summer and winter series for Bronze and Silver combinations, meaning all year-round competition. Qualification for the summer series begins in January and runs through until June. The Area Festivals then take place in July and August. For the winter series, qualification begins in July and runs through until December with the Area Festivals taking place in January and February the following year. Both series will conclude with a Championships. Take a look below to find out all you need to know about this exciting new format!
Membership and Registration
At Preliminary Bronze level, riders can qualify for an Area Festival with a Club membership and a Club horse registration. You can use sheets from any Preliminary Bronze class towards qualification.
If you qualify for a championship within the Summer or Winter Area Festivals, you and your horse will need to upgrade to a Full membership with British Dressage in order to take part. Click here to find out more about British Dressage membership types.
For Prelim Silver and Novice level and above both you and your horse need to be fully registered to gain your scores to qualify.
How to Qualify
Qualification for the Area Festivals is achieved through a percentage based method. To qualify, you must achieve the required number of scores within the qualification period. Scores can be gained at regular British Dressage shows at your local venues.
You can qualify for and ride in multiple Area Festivals, however this does require multiple sets of qualifying scores.
Take a look at the table below to find out what you need to qualify:
Area Festival Scores
| Level | Qualification |
|---|---|
| Prelim to Advanced Medium | Three scores at 63% or above (scores to be from one section) |
| Prix St Georges and Inter I | Two scores at 60% or above (scores to be from one section) |
Freestyle Scores
| Level | Qualification |
|---|---|
| Prelim to Advanced Medium | Two scores at 63% or above (scores to be from one section) |
| Prix St George and Inter I | Two scores at 60% or above (scores to be from one section) |
Championship Qualification
From July 1 2023, combinations may only compete in a maximum of two Area Festivals per season for each level and section. For example, if qualification is achieved for Novice Silver and Novice Music, competitors may compete at two Area Festivals for each.
Freestyle to Music
The introduction of Freestyle classes to the Petplan Equine Area Festivals in 2021 has opened up a brilliant new way to participate. The summer series of Area Festivals in July and August now host Freestyle classes from Preliminary to Intermediate I, concluding in the new dedicated Area Festival Summer Championships at Arena UK in October.
Qualification for the Freestyle Area Festival classes will require two scores of 63% or above for Prelim to Advanced Medium and two scores of 60% or above at PSG and Intermediate.
To reach the Championship, combinations will need to be placed in the top two and wildcards will be awarded as necessary.
For more information on Freestyle dressage and how to get started click here.
Why not give it a go? Find a venue local to you here.
Keep up to date with the festival fever on the Petplan Equine Area Festivals Facebook page.
