Pony Club Champs abandoned

The 2019 Pony Club Championships will not take place because heavy rain has made it impossible for competitors to get on and off the showground.

The champs were set to run from Friday to Tuesday (16-20 August) at Cholmondeley Castle, Cheshire, but due to recent wet weatherand more heavy rain forecast for the next few days, the organising team has made the difficult decision to abandon the event.

Over 3,000 horses and ponies and around 10,000 people were expected to be moving on and off the site to compete on the already waterlogged ground, with some travelling from as far afield as Scotland and Northern Ireland. Riders were due to take part in showjumping, dressage, eventing, polocrosse, mounted games and a musical ride.

“It has been an incredibly tough and upsetting decision to make and we are so grateful for everyone’s understanding and support,” said Marcus Capel, the Event Director and acting Pony Club Chief Executive. “Everyone involved has worked tirelessly to try to find a solution, but the unprecedented British weather has beaten us.

“We are working desperately hard to mitigate our costs, so that we may be in a position to offer some form of refund. Please bear with us while we negotiate with our suppliers, as so much infrastructure is already in place.”