Date: 11 July 2008
Release: Immediate
Nations come together for
the prestigious BHS TREC
Championships of Great
Britain
The BHS TREC Championships of Great Britain will be held on 15-17 August at Bakewell Showground.
This area of Derbyshire is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Britain, situated in the centre of the Peak District National Park.
There will be plenty of nail-biting action for spectators to enjoy, especially as the event will be used as the final selection trial for riders hoping to represent Great Britain in the World TREC Championships in France in September.
Last year’s Level 4 Champion, Anna Weston said: "The British Championships are the pinnacle of the domestic BHS TREC calendar and I spend the season preparing myself and my horse both in terms of fitness and ability with the aim to achieve our optimum performance at this competition.
“I first set winning the title of British Champion as a goal fours years ago when I moved up to the top level of the competition and I feel immense pride in holding the ultimate domestic title."
The sport of BHS TREC was brought to the UK by The British Horse Society in 1998. The discipline developed from the skills needed for trail riding and is designed to tests riders’ navigation skills, control of their horse’s paces and the ability to tackle a variety of obstacles.
The event will get underway on Friday 15 August with vetting of the horses and ponies, course walking, rider briefings and the Opening Ceremony and Parade of Riders at 7pm in the main ring.
Saturday 16 August will see an early start for the POR (orienteering) phase which will be both challenging and exciting, set amid striking views of green hills, valleys, dales and woods.
The Showground is positioned beside the River Wye and is only five minutes walk from Bakewell town centre. Spectator entry is free with Sunday the recommended day to visit as it features the riding skills phases of Control of Paces and PTV, which provide great viewing.
The event features competition at Levels 2, 3 and 4 and offers classes for Individuals and Pairs as well as a Team Challenge and the annual Nations Cup contest when teams from England, Scotland and Wales go head-to-head.
The event is kindly supported by The Worshipful Company of Saddlers, Performance Equestrian, Argyll Trail Riding, Silva Map and Compass Courses, Ravenseye Gallery, I-Quip, NAF and The Pony Riders Association.
Schedules and more information are available on-line in the Competitions/Events section of www.bhs.org.uk or call the BHS Competitions Department on 01926 707831.
For further information and pictures, please contact: BHS Competitions, The British Horse Society, 01926 707831 or f.thurnell@bhs.org.uk
Attached picture courtesy of Patrick Stubbs, www.naturalexpressions.co.uk
NOTES TO EDITORS:
1. The sport of BHS TREC (Techniques de Randonnee Equestre de Competition) was brought to the UK by The British Horse Society in 1998.
2. TREC originates in France and was developed nearly 30 years ago as a way to train and assess the competence and ability of professional horse riding guides.
3. The British Horse Society is the governing body for the sport in the UK.
