The 2026 London International Horse Show will host its first Indoor Arena Eventing class at London Excel in 2026.
The new competition, The London International Eventing Challenge, was announced on the Talk Horse podcast Pippa Funnell, who will serve as Ambassador for the class. The class will be the highlight of the Evening Performance on Friday 18 December 2026 and follow in the footsteps of similar indoor competitions that have run at CHI de Geneve, Sweden, Bordeaux and Stuttgart for several years.
Competitors will tackle a course at approximately 3* level featuring a mix of show jumps and specially designed cross-country obstacles that will run mainly in the International arena at London Excel but also through the tunnel into the warm-up arena.
The first three confirmed riders are three members of Great Britain’s World Championship gold medal winning team - Ros Canter, Tom McEwen and Gemma Stevens, who usually competes in the showjumping classes – and Pippa suggested that Laura Collett may also be taking part.
Dickie Waygood, Technical Director and Eventing Performance Manager for British Equestrian, and FEI Level 3 Eventing Course Designer Adrian Ditcham, are assisting in developing the competition ‘so that it that showcases the very best of the sport while remaining true to British Eventing principles and standards’.
“We are always looking for new ways to showcase the very best of equestrian sport to our audiences, and Arena Eventing is a fantastic addition to the programme” said Simon Brooks-Ward, Director of London International Horse Show “Bringing together the excitement of cross-country and showjumping in an indoor arena creates a truly engaging spectacle for spectators, whether they are long-time eventing fans or experiencing the discipline for the first time. We are delighted to be working with British Eventing and leading figures within the sport to make this happen.”
Further details, including rider announcements and competition format, will be revealed in the lead-up to the Show.
