The Northumberland Challenge, which unites the three international horse trials in Northumberland - Belsay, Alnwick Ford and Burgham - is being relaunched for 2026.
To be eligible to win the prize-pot, athletes must enter the same class at each event, but can ride a different horse each time.
For the first time, the big-money series will operate across CCI4*-S level, and any rider who can win the CCI4*-S classes at Belsay (15-17 May) and Burgham (30 July-2 August) will claim a £5,000 bonus. This is being sponsored by one of Northumberland’s finest five-star hotels, Matfen Hall - also Belsay’s official hotel partner.
Leading British rider Piggy March achieved the Belsay-Burgham CCI4*-S double in 2025 on Jayne McGivern’s irrepressible grey stallion Halo - will she pull it off again this year?
This year the popular eventing news platform and cross-country filming company An Eventful Life are supporting the CCI3*-S part of the Northumberland Challenge, and any rider who wins all three of the CCI3*-S classes at Belsay, Alnwick Ford (26-28 June) and Burgham will receive a £5,000 bonus.
And engineering and manufacturing company N.I.S Ltd - long-term supporters of this innovative series - are sponsoring the CCI2*-S Northumberland Challenge. Any rider who wins all three of the CCI2*-S classes at Belsay, Alnwick Ford and Burgham will take home a £4,000 bonus.
Belsay’s Event Director Laura de Wesselow said: “We are delighted to be able to keep evolving the Northumberland Challenge, which showcases the superb international events of our county, and encourages riders and owners to travel from all over the country to compete in these magnificent settings and rewards them for their endeavours.
“We are very grateful for the generous support of Matfen Hall, An Eventful Life and N.I.S Ltd, and can’t wait for the hot competition that the Northumberland Challenge will certainly instigate to unfold.”.
For more information and to purchase tickets for Belsay Horse Trials (15-17 May), visit www.belsayhorsetrials.co.uk
For more information on Alnwick Ford (26-28 June), visit www.alnwickfordequestrian.co.uk
For more information and to buy tickets for Burgham (28 July-2 August), visit www.burghaminternationalhorsetrials.co.uk
