"The Pony classes at Osberton have been very lucky for me" says Florence Drewitt, who won the CCI2*-L Pony class at Osberton in October 2025 on board Battlestown Delight, following on from her win the CCI2*-S Pony class at Osberton in May riding Crossgales Into The Blue.
Florence and her Osberton-winning ponies have competed at two FEI Pony European Championships, a dream goal for many budding pony riders, and now a new class is being introduced at Osberton to help those just starting out in international pony eventing.
The UK’s first CCI1*, dedicated to pony riders, will be taking place at Osberton (1) Horse Trials 2026.
With the support of Project Pony, the new CCIP1* will take place on Saturday 23rd May, with all three phases being completed on the one day, reducing the need for time away from school.
The introduction of the new one-star class aims to support up and coming young riders who want to progress to international competition but are not yet qualified for the existing CCIP2* classes.
MERs will mirror that of a standard CCI1*, which includes the requirement for a BE105, with an additional requirement that ponies must have obtained an FEI Measuring Certificate prior to competing. These can be secured via an official FEI Measuring Session, the next of which is held on the 17th March at the British Showjumping National Training Centre.
Speaking of the new addition, BEDE Events Director Stuart Buntine says that “Developing new initiatives that support the future of our sport is at the heart of what BEDE Events is about. With thanks to the incredible support we, and the pony riders, receive from Project Pony, we’re delighted to be able to add this new class to the Osberton (1) schedule.
We really hope that this addition will support a wider group of young pony riders who want to follow in the footsteps of some of their eventing heroes and compete on the international stage. The new CCIP1* will give them the experience of international competition, without the pressure of stepping up to the CCIP2* level.”
Osberton (1) runs from the 22nd to 24th May with full complement of National and International classes from BE90 to CCI3*S.
Project Pony also take the title sponsorship to the CCIP2*-L held during the Autumn Osberton fixture. This will run as per the 2025 fixture, with competition starting after lunch on Friday, and running through to Sunday.
