FEI WBFSH World Championships For Young Dressage Horses Cancelled

Due to Covid-19 the decision has been made to cancel the FEI WBFSH World Championships For Young Dressage Horses.

The Championships should have taken place in the equestrian town of Verden, Germany from December 9^th to 13^th 2020. 

The best five, six and seven-year-old horses from 23 nations, including four combinations representing Australia, were due to take part in the Championship event next month.

“A few weeks ago, the event procedures for the FEI WBFSH Dressage World Breeding Championships for Young Horses were supplemented by the FEI and the Organising Committee with additional measures to further contain the risks of the coronavirus. After several meetings between the FEI, the WBFSH and the Organising Committee, and despite the organisational adjustments that had been made, the regrettable decision was made that the best and only option in view of the pandemic is to cancel the event. We are sad that this championship, which is one of the highlights of the year, will not take place, but we understand and fully support this decision," explains Jan Pedersen, President of the World Breeding Federation of Sport Horses (WBFSH). 

Together with the associations involved, the German Equestrian Association (FN), the World Equestrian Federation FEI and the WBFSH, an intensive search was made for solutions, but in the end everyone agreed that a cancellation is inevitable. "I feel sorry for everyone who put a lot of work into the planning and organisation, and especially for the riders and owners of the horses who have qualified", says tournament director Wilken Treu, managing director of the Hanoverian Association.

“We very much regret that this championship has to be canceled. The organisers have made every effort to hold the event safely and without an audience. But the travel restrictions do not allow any other solution, "said FEI Dressage Director Bettina De Rham and added.

"We know how disappointed the dressage and breeding community will be with this news, especially when the horses are now seven years old in 2021 will no longer be there for reasons of age. But we must continue to attach the greatest importance to ensuring the health and safety of all involved. We will continue to support Verden as the host of these great championships and thank the organizing committee for all its efforts. We hope that we will see the disappointment by returning to Verden for a wonderful World Cup in the future ".