British Eventing at Blackwater Farm

We run two long running ( 30 years) British Eventing Great Witchingham Horse Trials at Blackwater Farm every season in March and June.

Very sadly we lost both 2020 Horse Trials to the Covid 19 pandemic restrictions in force on our dates but we look forwards to welcoming competitors back in 2021 (subject to the Covid restrictions.)

Great Witchingham offers an accessible layout with good warm areas for dressage, show jumping and XC, permanent established grassland, and educational well build cross county courses in a beautiful setting in the Wensum Valley. Further XC descriptions are in the event details below and full class details, schedules and entries links can be found on the British Eventing website.

The Spring Cross Country courses offer encouraging, flowing, galloping, weather robust, cross country courses. Great Witchingham’s courses offer a good selection of well-built fences, with alternatives aimed at first time novice and BE 100 combinations. Runs over gently undulating permanent pasture and grassland and incorporates three copses and natural water obstacles. The ground is generally light or black peat. Take offs and landings of cross country fences are prepared. The Intermediate course is separate, educational, up to height, with two natural water complexes, there are alternatives for the more difficult fences. Owner-friendly layout with excellent viewing.

Great Witchingham (2) our summer Horse Trials has XC courses that are very different from the spring event, with 70 per cent of the courses on river meadows to give naturally good going in a dry summer. The remainder of the courses and the show jumping arena and parts of the cross country will be watered if necessary by our experienced team. The courses offer a good selection of well-built fences for Novice and BE100 combinations, with two water crossings and alternatives where necessary. The Intermediate course is separate and up to height, with three natural water complexes. In the event of a wet summer we can revert to using a variation of the Spring XC courses which ensures we are weather proofed whatever the summer does.

Spectators are very welcome at or events ( when the Covid eventing rules permit sport to come out from behind closed doors) and entry is free for BE members with their badges, or £ 10 for a car full to include a programme and £ 5 for a sole occupant. There are great caterers and trade stands as well as an exciting days competition to watch. Well behaved dogs on leads are welcome, please just poop scoop after them. If you have disabilities please get in touch so we can do our best to ensure we meet your needs.

If you would like to see Eventing from the Horse Trials team side of things we are always pleased to welcome new volunteers to the team and British Eventing give a really good briefing at the start of every day.

We can also offer a range of sponsorship opportunties for both our Horse Trials and Unaffiliated events from prizes in kind for the PC and T80 sections and best East Anglian horse and rider, through to fence sponsorship, section sponsorship, right up to title sponsor.