British Eventing has released more than just a date sheet with its 2026–2031 FEI calendar and 2026 national fixtures list, which just came out this week. It has also laid out, in some detail, how those fixtures are built to support the sport all levels, from BE80 through to 5*.
In a press release, the FEI and national calendars are described as the product of months of detailed planning, collaboration and strategic decision-making between event organizers, national and international governing bodies, and British Eventing’s Fixtures Panel. Under its Terms of Reference, the Panel is required to work objectively, collectively and with impartiality, with independent members, organizers, riders, owners and BE staff all contributing to ensure that every single fixture and date placement is reviewed through a strategic and fair lens.
As CEO Rosie Williams notes, “every single date is part of a much bigger picture… mapping out qualification pathways for riders from BE80 all the way through to 5*, and aligning them with international calendars, Olympic cycles, and performance plans.”
That bigger picture is rooted in qualification and preparation. The calendar is structured around giving riders opportunities that build progression, fitness, confidence and experience, with “the right events at the right time, and with the right ground” identified as critical factors.
The press release also sets out the practical pressures that shape those decisions: the cost of running a BE event, the constraints of tenanted land and limited fixture opportunities, the preparation time needed for international horse trials – especially in historic or heritage settings – and the resource-heavy nature of modern safety infrastructure, from frangible technology to the teams needed to install and maintain it. Against that backdrop, British Eventing emphasizes the need for close partnership with organizers and ongoing work with the FEI, including participation in the FEI Sports Forum, to help ensure that calendar design remains sustainable while still delivering a geographically balanced, progressive and “opportunity-rich” season for members across the UK – from new and returning BE80–100 and BE90 classes to enhanced youth and pony pathways and additional intermediate options in key regions.
“When you zoom out, this isn’t just about one event or one date,” Rosie concludes. “It’s about how we keep the whole sport moving forward. For 2026, we’re bringing in a number of really positive updates across the BE fixtures calendar — new events, returning unaffiliated fixtures and a programme shaped by what our riders told us they wanted. Thanks to the insight from our Member Fixtures Panels, this year’s calendar is more responsive and built with member input at the heart of it.”
We don’t yet know what the entry fees for 2026 will be, as the organizers of each event will now be working on that detail. British Eventing competitions do offer Early Bird pricing as a way to spur entries in time.
To read more on the new fixtures calendar and the process to delivering it, click here.
U.S. Events This Week
None! But there is the USEA Annual Meeting & Convention, which kicks off tomorrow. You can follow along and find more information here.
News & Reading
If you’re a barn manager, groom or other individual tasked with caring for horses, the holidays can be a tough run of weeks. You don’t get a traditional holiday break in the same sense as others, and it can feel like you’ve suddenly turned into a total scrooge. How do you navigate this? The Chronicle of the Horse’s Stable Sage has some, er, sage, advice for you here.
Boyd Martin and Laura Graves are two featured coaches in the forthcoming year’s content from Performance Coaches! Offering up their expertise for a “Dressage Blueprint” and an “Eventing Blueprint,” Boyd and Laura are ready to share tools you can put into action to get your season off to a great start. You can reserve a free spot in Boyd’s upcoming workshop, taking place on Monday, December 15, here. The session will be recorded, but you’re encouraged to attend live.
Prolific event horse owner Paul Ridgeon has passed away at the age of 93. A lifelong lover of horses led him to the sport of eventing, where he supported riders like Oliver Townend with horses such as Armada and Cooley Rosalent. His contributions to the sport and to the greater world at large are profiled in this Horse & Hound tribute.
Does Sydney Elliott get nervous when she competes? How does she handle disappointment? What’s her training and coaching philosophy? In a recent sitdown with Practical Horseman, Sydney gets real about some burning questions. See her answers here.
Video Break
Harry Meade practices his dressage skillz in the off-season:
