Events and Community

Rules for 2011

125. Area festivals

a) Scope of Area Festivals

These Festivals will be run between August and October inclusive.
Classes will be from Preliminary to Prix St Georges level, with Restricted and Open sections from Novice to Advanced Medium level.
Freestyle to Music Qualifiers will be held at the Area Festivals.
Area Festivals carry grading points but do not count as qualifiers in anyway (except for the Festival Final).

b) Eligibility for Area Festivals

Qualification for an Area Festival is restricted to individual horse/rider combinations.
Once qualified for the Area Festival, combinations may compete even if they subsequently upgrade.
Combinations competing at Winter/Summer Regional Championships will not be eligible for any Area Festivals at that level or below in the same calendar year with the exception of Freestyle to Music classes when they will only lose their eligibility to compete in Area Festivals if they compete at the Winter Championships or Wellington Championships.
Group 4-8 riders may compete in Area Festivals up to and including Advanced Medium level,depending on their eligibility. Only Group 7 & 8 riders may compete at Prelim level. Group 3 riders may only compete at Novice and above. Group 2 riders may only compete at Advanced Medium level and above. Group 1 and 2A riders may not enter Area Festivals at any level.
Once a rider has ridden at the National or Winter Championships, they cannot compete at that level or below on another horse in Area Festivals in that year or the following year, except for competitors in any Para Equestrian Championship or Area Festival Championship.
Non-members may qualify at Preliminary level in Preliminary classes that are in the Omnibus Schedule. They must be a Group 7 or 8 rider when qualifying i.e. not have won more than 14 points at Elementary level or above since 1st April 1994. They must however join British Dressage before entering the Area Festival.
Horses/ponies need not be registered to enter an Area Festival at Preliminary level but must not have more than 49 points when qualifying. All must be fully registered by the Festival Championship.
Non members may qualify using sheets gained on Class Tickets and Training Classes but both horse and rider must be registered before entering the Area Festival from Novice upwards.

c) Means of qualifying for Area Festivals

All qualifying scores must be gained between 1 January of the calendar year up to the close of entries for the relevant Area Festival.
Qualification at Preliminary to Elementary levels will be by achieving 2 affiliated scores at 62% and above at the same level.
Qualification from Medium to PSG levels will be by achieving 2 affiliated scores at 60% and above at the same level.
Competitors in the Channel Islands will be able to qualify with 1 score with the required percentage.
The original sheets must have the date and venue of the class written on them by the competitor and be sent with the entry form as proof of qualification. They will not be returnable. Score sheets from Training sections may be used. Qualifying sheets may only be used once. Scores from freestyles, HC tests or Area Festivals cannot be used.

d) Qualification for Area Festival Finals

The top 2 combinations with 62% and above in Medium – PSG classes at the Area Festivals will qualify for the Festival Championships. If classes are split then first place from each section will qualify.
For Preliminary - Elementary the top 4 combinations with 62% and above will qualify. If the classes are split then the first and second place from each section will qualify.
Wild cards will be issued after close of entries for the Area Festival Championships to the next highest qualified percentages across all Area Festivals for any class which has not been filled.Entries received after the closing date from pre-qualified combinations will not be accepted once wild cards have been issued.
A horse/rider combination which qualifies for both the Area Festival Championship and the Winter Championships in the same year may only compete in the Area Festival Championship at a higher level than in the Winter Championship. Music Freestyle classes are included. Those qualified for both must withdraw from the Area Festival Championship.

Please also read general rules for qualifying and championships as some items are also applicable to Area Festivals. These can be found by visiting www.britishdressage.co.uk