Following the announcement earlier this month that the 2021 five-star Dublin Horse Show had been cancelled and a RDS National Championships would run in its place, organisers have been busy finalising dates and venues for qualifying shows for the championships, which will run from 18-22 August at the Ballsbridge venue.
Classes at this unique National Championship show will be held in the main arena with international course designer Alan Wade confirmed for all three days of show jumping.
The National Championships will boast a prize fund of €167,000 for the five-day event. The number of qualifying places that would be on offer in a normal year for the show jumping classes at the Dublin Horse Show will be the same for the National Championships.
Qualification
In new venture for the RDS, it will now be required that all combinations qualify for the showing classes.
In previous years these classes could be entered without prior qualification.
There are four showing qualifiers which will cover young horses, Irish Draught mares and foal, the Breeders’ Championship and the show hunters.
There will be either two or three qualifying spaces available at each of the four showing qualifiers meaning there will be between 10 and 12 qualifying places available for each showing final at the RDS.
With limited places on offer for the showing classes it is anticipated that the qualifying classes will be hotly contested.
The three-year-old potential event horse and loose performance qualifiers will take place as per previous years, over a two-week period, from Monday to Friday in late June and early July.
The RDS National Championships competition schedule will be available from early June.
All finals will take place in the RDS Main Arena apart from the young event horse, junior/young rider event horse, Connemara performance hunter and performance Irish Draught which will all take place at Lambertstown, Kilmessan, Co Meath on Tuesday 17 August.
Of course, it will be a different show compared to what exhibitors are used to and spectators are strictly prohibited under COVID-19 guidelines.
However, all classes will be live-streamed online.
Showing classes:
Wednesday 18 August
Yearlings . Two-year-olds. Three-year-olds (in hand). Young horse championships. Three-year-old potential event horses.Thursday 19 August
Irish Draught mares and foals. Breeders’ Championship. Show Hunter Championships. Three-year-old loose performance. Show jumping classes
Friday 20 August
148cm six- and seven-year-old ponies.148cm ponies. 138cm ponies. 128cm ponies. Children on horses. Saturday 21 August
Amateurs. Young riders.Four-year-old horses. Sunday 22 August
Five-year-old horses. Six-year-old horses. Seven-year-old horses. Eight- and nine-year horses.
Following the announcement earlier this month that the 2021 five-star Dublin Horse Show had been cancelled and a RDS National Championships would run in its place, organisers have been busy finalising dates and venues for qualifying shows for the championships, which will run from 18-22 August at the Ballsbridge venue.
Classes at this unique National Championship show will be held in the main arena with international course designer Alan Wade confirmed for all three days of show jumping.
The National Championships will boast a prize fund of €167,000 for the five-day event. The number of qualifying places that would be on offer in a normal year for the show jumping classes at the Dublin Horse Show will be the same for the National Championships.
Qualification
In new venture for the RDS, it will now be required that all combinations qualify for the showing classes.
In previous years these classes could be entered without prior qualification.
There are four showing qualifiers which will cover young horses, Irish Draught mares and foal, the Breeders’ Championship and the show hunters.
There will be either two or three qualifying spaces available at each of the four showing qualifiers meaning there will be between 10 and 12 qualifying places available for each showing final at the RDS.
With limited places on offer for the showing classes it is anticipated that the qualifying classes will be hotly contested.
The three-year-old potential event horse and loose performance qualifiers will take place as per previous years, over a two-week period, from Monday to Friday in late June and early July.
The RDS National Championships competition schedule will be available from early June.
All finals will take place in the RDS Main Arena apart from the young event horse, junior/young rider event horse, Connemara performance hunter and performance Irish Draught which will all take place at Lambertstown, Kilmessan, Co Meath on Tuesday 17 August.
Of course, it will be a different show compared to what exhibitors are used to and spectators are strictly prohibited under COVID-19 guidelines.
However, all classes will be live-streamed online.
Showing classes:
Wednesday 18 August
Yearlings . Two-year-olds. Three-year-olds (in hand). Young horse championships. Three-year-old potential event horses.Thursday 19 August
Irish Draught mares and foals. Breeders’ Championship. Show Hunter Championships. Three-year-old loose performance. Show jumping classes
Friday 20 August
148cm six- and seven-year-old ponies.148cm ponies. 138cm ponies. 128cm ponies. Children on horses. Saturday 21 August
Amateurs. Young riders.Four-year-old horses. Sunday 22 August
Five-year-old horses. Six-year-old horses. Seven-year-old horses. Eight- and nine-year horses. 
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