Veteran class and showing ‘weekenders’ among new additions to popular amateur series

The popular amateur showing series, SEIB Search For A Star, is gearing up for some exciting additions to its line-up this year

Getting 2022 off to an exciting start, organisers of the ever-popular SEIB Search for a Star series have announced that they’ll be adding an all-new open veteran championship to their roster of championship classes. Qualifiers will culminate in a finale at Your Horse Live (11-13 November 2022).

The Search for a Star Open Veteran Championship is open to any horse or pony over 16 years old with any rider – the first Search for a Star class that has no amateur restrictions on the horses, ponies and riders taking part. Horses will be required to gallop, and make-up and show products are permitted. This championship was trialled at the end of the 2021 season and, owing to its popularity, is set to run in full this year.

“We’ve set up this exciting new Search for a Star championship to celebrate some of our very top horses in their later year,” said SEIB Marketing Manager, Nicolina MacKenzie. “It’ll be a real treat to see the ‘golden oldies’ perform. Older horses that have previously excelled in other disciplines will be very welcome to take part.”

Qualifying classes for the Search for a Star Open Veteran Championship will be held at each of the five Search for a Star qualifiers across the country from April to August. According to a social media post released on the SEIB Search For A Star Facebook page earlier this month, qualifiers are set to take place on the following dates…

• 24 April 2022 – Vale View Equestrian Centre, Leicestershire
• 22 May 2022 – Bury Farm Equestrian Village, Buckinghamshire
• 11-12 June 2022 – Netherton Equestrian Centre, Perthshire
• 23-24 July 2022 – Trailblazers at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire
• 7 August 2022 – Onley Equestrian Centre, Warwickshire

As well as teasing the classes set to be involved – which include in-hand, riding horses/hacks, working horse and pony, mountain and moorland, show hunters, show cobs, traditional gypsy cobs and open veterans – it has also revealed plans for two ‘weekenders’. One of these will take place at Netherton Equestrian in June, with the other at July’s Trailblazers Championships, and both will include one day of training followed by qualifiers on the second day.

Full details will be announced in due course, but for more information on the series, visit seib.co.uk/competitions