Top riders get ready to take part in Belsay International Horse Trials

The event enjoys fantastic support from many of the North East’s leading companies, including headline sponsor Barbour, and starts with dressage on Wednesday, May 31.

“Preparations are in full swing to welcome visitors to a fabulous few days of sporting action and family entertainment in our beautiful parkland surrounding Belsay Hall and castle,” said organiser Laura de Wesselow.

“We hope to attract record numbers of visitors looking for fun family outings over the half-term holiday.”

Highlights of the event include the British National Pony Championship and the British National Junior Championship as well as four other international classes.

There will be show jumping and cross country action across the weekend, from Friday to Sunday, June 2-4.

Local professional riders Harry Mutch, from Seaton Delaval, Kirsty Heatherington, from Newcastle, Emma Carmichael, from Morpeth, Emily Orpwood, from Wooler, and Belsay’s Jack Mantel will compete alongside many other professional and amateur riders from across the country, as well as a host of juniors.

Competitors in the international three-day event classes like Ros Canter and current Young Rider champion Ibble Watson will ‘trot up’ alongside current British Junior champion Isabelle Cook and other young hopefuls in the Pony and Junior Championship classes.

Meanwhile former Young Rider and Junior Team GB rider Lizzie Baugh also heads to Belsay.

Yasmin Ingham has several horses at Belsay including Banzai du Loir, the horse she rode to World Championship glory last year.

Former world number one Oliver Townend brings six horses.

At 68 years old, Scotland’s Ian Stark, an Olympian and past Badminton winner, is the oldest competitor in the field, riding in the Intermediate Class.

Belsay is the first leg of the prestigious The Northumberland Challenge, a prize accumulator league that runs across certain competitions at Belsay, Alnwick Ford and Burgham International Horse Trials.

With a total prize pot of potentially up to £45,000 generously sponsored by local companies A.W. Jenkinson Forest Products Ltd, N.I.S. Group Ltd and Encon Technical Solutions, the Northumberland Challenge was put together by organisers to attract top riders and boost eventing in the region.

New to Belsay is an exciting team competition putting pony and junior riders together with professionals and experienced amateur competitors with a fantastic prize pot for the top three teams.

The Belsay All Stars team competition is just one of many initiatives from Project Pony, a charity aimed at promoting young talent in eventing.

This year the event will raise money for the British Eventing Support Trust (BEST) and Spinal Research.

Olympic medallist and current European Eventing champion Nicola Wilson will return to Belsay to help raise money for the two charities that have helped aid her recovery after a fall at Badminton Horse Trials last year left her with life-changing spinal injuries.

Fundraising activities include the Nicola Wilson Course Walk at 4pm on Thursday, June 1.

Alongside eventing, there is a shopping village, food options, children’s fun rides, archery and the popular Belsay Dog Show (2pm every day).

All details and tickets can be found on the Belsay Horse Trials website www.belsayhorsetrials.co.uk