Howden and McGivern Back Eventing Challenge for Ex-Racehorses

Owner-breeders David Howden and Jayne McGivern, both of whom are also heavily involved in the eventing world, have unveiled plans for a valuable class for former racehorses at Howden's Cornbury House Horse Trials.

The Cornbury Racehorses Eventing Challenge is a joint initiative which will be run at the Oxfordshire event in 2025, offering a first prize of £45,000. The duo hopes that it will help to raise the profile of the suitability of Thoroughbreds for eventing. 

The class will be run at British Eventing Open Novice level, but using an FEI CCI2*-S dressage test in a long arena. The showjumping phase will be last and run in reverse order. The aim for subsequent years will be to run the class at British Eventing Intermediate level.

Entrants must have achieved two Minimum Eligibility Requirements (MERs) as a combination at novice level in the current season (2025). Horses must not have competed at CCI4* level or above in the past two seasons. Riders will be restricted to two entries each, and horses do not need to have raced or to have been in training, but must be registered with Weatherbys or the appropriate Thoroughbred studbook of their country of origin.

Howden, the founder and president of Cornbury House Horse Trials whose homebred filly Running Lion (GB) won this year's G2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot, said, “I am so excited that we will be introducing this very special class at CHHT in 2025. Jayne McGivern and I share a joint-passion for both eventing and racing and for the amazing horses in those sports, and we hope to draw attention to the wonderful versatility of Thoroughbred – and to encourage our best riders to recognise their suitability for eventing and to reward them for the correct training of them.”

McGivern is the owner of Dash Grange Stud and also stands Golden Horn (GB) at Overbury Stud. She added, “There is no doubt that Thoroughbreds can shine at the very top level in eventing, and I hope this class will inspire our top riders and everyone else connected to this fantastic sport to believe in them and give them the opportunities and the best care and training to reach their full potential.”