Show jumping excitement as National Balmoral Championships approach

THE National Bal-

moral Champion-

ships were est-ablished over 30

years ago as a non-profit event to develop local equestrian talent and promote the

sport to the public. Over the years, a small but dedicated group of volunteers has grown the show to become one of the most notable events of the show jumping calendar for both spectators and competitors. It attracts over 3,000 competition entries, providing class-es from grass roots members to elite level athletes at the very pinnacle of their sport.

This year, the four-day horse show will run from Thursday, July 7 to Sunday, July 10 at Balmoral Park, Lisburn; the opening day will host the highly successful Five-Star Tour, as well as aged classes for five-, six- and seven-year-old horses.

Friday will host a leg of the ‘Wilsons Auctions’ Ulster Region Grand Prix

tour, along with aged classes for five-, six- and seven-year-old hor-ses, open to all DAFM approved studbooks.

The Young Horse ch-ampionships will take place on Sunday, along with the Four-year-old Championship class; th-

ese championship class-

es are supported by Horse Sport Ireland Br-eeding Initiative, with excellent prize funds on offer and a £250 prize to the breeder of the winning horse in each section. These classes promote top quality young horses within Ireland and provide a valuable platform for the growth of the industry.

The feature class on Saturday will be a leg of the 1.40m Gain/ Alltech Grand Prix with a full compliment of classes for 90cm to 1.30m. National Balmoral is delighted to be hosting a round of the new Northern Ireland Horse Board Mares Development Ser-

ies for 2022; this series is open to mares from

all studbooks, it is

hoped that the pro-posed competitions will

facilitate the progressive

training and develop-ment of mares in preparation for breeding careers later in life. All double clear eligible mares will qualify for the final to be held at the Meadows Equestrian Centre at their Autumn Championship Horse Show, scheduled for September 24-25.

To finish off this show jumping spectacular, the top class competition will culminate in a round of the 1.50m Coolmore Show jumping/SJI Grand Prix on Sunday, as well as championship classes from 90cm to 1.30m and an Amateur championship.

Remember that NBC is open to all with free admittance to the event; spectators are welcome but are reminded to adhere to all Covid and Health and Safety guidelines. The event provides a great family day out with catering and toilet facilities on site.

As always, any profit made from NBC is directed back into the development of the event and the sport and organisers rely heavily on sponsorship from businesses and individuals.

Show Director Ray Buchanan commented: “The National Balmoral committee has worked tirelessly to make this year’s event bigger and better than ever. None of this would be possible without a dedicated group of volunteers and

the generosity of our

sponsors and support-ers. We are all looking forward to an enjoyable and successful 2022 show.”