World Young Horse Championships Canceled
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Nov. 27, 2020
The World Young Horse Championships that were to be held in Verden, Germany next month have been canceled, the latest major equestrian event to become a victim of the coronavirus pandemic.
The best five, six and seven-year-old horses from 23 nations were to have participated in the championships, officially named the Dressage World Breeding Championship for Young Horses, Dec. 9-13.
The pandemic had already caused postponement from the summer when they are traditionally staged outdoors. Because of the onset of winter, the event was to have been indoors, further causing problems for organizers.
The organizers reported that coronavirus counter measures in Germany did not prevent staging the championships with special infection protection measures.
“But the news now shows that the corona situation in other countries is sometimes worse than in Germany,” the organizers said in a statement.
“The safety of everyone involved is paramount and we can’t expect anyone to take long detours on their journey or to have problems returning home just before Christmas,” said event director Wilken Treu, managing director of the Hanoverian Breeding Federation.
The young horse championships were one of the last major events to be canceled as this year’s seven-year-old horses will have outgrown their category by 2021.
