Devon Hunter/Jumper Show Canceled for 2nd Year, Dressage at Devon “Fully Committed” to Event Late September

4 years ago StraightArrow Comments Off on Devon Hunter/Jumper Show Canceled for 2nd Year, Dressage at Devon “Fully Committed” to Event Late September


DEVON, Pennsylvania, April 11, 2021–The 125th edition of the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair of hunter/jumpers has been canceled for the second year but Dressage at Devon organizers said Sunday they were “fully committed” to hold their event four months later.

The jumper horse show said that Covid-19 restrictions imposed by the U.S. Equestrian Federation led to the cancellation that was scheduled for the end of May.

“Although many other equestrian events are operating during this time, the DHSCF is uniquely tied to our local audience and spectator base and we did not feel that we could, in good faith, jeopardize future events for the sake of running this year against so many financial and operational challenges,” the organizers said in a statement. “This decision was made to protect the financial viability of the show for years to come.”

The “far-reaching operational and financial implications” of U.S. Equestrian’s coronavirus restrictions on spectators led to the decision to call off the event. The organizers said they were informed that updated USEF guidelines for the competition would not be available until mid=May that would not allow “sufficient time to adequately plan and prepare for a show of the DHSCF’s size and caliber.”

Dressage at Devon, which is operated by a different organization but uses the same show grounds, issued a statement that it understood the “financial and logistical challenges associated with producing an equestrian event of such magnitude and know how difficult it must have been for them to come to this decision.”

However, it said, “At this time, we are fully committed to produce the 2021 Dressage at Devon to be held Sept. 28 thru Oct. 3, 2021 at the Devon Horse Show Grounds. We are hopeful that the attendance restrictions will be lessened in the coming months to allow in-person enjoyment of our event.”

Dressage at Devon, a World Cup qualifier in addition to other levels, was canceled in 2020.

Dressage, like the hunter/jumper show, depends on spectators paying for entry to the show to help cover costs.