A fusion of world-class equestrian sport, lifestyle and hospitality awaits as the 2020 Equerry Bolesworth International Horse Show enters a new era.

A key date in the equestrian calendar and held in the stunning surrounds of Bolesworth Castle in the beautiful Cheshire countryside, the show takes place June 9 to 14.

Bringing together many of the world’s leading riders at one iconic venue, the event continues to break the mould when it comes to experiencing the finest day out in a truly unique environment while mixing with the very best riders in the world.

The 2020 show is set to be truly memorable with the sports leading contenders vying it out for honours across such legendary classes as the heart-stopping Puissance to the explosive action of the 1.60m Equerry Grand Prix.

Now a firm fixture on the dressage calendar, International competition will start on the afternoon of Tuesday 9^th June.  Wednesday 10^th June will see the climax of the CDI 3* – the Freestyle, with a new format day to include demonstrations and masterclasses from the stars of the World of Dressage.

The Event will celebrate Business, with unique networking opportunities throughout the week, and will be launching a new Gents Day on Friday 12^th June, in line with Saturday’s Ladies Day celebrations.

Guests can expect a new and exciting line up of Evening Entertainment, with the Bolesworth Elite Yearling Auction to take centre stage on Friday 12^th June.

Lifestyle will be a focus for this year’s shopping village with an expanded and improved food and drink offer across the site.

Bolesworth will be investing in the site over the winter, with new areas of hard standing and wet weather contingency plans to ensure that the doors open whatever the weather.

Visit www.bolesworthinternational.com to sign up for ticket alerts.  Tickets go on sale February 2020.

James Whitaker opened his legendary showjumping family’s winning account at the TheraPlate UK Liverpool International Horse Show on Saturday evening.

James, younger brother of Great Britain Nations Cup rider William Whitaker, took top honours in the Equerry Horse Feeds Under-25s Grand Prix.

It was a stylish performance in a class that produced just three clear rounds from 18 starters.

Ultimately, it proved to be a showdown between James on Caloro Ex Z and Robert Murphy, riding Highgrove Violet.

Robert followed his first round clear with another immaculate display, clocking 43.25 seconds, but James clipped half a second off that time to claim a £2,000 winner’s purse.

Harry Wainwright and Pinheiro Beech finished third, with leading Irish challengers Jason Foley and Castlefield Cass in fourth.

Reflecting on his victory, James said: “It’s fantastic. We didn’t have the best of weeks in a show last week, but we came back and tried hard, and luckily it paid off.

“You have got to learn from your mistakes, and we’ve both done that and got a great result from it.

“It was a tough course. There were only three clears in the end, and luckily it played into my hands a little bit.

“I wasn’t last to go (in the jump-off), so I didn’t have loads of pressure, but I put enough pressure on the last to go to have a fence down, so it worked out perfectly for me.

“We’ve only been together for about four or five months. We’ve won a couple of classes, so we are slowly getting together, and hopefully next year we will have a good year.

“It’s fantastic to win here at Liverpool, and I can finish the year on a high now.”