Statement from Horse of the Year Show – 2nd July 2020

It is with great regret that we have to announce the cancellation of Horse of the Year Show 2020.

The 72nd edition of the event will now take place from Wednesday 6th – Sunday 10th October

2021, at the NEC Birmingham.

At the forefront of our minds is the health, safety and wellbeing of all of those who come

together to make Horse of the Year Show happen - the visitors, competitors, staff, volunteers,

traders, contractors and you, our valued partners - as well as our wider responsibility to

support the efforts to tackle this challenge to our everyday lives.

With the probability that some level of socially restrictive measures will likely continue for

several more months, we believe that we must act responsibly to safeguard the large number

of people who are involved in HOYS.  It is our view that it is best to take this decision now

to provide certainty for everyone involved in the equestrian industry and Horse of the Year Show.  

We are sure that cancelling this year’s Horse of the Year Show will be as great a disappointment for

you as it is for us, it is your passion for HOYS that has made our event what it is today and it is

undeniable that without the support of the equestrian community HOYS would not continue to

happen. Confirmed Agreements

Rest assured that we will be calling all sponsors to discuss this decision and their agreements on

an individual basis; we will ensure that over the next 48 hours we have spoken to everyone but

please bear with us as we work through this.

As I am sure that you can appreciate, the decision to cancel the 2020 event has come with a

massive financial hit for the show and will take some time to recover from.  It is your support as a

partner that is instrumental to the future of the show now more than ever, and we hope that

we can continue to work together towards HOYS 2021. Finally... Our thoughts are with all those that have been, and continue to be, affected by this pandemic.

The pinnacle of the equestrian calendar will return next year, and we look forward to welcoming

you back to enjoy it with us.

Thank you all so much for your understanding and support.