10 June 2020

Kronenberg steps back from organizing the FEI World Championship four-in-hand 2021

This past April, the organization of the World Championships for four-in-hand horses Limburg 2020 has had to make the difficult decision to postpone the event due to the corona virus.

It was initially planned to reschedule the World Championships to be held in conjunction with the FEI Horse Pair World Championships the end of September 2021 in Kronenberg. But after intense discussions and numerous meetings with all parties involved, the organization has decided to only organize the FEI Horse Pair World Championships in 2021.

Combination World Championships not realistic

The combination of both championships would result in around 120 competitors travelling to Kronenberg, and with the increased risk of bad weather the end of September, the organization just can not guarantee good footing for all 120 competitors throughout the entire competition. There were also side events attached to the World Championships which were intended to generate sponsors and spectators. As these events were tied to dates the beginning of September, they could not be rescheduled to the end of the month.

To make the combination of the World Championships practical, fewer entries would be accepted per category and per country which would be a hinder to the sport. The organization is of the opinion that the World Championships for Horse Pairs should offer a platform for the largest number of top pair drivers in the world, within the regulations of the FEI.

“We were of course disappointed to lose the FEI World Championships four-in-hand in Kronenberg to the pandemic this year and we were happy to consider the possibility of postponing these Championships to 2021”, FEI Driving Director Manuel Bandeira de Mello said. “Sadly that is no longer an option but we respect the decision of the organisers to focus on the pairs for next year.”

New date World Pairs: 8-12 September 2021

The FEI has accepted the date change of the World Championships for Horse Pairs to 8-12 September 2021 so that it no longer falls in the same week as the European Championships for four-in-hand horses in Budapest (21 August – 5 September)

The organization is of course prepared to organize a World Championship for four-in-hand horses in Kronenberg at a future date.

Photo: Krisztina Horváth