Equestrian Rules & Regulations

Entries may be made online at
www.edenbridge-show.co.uk or on a printed entry form and must be delivered or sent to the Show Office, with the entry fee, on or before the close of entries.

1. All entry forms must be accurately filled up and signed by the Exhibitor or their agent. An Exhibitor omitting to give information asked for on the entry form will be liable to have their entry rejected.

2. Every Exhibitor shall prove the correctness of their entry to the satisfaction of the Committee when called upon to do so. Failing to furnish the required proof may result in prohibition from exhibiting, any prize awarded may be withheld and the award cancelled.

3. It is the competitor’s responsibility to ensure that they are eligible to compete in each class. No entry will be substituted after the closing date of entries.

4. Entry fees will be forfeited if the animal does not come forward for their class without a valid reason.

5. A refund will be considered if the animal is medically unable to compete. A refund request will need to completed, in writing, within 1 month of the date of the Show. A vet’s certificate must be supplied with the refund request. Refunds will only be considered after the Show.

6. In all classes the Committee reserves the right of rejection of the entry of any person and also the right of withholding any prize or prizes awarded.

7. Riders or handlers must be a minimum age of 4 years or over.

8. Entry fees for classes that are qualifiers for the Horse of the Year Show or Royal International Horse Show are subject to an additional levy as noted in the schedule.

9. To be eligible to make entries at Members’ rates an Exhibitor must have paid the annual subscription for the current year, 2024. Members must have paid their membership prior to making their entry to ensure that they are eligible for Members’ rates.

10. The Committee reserves the right to restrict the number of entries in any class.

11. Competitors in all classes must ensure they have sufficient grooms in attendance, especially if multiple entries are made. Competitors in charge of animals must be subject to the orders of the Stewards, and must not leave their animals unattended. All exhibitors are required to hold appropriate public liability insurance for their animals and to produce evidence of this on request.

12. Competitors and their associated party must have the correct and valid passes in order to access the Showground. Passes are only valid for the day of the competitor’s entered class. Wristbands and competition numbers will be available to collect on the day from the Equestrian Check-In in the Horse Box Park. They will NOT be sent in advance.  

13. Exhibitors will be allocated 2 passes for the first horse entered, and 1 additional pass for each horse thereafter. A maximum of 6 passes will be allocated to each Exhibitor. Driving entries will receive 1 additional pass per entry.

Additional entry tickets may be purchased from the website at www.edenbridge-show.co.uk.

Pass Allocation

Animals Entered          1   2   3   4   5+
Pass Allocation            2   3   4   5   6

14. Horse boxes & trailers may park in the Horse Box Park. Supporting cars will not be permitted in the Horse Box Park and must park in the public car parks.

15. Stabling will not be available for competitors resident in local postcodes. This includes all Surrey, Sussex and London postcodes, and all Kent postcodes with the exception of the CT area.
Stabling can be booked for competitors travelling from postcodes outside the areas listed above and for all competitors in the heavy horse and coaching sections. For heavy horses and coaching competitors the postcode restriction does not apply and stabling costs are refunded after the show for horses forward.

Horses and ponies must be competing on the day after the night booked for stabling – ie, if entered in Monday classes, stabling will only be permitted for Sunday night. Horses and ponies may not stay overnight unless accommodated in the official show stables.

Competitors with stables must provide their own bedding, feed and associated equipment and must ensure the stable is cleared completely before they leave. Stables cannot be accessed until 6pm of the night booked and must be cleaned and vacated by 6pm on the following day.

All stabling must be booked and paid for at the time of making entries. Competitors must report to the Stable Manager upon arrival for allocation of stabling. There is no opportunity to hire stables on the day.

Horses eligible to compete in the Supreme Ridden Horse Championship will have stabling provided free of charge for the Sunday night, if required. Please advise the Show Office if stabling is required.

16. If any animal shall be proved to be suffering from any contagious or infectious disease at the time it is sent to the Show, the Exhibitor thereof shall indemnify the Society against all or any claims for losses sustained.

All equines arriving onto the showground must be accompanied by their equine passport. Spot checks will be carried out by a vet.

All equines over six months of age must be fully vaccinated against Equine Influenza and Tetanus. Animals must have been vaccinated to comply with the requirements of the primary course (1st vaccination followed by the 2nd vaccination, between 21 - 92 days later), followed by the first booster (150 - 215 days). Animals beginning a course of vaccinations or restarting a course after 1st January 2024 are subject to reduced timescales for 2nd vaccination and booster. Please check with your vet to ensure you comply. Animals may compete having received the primary course and prior to the 1st booster, but not within 7 days of receiving a vaccination dose. Animals arriving at the showground must have been vaccinated within 12 months before the show.

17. The Show prohibits the administration and use of tranquilisers or other substances which may affect behaviour or performance of any animal at the show. The rules of the affiliated breed societies will be upheld in respect of the administration of forbidden substances to show exhibits and The Show permits such societies to carry out any tests or inspections provided for in their rules. In the event of any such test proving positive, societies may be expected to take disciplinary action in accordance with their rules. Exhibitors will disqualified from their class and placing and may be liable to pay for any additional costs that are incurred by The Show. The Show reserves the right to sample horses, ponies or donkeys independently from the breed societies.

18.  Competitors are reminded that horses and ponies should be of a healthy weight. Riders must be of a suitable size for their horse or pony and they should not exceed 20% of the horse or pony’s body weight. The Show’s stewards and officials have been asked to help enforce this and reserve the right to ask any rider to dismount if they exceed appropriate weight for the animal to carry.

19.  Each affiliated society has its own rules which apply for turnout standards, however the Show discourages competitors from trimming sensory whiskers on horses and ponies. 

20. All horses, ponies & donkeys receiving a prize, reserve or commended rosette will be required (under penalty of disqualification) to be ready to parade when required.

21. Trophies presented at the show to be held for one year.

22. No one will be allowed in the ring while the judges are engaged upon their awards, except those who have duties to perform.

23. The judges may withhold any prize where there is evident want of merit. No second prize will be awarded unless there are at least three entries in a class and two individual exhibitors, and no third prize unless there are at least five entries.

24. With the exception of Young Handler classes, prize money will be paid electronically into the entrant’s nominated bank account after the event. The Show Office will make every effort to make such payments within 30 days of the show. Entrants should take care to ensure they enter the correct information on the entry form. All queries and claims regarding prize money must be submitted before 11th October 2024. 

25. Any class may be cancelled or, where appropriate, amalgamated unless there are at least three entries.

26. A class is deemed to have commenced when an animal enters the ring, if the judge is then present in the ring. If the judge is not present then the class shall commence when the judge enters the ring. Exhibits will not be allowed into the ring after the ponies/horses have been asked to trot.

27. Judges named in this Schedule have been appointed to act as such in events as indicated. The Committee reserves the right to appoint substitutes for any who may be unavoidably prevented from attending and all entries are accepted upon that understanding.

28. It is the responsibility of the exhibitor to note the name of the judge appointed for the classes they wish to enter and are advised, in the interests of all concerned, not knowingly to enter an animal bred by, previously owned by or with any connections to the judge appointed.

29. The decision of the judge is final.

30. For those with stables booked and wishing to camp, a camping/caravan permit can be purchased when making entries or at a later date. A camping pass will need to be purchased for a tent, motorhome or caravan that will take up additional space in the Horse Box Car Park. Passes can be purchased for £10 and are valid for staying on site between 24th & 26th August 2024. All horses staying overnight must be accommodated in official Show stables (see regulation 15).

31. Use of data

Data given upon entry of any classes to Edenbridge & Oxted Agricultural Show will be retained and used to provide you with reasonable information about your participation and about the event in general. It may also be provided to various and relevant societies for checking eligibility, for publication of results and may be published in the Show’s catalogue, social media and website.

By providing data you are giving permission for that data to be stored on the Show’s systems and databases. The Show’s Privacy Notice can be found on our website at www.edenbridge-show.co.uk.

By entering a competition class you permit the Show Organisers to use your name and photographs of your exhibit in our publicity material. This could be online, in print and could be supplied to third party media organisations for publication. 

32. Objections

All objections must be made in writing to the Show Office within one hour of the termination of the judging of the classes in question on the day of the Show; such objection to be accompanied by a deposit of £5.00, this deposit to be forfeited in the event of the objection proving unfounded and/or frivolous.

33. Behaviour

In the event of an Exhibitor, or anyone connected with an Exhibitor, being guilty of improper or abusive behaviour towards their animal, any Official of the Society or the general public, then the Chairman, Chief Steward or Show Director shall have the power to order the offender to leave the showground and recommend that the Council shall refuse that person’s entries for future shows. Should an Exhibitor be aggrieved at such action they may lodge an objection in writing. Such objections shall be considered by a panel of not less than 3 members of the Society appointed by the Chairman or Vice-Chairman and their decision shall be final.

All of the Stewards and Committees are volunteers who dedicate their time to organising and running the Edenbridge & Oxted Agricultural Show. The Show operates a zero tolerance approach to abuse of our volunteers and kindly asks that you respect them during the event.

34. Health & Safety

The Organisers of this show have taken reasonable precautions to ensure the health and safety of everyone present. For these measures to be effective, everyone must take all reasonable precautions to avoid and prevent accidents occurring and must obey the instructions of the Organisers and all the Officials and Stewards. All those riding a horse or pony on site must wear a hat that complies with current safety standards.

35. Neither the Society nor its officers or servants shall be liable for personal injury or loss of or damage to any property whatsoever happening to or arising out of the presence of any person at the Society’s Show and caused by the wrongful act or omission of the Society, its officers or servants, and it is a condition of entry to the Show that any person visiting the Show, including any Exhibitors, competitors or their servants shall indemnify the Society, its officers or servants against all liabilities, claims, proceedings, costs and demands arising out of such act or omission. The Show requires all exhibitors and competitors to hold third party liability insurance for the duration of the event.

36. Force majeure: Whilst every effort will be made to ensure the event takes place as planned, if natural disaster, extreme weather, act of God, war, act or threat of terror, civil commotion, fire, disease or death of a monarch should prevent the Show from running or substantially curtail its activities the Show shall not be liable for any losses incurred and reserves the right to refuse refund of fees.

37. Failure to comply with any of the foregoing regulations could result in prize money being withheld, possible disqualification and refusal of entries in future years.

38. Should any questions arise not provided for in the foregoing rules and regulations, the same must be referred to the Committee, whose decision shall be final.