Storm Éowyn causes cancellations of equestrian competitions

A number of equestrian competitions have been cancelled owing to the arrival of Storm Éowyn.

Yesterday (23 January) the Met Office issued multiple weather warnings as the UK’s first named storm of 2025 brings “disruptive winds, heavy rain, and snow for some”.

A red warning, reserved for the most severe weather with a danger to life, has been issued in northern Ireland and the central belt of Scotland, and amber warnings for wind are in place for north Scotland and northeast England. Yellow warnings for wind are in place around the east and west midlands, the east, southeast and west and London. A yellow warning for snow is in place for north and central Scotland.

A number of equestrian venues that had been due to run competitions today (24 January) and over the weekend (25-26 January) have announced cancellations including Kelsall Hill, Cheshire, which had been due to run British Dressage (BD) today.

“Following the extreme weather warnings issued by the Met Office for Friday 24 January, BD has been in consultation with those venues located in the yellow, amber and red zones,” said a BD spokesperson.

“In the interest of both rider safety and horse welfare, all venues likely to be adversely affected by Storm Éowyn have been advised to either postpone or reschedule their shows.”

The spokesperson added that the High Profile event at Vale View Equestrian Centre (24-26 January) will be continuing as planned, as the majority of competitors [are] already on site.

British Showjumping shows at Leyland Court (24 January), Beacons Equestrian and Colraine Equestrian (26 January) have been cancelled. Today’s classes at the Aintree International Winter Classic (23-26 January) are off, and further updates will be provided throughout the day.

“We currently have 165 horses stabled on site and our priority is to keep horses, grooms and riders safe until the storm dies down this evening,” said an Aintree spokesperson.

A Met Office spokesperson said the worst of the winds from Storm Éowyn will ease today, but after a “brief calmer spell”, further strong winds and heavy rain are expected on Sunday.

“The strongest winds will be focussed in western parts, while the wettest conditions will likely be across Wales, central and southern England. This low pressure will not be as powerful as Storm Éowyn but it could hamper the recovery efforts of responders in some of the impacted areas from Friday’s storm,” he said.

“Warnings could be updated through the weekend and into next week, so keep up to date with the forecast.”

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