Blenheim Palace's four-star Horse Trials, run since 1990 as the proving ground for riders moving up to Badminton and Burghley, filled the Sheepwalks for four days of eventing.
International three-day eventing filled the Sheepwalks at Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, from Thursday 17 to Sunday 20 September 2026.
The palace was built between 1705 and 1722 for the first Duke of Marlborough, to designs by John Vanbrugh, on land the Crown granted after his victory in Bavaria. Queen Anne paid towards it until the money was stopped in 1712. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.
The trials began in 1990, taking the place of the international three-day event that had run at Chatsworth. The FEI European Young Rider Championships followed from 1994, and Zara Phillips won individual and team gold here at the 2005 European Eventing Championships.
Blenheim is the four-star event riders use to move up, so its field is younger and less settled than Badminton’s or Burghley’s. Its cross-country course is built to test a horse stepping up.
The 2026 trials ran across four days of dressage, cross country and showjumping, in parkland well away from the house. More than 200 trade stands spread across the estate.