Held in the Sheepwalks at Blenheim Palace since 1990, the International Horse Trials are where eventing horses step up towards the sport's five-star tests.
International eventing returns to the Sheepwalks at Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, from Thursday 16 to Sunday 19 September 2027. The headline class is the Agria CCI4*-Long.
The palace was built between 1705 and 1722 for the first Duke of Marlborough, to designs by John Vanbrugh. The Crown granted the land after his victory at Blenheim, and the house has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.
The horse trials arrived in 1990, when the international three-day event at Chatsworth came to an end and Blenheim took its place. The FEI European Young Rider Championships came here from 1994, and Zara Phillips won individual and team gold at the 2005 European Eventing Championships.
Riders use the four-star class to bring a horse up towards Badminton and Burghley. The field is younger, and the cross country is built to test a horse stepping up.
The 2027 trials follow the four-day pattern of dressage, cross country and jumping in the Sheepwalks. Beside the main class, the GFS Saddles class for eight- and nine-year-old horses shows the next generation of international eventers.