Adelaide Equestrian Festival to Host Historic Oceania Championships in 2026 and 2029
The Adelaide Equestrian Festival, in partnership with the High
Performance units of Equestrian Australia and Equestrian Sports New Zealand, is thrilled to
announce that the next two Australian-hosted instalments of the prestigious Oceania
Championships will take place at the Adelaide Equestrian Festival in 2026 and 2029.
This historic decision follows a challenging Paris Olympiad, marked by numerous major
event postponements and international travel disruptions for equine athletes. The
extension of the Championships to 2026 will ensure that the domestic season for both
Australia and New Zealand competitors will remain unaffected and allow athletes to focus
on an extended preparation for early 2026.

The move marks a significant opportunity for Australian and New Zealand competitors to
showcase their talents in front of the largest equestrian audience in the Southern
Hemisphere. The Adelaide Equestrian Festival, which boasts the only 5***** event in the
region, notably attracts the largest number of spectators but is also the only city-centred
event of its kind worldwide, further elevating the prestige of the Championships.
The Oceania Championships will be contested across two divisions: the CCI3-L for Young
Riders and the CCI4*-S for Senior competitors. This will be the first time the Young Rider
division will be hosted at the Adelaide Equestrian Festival. At the same time, the Senior
teams have not competed here since 2009, when an all-female Australian team won the
coveted Championship honours.
Competition Director Belinda Lindh expressed her enthusiasm, “Securing the Championships
for the 2026 and 2029 instalments is a major win for our Organising Committee. It’s an
incredible opportunity for riders to compete at the pinnacle event in the Southern
Hemisphere. We look forward to developing our program to ensure New Zealand riders and
their support crew experience the best South Australian hospitality alongside our worldclass
competition in Adelaide.”
Will Enzinger, Director of High Performance Equestrian Australia, emphasized the
importance of this collaboration, stating, “Utilizing the Adelaide Equestrian Festival’s worldclass
event to host our longstanding Oceania Championships underscores the collective
efforts of both countries and offers critical exposure to our team environment which creates
an opportunity to develop our talent at the elite level. This competition plays a significant
role in our preparation for the World Championship and Olympic Games”
Jonathan Paget, ESNZ High Performance General Manager stated, “We are fortunate and
appreciate this collaborative approach to providing these great opportunities for our
athletes to experience team competitions, particularly at the Adelaide Equestrian Festival.
This is a great event and really exposes our southern hemisphere combinations to the
international standard. As we build towards LA and Brisbane, these opportunities will play a
critical role in our performance pathway.”
Key Dates:
? Tickets for the 2025 Adelaide Equestrian Festival will be available from Tuesday 3
December, 2024
? 2025 Adelaide Equestrian Festival: 1 – 4 May
? 2026 Adelaide Equestrian Festival & Oceania Championships: 16-19 April, 2026
For further information, please visit www.adelaideequestrianfestival.com