It is with great pleasure that The Howden Way announce their Rider Talent Academy cohort for 2026.
The Howden Way Talent Rider Academy supports riders aged 14–25 years who compete within the British Eventing framework, providing top-class training and education as they progress through the age groups and into senior competition. Working in collaboration with British Eventing, the Academy aims to nurture and develop the next generation of talent, enabling each rider to reach their full potential.
Following the recent introduction of the FEI Under-25 Eventing World Championships, the programme has been aligned to support riders aiming for this new championship, with the upper age limit set at 25 from 2026.
Justine Parker, Programme Director for The Howden Way, said “The Rider Talent Academy continues to go from strength-to-strength, with this year’s cohort delivering outstanding results from medals at the Youth European Championships to individual successes on the global stage.
We look forward to working with next year’s riders alongside British Eventing’s Head of Youth, Darrell Scaife, as we continue to support emerging talent. Our aim is not only to develop high-performance athletes, but to nurture their holistic growth, equipping them with the skills, resilience, and mindset needed to achieve their personal goals both within the sport and beyond.
Darrell Scaife, Head of Youth for British Eventing said “To be able to offer the level of training that The Howden Way offer our next generation of riders is something I can’t place enough value on. We are extremely fortunate to have the Rider Talent Academy and I would like to take this opportunity to thank The Howden Way personally for their tremendous support of the sport.”
The riders who have been selected and accepted their place on the programme, based on reaching the required age group performance criteria in the 2025 season, can be found on the Rider Talent Academy page here.
The Howden Way, founded by David Howden, Group CEO and Founder of Howden and Founder and President of Cornbury Horse Trials, supports British Eventing extensively by delivering The Talent Rider Academy, the Young Horse Academy in addition to supporting grassroots regional training, the Young Horse Leagues additional prize fund for the young horse classes and the National Young Horse Championships for British Eventing. Cornbury Horse Trials also hosts some of the youth national championships for British Eventing and will be hosting the FEI Youth World Championships in 2027.
Equine and rider welfare is at the forefront of everything The Howden Way represents and the above activities supporting those within the sport of Eventing will soon be joined by the launch of a Thoroughbred Aftercare Programme to support the ex-racehorse and its new rider as it transitions from racehorse to riding horse.