*** COMPETE ONLINE & WIN ***

Our Winter Obstacle Challenge (or Summer for Australian competitors!) provides an opportunity to perfect and show off your WE obstacle riding skills from your own stables / barn with minimal equipment and space needed.

Whether you are wanting to keep you and your horse ticking over during the winter months or you are training and practicing for a new higher level of competition ready for the 2026 season, this is the perfect training companion for you!

The Obstacle Challenge Series will pit riders of all levels from around the WE World against each other over three months of competition with a chance to win £100 GBP / $175 CAD / $125 USD / €100 EUR / $190 AUS / $225 NZD to spend at your choice of online equestrian retailer.

(Please note that prize is calculated in British Pounds Stirling (GBP), the conversion rate is approximate and may change. Please see rules for full details).

Running from December to February the Obstacle Challenge Series requires riders to video themselves riding 10 obstacles per month across the three months. Videos are submitted and marked with feedback provided each month on an Ease of Handling / Maneability score sheet. Each month scores are added to a leaderboard. After all three months, the rider with the highest cumulative score wins!

Riders must submit 10 obstacles every month to stay in the challenge and be in with a chance of winning.

All obstacles can be ridden using the minimum of equipment and do not require official or specialist WE obstacles. If you have them, you may use them, but you can make everything you need from the usual kit you will have in most equestrian settings.

• You can set your obstacles up individually focussing on one at a time - no requirement to ride them as a course / floor plan.
• You can video your obstacles in your own time - they do not need to be recorded on the same day, just so long as they are recorded in the month on competition.
• You can set your obstacle up in whatever area you have available, so long as it is safe - indoors, outdoors, in a ring, in a ménage, in a field, on sand, on grass, on snow!

You can find our free obstacle making and obstacle riding resources here: https://www.equus.training/we-at-home

The Obstacle Challenge Series is all about the style and correctness of riding each obstacle and will judged just as it would at a competition considering the approach, the obstacle, and the ride away.

Riders can ride and compete under the rules and levels from any of the 25 WAWE nations. Riders can be from any country and can choose any national regulations or level to compete under. The organisers will match the international levels to ensure that all competitors are judged at the appropriate level therefore ensuring a fair competition for all riders, regardless of level. There is no reason a beginner to the sport of WE riding a 'walk and trot' level of obstacle could not beat a rider at Advanced level as each rider is judged in accordance with the execution of each obstacle at their level.

Making your entry:

1. Enter your details on the form just as you would for a normal event. Add the entry to your basket and checkout. Multiple entries for multiple horse / riders combinations can be added to your cart and paid for at the same time.
2. Once your entry is confirmed you can start practicing and recording your obstacles uploading them by the due date for the three monthly submissions.
3. When you have your videos ready and you are happy to submit them, upload them to Youtube as an unlisted video, copying and pasting the links into a "video upload" item here: Click to Upload Videos
   Note, you will need to have already entered and paid for your entry before you submit your video links. The video upload is a free "item" that will ask you for the confirmed order number from your entry that will allow us to match your videos to your entry. Full details of how to create an unlisted video can be found on the video upload item Click to Upload Videos
4. Sit back and wait for your monthly feedback, work on improvements and the results.

Class Levels:

Riders are distinguished by their age and their level of competitive riding - Junior Riders 16 years and under, and senior riders, 17 years and older.

The Obstacles

1. Jump
2. Rope Gate
3. Rein Back Corridor (does not require a bell)
4. Pen
5. Barrels (3 barrels for Intermediate & Advanced riders where national rules dictate)
6. Slalom (double slalom for Intermediate & Advanced riders where national rules dictate)
7. Vara Pickup and Put Down (without a Bull)
8. Bridge
9. Switch Cup or Sideways Pole - for levels of competition where a sideways pole is an obstacle at competition, riders should complete a sideways pole, where sideways pole is not used (e.g. at lower levels) riders should perform a switch cup.
10. Jug

The Dates

Entries for the WE Obstacle Challenge Series must be made by 31 December 2026.
(A single entry fee confirms entry to the three month challenge series)

Videos of all 10 obstacles must be uploaded each month by every horse / rider competition.

Video upload dates:

For December's obstacles - 11 January 2026
For January's obstacles - 1 February 2026
For February's obstacles - 1 March 2026

The winner will be announced on or before 29 March 2026

Rules and Conditions of Entry:

1. The competition is run by Equus Training - a trading name of Equus Training & Consulting Ltd.
2. No responsibility can be taken by the organisers for loss or injury resulting from partaking in the online training competition. Owners and riders are to take note that riding horses can result in accident or injury and reasonable and practicable precautions should be taken when riding and around horses.
3. Equus Training recommend that a protective riding hat with the relevant safety standards should be worn when partaking in riding. All junior riders entering must be seen in the videos wearing a protective riding hat with a harness fitted and secured.
4. Junior riders must be 16 years old or under at the time of riding / recording. Senior competitors should be older than 16 years.
5. No responsibility can be taken for a competitors failure to upload a video within the required timeframe. The organisers will make every effort to contact a competitor using the contact details provided should it be found that a video has not uploaded correctly and is therefore unwatchable.
6. Entries for the series cannot be made after the closing date of 31 December
7. A competitor who fails to upload videos for any one of the three months will be deemed to have withdrawn from the training competition.
8. Videos must be recorded specifically for the training competition being entered and not be copies of videos from previous competitions / months.
9. Entry fees for online training events are non-refundable.
10. Questions and queries can be emailed to events@equus.training
11. Dress code: Competitors should be wearing neat, tidy, and safe riding attire suitable for Working Equitation. This can be, but does not need to be "competition wear".
12. Marks: Marks will be award for the obstacles in accordance with the rules for association the rider has chosen to ride under. Variance to the marking guidance will only apply to "presentation" where the dress code has been relaxed.
13. Tack: Official rules and guidance do not apply to the online training events.
14. The online training events are not affiliated to any national or international governing body for Working Equitation.
15. Prize Value: the winning rider will receive a voucher to the value of £100 GBP, or the equivalent value in their local currency. The value of the prize will depend on exchange rates at the time of award.
16. Prize Voucher: the winning rider will be able to nominate the online store of their choice in the country of their residence that they wish to receive a voucher for. The online retailer must have the facility for an electronic gift voucher to be purchased online by Equus Training. The voucher to the correct value will then be emailed to the winner.