PERFORMANCE classes are hugely popular with competitors and spectators alike and, late on Thursday afternoon, 16 four-year-olds and a similar number of five-year-olds are due before David Lee and Lizzie Murray for the dressage plus conformation and type phases of the Knotts Bakery young event horse championship.

For the first time, these phases will be staged in the Main Arena and will be followed by the jumping phase where horses will be judged by Libby Cooke over a course designed by Adrienne Stuart. Photographs of the participating horses, mostly standing shots, will be shown on the big screen as each horse, who had to qualify for the championship, comes before the three judges.