HORSE Sport Ireland is seeking expressions of interest from show organisers and venues who would be interested in running a leg of the Longines EEF Series during the competition cycle 2026–2030.

If successful, it would be the first time Ireland would play host to the Nations Cup series, which runs at three-star level – four-star for the final – and is considered a vital platform for emerging and established nations to compete in a structured and high-quality environment.

As the National Federation, HSI is coordinating the national selection process and will submit endorsed bids to the European Equestrian Federation (EEF).

“There was no pre-process before the EEF opened the bidding, they’ve now formally opened their call and each National Federation is invited to endorse one application from their country,” HSI’s head of sport, legal and governance Avalon Everett told The Irish Field.

“HSI has not proactively bid for a leg; instead, we are now seeking expressions of interest from potential Organising Committees (OCs) in Ireland who wish to be considered. The selected venue or organiser will then be submitted as Ireland’s official application to the EEF for the upcoming cycle. The EEF, in consultation with the FEI, will make the final decision.”

Venues/organising committees interested in applying to host a leg must submit their preferred dates, the full legal name of the OC submitting the application, as well as detailed information on the venue including a facilities overview (arenas, stabling, hospitality, spectator amenities), previous event history (particularly FEI-level or large scale national events) and photos or videos of the venue if available.

They must also include the footing specification and their organising experience, their vision for the event and a confirmation of good standing with Horse Sport Ireland.

In response to what ‘good standing with Horse Sport Ireland’ means, Everett explained: “This is a standard term used widely across National Federations and sporting bodies. For us, it means the venue or organiser is compliant with HSI’s rules and policies, FEI rules and procedures, has no unresolved financial or compliance issues, and maintains appropriate standards of governance and conduct.

“It also includes demonstrated ethical behaviour in dealings with HSI, athletes, horse welfare, officials, and the wider equestrian community, including constructive and respectful engagement. Where applicable, safeguarding obligations must also be met. Overall, it reflects alignment with the values and standards expected of those representing Irish equestrian sport on an international stage.”

Transparent process

HSI says it will apply a fair and transparent selection process to all expressions of interest received. The assessment criteria will be weighted as: venue suitability 25%; organising experience 20%; financial and logistical capability 30%; strategic fit 15%; vision and innovation 10%.

Shortlisted organising committees may be invited to make a short presentation to the Horse Sport Ireland selection panel and the final decision will be made by the HSI Executive.

HSI has said that the submission does not guarantee endorsement. “Even if only one application is received, the Organising Committee must demonstrate that it meets the required standards under the published criteria. Horse Sport Ireland reserves the right not to nominate any candidate if the application does not sufficiently meet the standards expected by Horse Sport Ireland. The selected OC will have their bid officially endorsed by Horse Sport Ireland and submitted to the European Equestrian Federation before the EEF deadline of June 30th 2025,” the document on their website explains.

Costings

As per the EEF series rules, each CSIO which hosts a qualifying round must offer a prize fund of €65,000 in the Nations Cup. OCs may offer additionally €50,000 as prize money to the athlete(s) with the best performance in both rounds of the Nations Cup competition.

Ms Everett said, at this point, HSI don’t have confirmed costings of running such an event. “These will become clearer as further technical and delivery requirements are set out by the EEF. We do anticipate that hosting will require a high level of operational capacity and commercial planning in line with FEI expectations.”