[Blume Farm]

I am planning on trying to attend the Bundeschapionat this year in September. I was wondering if anyone knows the following:

1 a website in english that lists the days classes/ schedule
2. how to purchase tickets
3. recommendations for hotels to stay

I just have to brag a bit as I am so excited about this trip! My friend and I will hopefully be spending the last week of August in France on a horse tour through Bordeaux and then the first week in Warendorf at the Bundeschapionat!!!!!!!!

How freakin' fun does that sound!

But it is going to take me a lot of time to organize plane fare, train fare, hotels, etc so I am trying to start now

[honeylips]

I attended the 2012 Bundeschampionate as an owner and actually had the honor of winning. :-) very exciting to say the least.

As an owner you are provided entry - which was a great perk.
However - tickets do not need to be purchased in advance. There is a ticket office open at the front and you can purchase a day pass or a week pass.

The only seats that are "assigned" and hard to get are in the jumper arena.

In the dressage arena, pony dressage arena and in the young horse arena - it is open seating. Same for driving and eventing.

Hotels book up yearly in advance within a 30 minute drive range. Many people just reserve rooms for the next year when they check out.

We stayed in the east side of Munster area (near the Westfalen offices) and just drove each day. It was about 30 minutes drive.

You will need a car and parking is in a field across the street from the entrance.

Be prepared to walk a LOT. Lots of standing and watching. As with most shows the warmup is often just as interesting as the classes.
Be prepared for rain!

[alexandra]

parking across the entrance ??? Lucky you. The official parking places are not close (has to be paid) with a walk of at least 10 minutes up to the entrance. I would say handicapped will have options, but normal people have to get into line and follow everyone ;-)

Schedule will not be available as shortly before the event. But it is basically the same each year in means of on which day is what but no times of classes yet.
check www.bundeschampionate.tv maybe the old timetable Programm is still there.
Booking tickets in advance can get you a discount. Hints to that should be on Bundeschampionate.tv
But it is not in english as far as I can see.

Hotels - well that is rather difficult the longer you wait. On Bundeschampioante a list of hotels available. Actually you do not need anything fancy. You can not use it anyways, as days are long....

Not only be prepaired for rain: have a small backpack (walks to the car can be 10 to 15 minutes...). A hat for sun and/or rain; a good help is a tiny, small camping chair that you can fold. Not a chair chair, but something to sit on if all is full and after a long day you wnat to sit, fold up and ligh, but normally you find something to sit on and if it is a tree alongside the XC area. Also good a light rain poncho that covers you and your legs when sitting completely is great. Maybe somehting that can be blown up like a cushion to sit on, if you have problems with that - hard chairs.... and I am always wearing "onion look". I had BC visits where we ran along in t-Shirts sweating, I had pouring rain and temps around 10 Celsius and next day sunny and warm. I had stiff wind... So I have clothes with me that I can put on top of each other and also take off.

Be prepaired to a lot of people do not speak english at all (especially in shops, gas stations etc. outside showgrounds) - on the other hand you find on such events a lot of people fluent in it.

And to be honest: 4 days of BC is EXCAUSTING and not a fun holiday ! The walking and the concentrated watching - long days - uff...

[alexandra]

Food and drinks (including alcohol in form of beer, wine and others ;-) ) are available on the showgrounds for everybodys taste something. If you like something fresh, take an apple and/or Banana with you - can not be bought on the grounds.

[honeylips]

we parked quite simply (no special parking pass) in a farmers field directly across from the entrance. He charged a few euros a day. There were a LOT of cars in the field. Just normal people parking there. Took 5 minutes to walk. Park in the field, cross the street, down the drive way past the pony dressage arenas to the entrance on that side.

Nothing special - just parking in the field with a few hundred other cars.

[honeylips]

As to the schedule - the young horse classes flipflopped competition days from 2011 to 2012.
In years prior the 3yos were on Friday and Sunday with the 4yos on Thurs/Saturday. In 2012 they 3yos were on Thursday and Saturday and the 4yos were on Friday and Sunday.

It is really exhausting though. Lots of standing, lots of walking. First day it was hot, the next pouring rain and freezing, windy one day then the final day was nice.

But I wouldn't have traded it for the world! But I needed a vacation after my "vacation"

[Blume Farm]

Thanks everyone for your responses! I booked a hotel today. It is about 8 miles away but we will be renting a car so I think it should be fine.

I am so excited! A few years ago I was lucky to go to WEF in Kentucky, attended the stallion licensing in Verden and many, many mare shows last year on my courses. So I am used to long days at show events for days in a row The only thing is both times the weather was great Let's hope I bring good weather with me to Warendorf in September!

This will be my first time at a very large young horse show under saddle. I am excited to see all the different disciplines and the ponies A few years ago they offered a course at the Bundeschampionat with a translator discussing the movement of the dressage horses. A few friends of mine took it and said it was wonderful. I am hoping they may offer the course again this year as I think that would be very educational.