The past twelve months have absolutely flown by here at the British Eventing Support Trust, and we can’t quite believe we’re putting the finishing touches on the 2025 Winter Ball! It’s just three weeks away as we write this, taking place on Saturday 29th of November at The Savoy in London and we’re thrilled to share what our guests can expect on the night and the details of our silent auction.
The Winter Ball is our biggest fundraising event of the year and gathers so many people who make the sport of eventing what it is. We’re joined by current and former riders, owners, breeders, supporters and a myriad of other people who work tirelessly to help us deliver our aims. It’s a very special evening with a champagne reception, dinner, dancing, auctions, raffles and a lot of laughs and celebrations. And, of course, all that merriment is for a very good cause. This year demand for our support is on track to have grown 52% compared to 2024, so fundraising is more critical than ever before! We hope you’ll join us in making this Winter Ball the ‘best’ yet and raising the bar for what the charity delivers next year.
Silent auction with prizes galore
Our ball committee members have been working their socks off for months to make sure that this year’s silent auction features amazing prizes that will appeal to guests of every age. Here are just some of the highlights from this year’s prize list:
We have got equestrian experiences including a half day with Bubby Upton at her yard – including XC training, a yard tour and demo with Gemma Stevens and yard tour and meet the horses with Vittoria Panizzon. Dressage training with Daisy Coakley, a lesson with Tom Rowland or a riding lesson and goody bag from Will Rawlin.
You could spend a day behind the scenes at a competition with current world number 1 event rider Harry Meade, or enjoy coursewalks at Badminton and Burghley with Lucinda Green. There’s a tour of Johnston Racing’s Kingsley Park stables in North Yorkshire or a visit to Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket to see some of Godolphin’s stallions and enjoy lunch.
Holidays and experiences up for grabs in this year’s silent auction include a week’s stay in a cosy Cotswold cottage, a week in a Rhode Island beach house or a summer week in a luxury chalet in Meribel. There are stays in North Devon, Chelsea, Northumbria and a dinner experience at Restaurant 8 in Liverpool, as well as two tickets to a race meeting at Cheltenham.
Glam up with hat hire from Alice Brooks Bespoke, stay safe in the saddle with a Point2 Air Jacket or win a year’s sponsorship from Zebra products worth a thousand pounds! We’ve got luxury leather goods including a Dubarry Durrow Leather Weekend Bag and a Mini Mayfair bag from Aspinal of London and a Cotswold Fox Quarter Zip designed exclusively for the British Eventing Support Trust.
Art and photography prizes include a beach photo shoot with SJR Equestrian Photography, a custom hand-drawn pet portrait by Jemma Worsfold, spending a day with Hannah Cole, an equine or canine photoshoot with Imogen Moon and a bespoke portrait of your horse from Georgie Turner. There’s even eventing memorabilia from Paris 2024 thanks to Laura Collett and Ros Canter, a brush jump, boozy hampers, magnums of Mirabeau wine and so, so much more.
Browse our Jumblebee page for the full list of prizes on offer (and we’re still adding some late additions, so make sure you check!). The silent auction is live now and will run until the evening of Saturday 29th of November. Good luck and thank you for helping us raise vital funds to support British Eventing competing members.
Keep your eyes peeled for six very special live auction prizes which will be launched very soon and our fundraising announcement the week after the Winter Ball!
To view all the silent auction lots and to start bidding just head over to: https://www.jumblebee.co.uk/BESTwinterball2025