Beekbergen, 23 January 2026 – CAI Beekbergen, which was scheduled to take place from 23 to 26 July 2026, will not be held this year. The organisation has consciously chosen to skip a year, partly due to developments in the international competition calendar, and is focusing fully on a strong international programme in 2027 and, in particular, on a possible Four-in-Hand World Championship in 2028.
This decision follows an exceptionally successful edition in 2025, when Beekbergen hosted the World Driving Championship for Pair Horses. The World Championship was internationally praised for its sporting quality, organisation and overall presentation, and remains vivid in the memories of many drivers, officials and visitors.
However, organising a championship at this level requires an enormous investment of time, financial resources and manpower. The Van Tergouw family, initiator and organiser of CAI Beekbergen, wishes to continue setting the bar high and therefore opts for a deliberate pause. “Together with the entire team, we put everything into creating a magnificent event for both participants and spectators over the course of a full year,” says Mieke van Tergouw. “In doing so, we were able to count on the support of the Municipality of Apeldoorn, the province and many loyal sponsors. It was recently announced that a World Cup qualifying competition for four-in-hand driving will be organised in Rastede (Germany) during the same weekend. This overlap makes it difficult to realise the field of participants in Beekbergen that matches the international ambitions of Paardenspektakel. We want to offer the public nothing less than the absolute world top and do not wish to make any concessions in terms of sporting quality. In consultation with the KNHS, it was therefore decided to skip the 2026 edition and focus on the years ahead.”
At present, Beekbergen, in cooperation with the Dutch Equestrian Federation KNHS, is officially in the running to bring the Four-in-Hand World Championship 2028 to the Netherlands. In addition, work is underway on a strong international event that will take place from 28 July to 1 August 2027, as a lead-up to that possible World Championship. The coming years will therefore be fully dedicated to quality, international appeal and top-level sport.
This does not mean, however, that nothing will take place at the Riant Equestrian Centre in the summer of 2026. On the contrary: the organisation is working on an attractive and accessible event in which carriage driving will take centre stage, with room for experience, knowledge sharing and sport. More information about this will follow shortly.
The KNHS is currently exploring possible alternatives for the National Championships that were to be held in Beekbergen. As soon as more is known, this will be communicated through the KNHS’s regular channels.
With this course, CAI Beekbergen underlines its ambition to organise top-level sporting events at the highest level, with its sights firmly set on 2027 and, hopefully, the Four-in-Hand World Championship in 2028.