Forty Years After the World Championship at Het Loo Palace, the Region Writes a New Chapter in Dutch Carriage Driving History
Apeldoorn/Beekbergen, 3 July 2026 – It is official: the FEI Four-in-Hand Driving World Championship 2028 will take place in Beekbergen, the Netherlands, from 6 to 10 September 2028. The international equestrian governing body, the FEI, has awarded the organisation of the championship to the Netherlands and Beekbergen.
For the organising committee, the award is a wonderful confirmation of the course that was set following the highly successful FEI Pair Driving World Championship 2025. That championship received widespread praise from competitors, officials and visitors alike for its outstanding organisation, high sporting standards and welcoming atmosphere.
Following that event, Paardenspektakel Beekbergen set its sights firmly on the future. The ambition was clear: to continue raising the bar, keep developing the event and once again bring an international championship to the region. Seeing those efforts rewarded with the hosting rights for the 2028 World Championship fills the organisation with pride and gratitude.
“We are incredibly proud that the FEI has once again placed its confidence in Paardenspektakel Beekbergen as the organiser of a World Championship,” says initiator Mieke van Tergouw. “After the fantastic Pair Driving World Championship in 2025, we said we wanted to keep raising the bar. The fact that this has now resulted in the awarding of the FEI Four-in-Hand Driving World Championship 2028 is a tremendous reward for all our volunteers, sponsors, partners and everyone who has dedicated themselves over the past years.”
The 2028 championship also carries a special historical significance. It will be the fourth time that the Netherlands hosts the FEI Four-in-Hand Driving World Championship. Exactly forty years earlier, in 1988, the championship was held on the grounds of Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn. Four decades later, the world’s premier Four-in-Hand event returns to the very region where an important chapter in Dutch carriage driving history was written.
“We are delighted and honoured to have secured such a prestigious event for the Netherlands,” says Justus Valk, Sports Manager at the Royal Dutch Equestrian Federation (KNHS). “This is not only a fantastic opportunity to see the world’s best drivers compete on home soil, but also a great boost for the sport of carriage driving in the Netherlands.”
Looking Ahead to 2027: International Carriage Driving Returns to Apeldoorn/Beekbergen
Before the world’s best Four-in-Hand drivers arrive in 2028, the region will first host the International Driving Competition from 28 July to 1 August 2027.
Visitors can look forward to world-class international sport in a unique and accessible setting, combined with entertainment for all ages, including spectacular driving competitions, shows, live music, regional products and a wide range of family activities.
With the awarding of the FEI Four-in-Hand Driving World Championship 2028, Apeldoorn/Beekbergen further strengthens its reputation as one of the leading international venues for carriage driving.
Photo credit: Wilko van Driessen