Outdoor Brabant will organize the first FEI European Championship for Four in Hand since 1981, from September 1 to 4, 2011. The FEI has recently awarded these championships to Breda after Budapest indicated to withdraw their candidacy due to short notice.
Breda has been organizing the exclusive Nations Cup for Four in Hand in the Netherlands for years and when it became known that Budapest was no longer available, without hesitation, the organization put themselves forward. Partly based upon the excellent organization of the FEI Para Equestrian World Driving Championships in 2010, the FEI European Championships this year were assigned to Breda.
Outdoor Brabant is one of the leading Four in Hand competitions in the world and has already proven to be ambitious. In 1995, Breda where the first European Championships for pony's was held and in 2010, Breda Hippique jumped into the breach for the para equestrian riders by organizing the World Championships for them.
The last European Championships for Four in Hand were held in 1981 in Zug, Switzerland, and was won by the Hungarian Gyorgy Bardos.
The FEI Open European Championships 2011 in Breda are open to European and non-European Four in Hand drivers. This competition will count as a qualifier for the FEI World Cup Four in Hand indoor, which will be held this winter. Only the European horsemen can claim the individual and team medals in Breda. Besides the Four in Hand for horses, there are also the international pony and national driving pairs competitions at the estate of the Prinsenhoeve in Breda.