World Championship Four-in-Hand 2028 allocated to Beekbergen

For the organising committee, the award is a wonderful confirmation of the course that was set following the highly successful FEI World Driving Championship for Pairs in 2025. That event received widespread praise from competitors, officials and spectators alike for its excellent organisation, sporting quality and welcoming atmosphere.

“Incredibly proud”

Following that championship, Paardenspektakel Beekbergen immediately set its sights on the future. The ambition was clear: to continue growing, keep raising the bar and once again bring a major international championship to the region. Seeing those ambitions rewarded with the allocation of the 2028 World Championship is a source of great pride and gratitude.

“We are incredibly proud that the FEI has once again placed its confidence in Paardenspektakel Beekbergen as organiser of a World Championship,” says initiator Mieke van Tergouw. “After the fantastic World Driving Championship for Pairs in 2025, we said we wanted to keep raising the bar. The fact that this has now resulted in the awarding of the 2028 FEI Driving World Championship Four in Hand is a tremendous reward for all our volunteers, sponsors, partners and everyone who has contributed over the past years.”

Historical

The 2028 championship also has a special historical significance. It will be the fourth time that the Netherlands hosts the FEI Driving World Championship Four in Hand. Exactly forty years earlier, in 1988, the championship took place on the grounds of Paleis Het Loo in Apeldoorn. Four decades later, the world’s premier four in hand event returns to the region where an important chapter in Dutch 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 major boost for the sport of driving in The Netherlands.”

First stop: International competition in 2027

Before the world’s best drivers return to Beekbergen in 2028, the region will host an international driving completion for horse pairs and horse Four-in-Hand from 28 July to 1 August 2027. Visitors can look forward to top-level international sport in a unique and accessible atmosphere, combined with entertainment for all ages, including sport, shows, live music, regional products and family activities.

With the awarding of the 2028 FEI Driving World Championship Four in Hand, Apeldoorn/Beekbergen once again confirms its position as a leading international venue for the sport of carriage driving.

Click here for more information about the World Championships in Beekbergen

Photo: Wilko van Driessen