Show jumps off to new venue

The Horse of the Year Show is to move from London's Wembley Arena to the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.

Grandstand Media, the show's organisers, and the NEC have signed a two-year agreement.

The Horse of the Year Show was first staged at Haringay in 1949 and moved to Wembley Arena 10 years later.

The lack of guaranteed space in the Wembl ey complex and impending redevelopment of the site have been the catalyst in the move to Birmingham.

"Unfortunately, the venue management at Wembley were unable to give us the necessary guarantees of sufficient space to accommodate the Horse of the Year Show," said Mark Wein, a director of Grandstand Media.

"We were delighted to find that the NEC was extremely keen to host the show."