HOLD your Horses – the Devon County Show will very soon be here, and the organising team is working at a fast and furious pace to bring visitors an array of jaw-dropping, adrenalin-fuelled attractions to the main arena. 

Ben Atkinson and his horses will headline in the Devon County Show main ring.
Ben Atkinson and his horses will headline in the Devon County Show main ring. (DCS)

The Headline Act, confirmed across all three days of the show, which will take place on May 16, 17 and 18, will be Ben Atkinson and his magnificent troupe of Atkinson Action Horses. 

For the past 25 years, The Atkinson family has developed a reputation for providing some of the most highly skilled horses and riders in the business for TV, film and photo shoots.  

Ben Atkinson is the family member in charge of taking up the reins at live events.

Ben performed his first display of Roman riding (riding two horses at once) when he was just 11 years-old.

Since then, he has gone on to build his own show team of riders who star at events all over the country including the Horse of the Year Show.

Ben also performs internationally and has trained horses in Dubai and has even horse-mastered on Bollywood film sets.

Do not miss this astonishing display during which riders and horses work in seamless harmony pushing the boundaries of connection between horse and rider to its absolute limits and showcasing some of the most advanced equestrian techniques in power and grace including Liberty, Classical Dressage, Airs Above the Ground (a classical dressage movement in which the horse leaves the ground) and Cossack Trick Riding in each 45-minute show.

The Devon County Show takes place at Westpoint, near Exeter.

The final day of the Show, Saturday, May 18, is Devon County Show’s big family day out when Kids go Free.

It will see a morning and afternoon performance by Jamie Squibb and his freestyle motorcycle stunt team.

Each show, which lasts 30 minutes, will be a white-knuckle ride of death-defying tricks and stunts during which the team will soar through the air from take off ramps in front of the crowds and perform extraordinary manoeuvres mid air.

The whole show is choreographed to pulsating music which, combined with the revving of the bikes, is sure to get your hearts beating and your pulses racing.

Scurry racing, a fast and furiously paced equestrian sport, in which a pair of ponies pull a carriage around a course of cones in an attempt to achieve the fastest time, is another exhilarating feature on this year’s Devon County Show main arena timetable.

Always a crowd favourite, this event which will be performed on each day of the Devon County Show, is a nail-biting qualifier for the 2024 Horse of the Year Show in the Autumn. 

Book your tickets now to get an early bird discount at: www.devoncountyshow.co.uk .