Mike Etherington-Smith takes the reins at Salperton

Aside from holding the post of chief executive at British Eventing, Mike is probably one of the most prolific designers of his time. Most recently known for his spectacular track at the Olympic Games in Hong Kong, Mike has also been involved in either a designing or technical capacity at Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, WEG 2006 (Germany) and most recently WEG 2010 (Kentucky).

"I am hugely excited at the prospect of designing the course at Salperton Park," says Mike. "With the magnificent Cotswold parkland and the house as a backdrop, Salperton is a favourite of many riders and is considered as one of the best events in the fixtures calendar."

Joining Mike at Salperton will be his eldest son Charles as site manager and also his long standing 2008 Olympic course building team of David Evans and Richard Taylor (DERT). Charles, formally known as Doug followed his father's footsteps in the eventing world and as well as being a part of the formidable DERT cross country course building team, he has been site manager at Chatsworth Horse Trials, joint organiser of Great Tew and made his Site Manager debut at Blenheim this year where he reportedly was a great success.

In its ninth year of running, Gloucestershire based Salperton Park will enjoy continued support from joint sponsors Saffery Champness and Associated Trade Services Limited, which has prompted the organising committee to make such a significant investment. Work starts on fence design, planning and build in January 2012 and Mike's plan to develop Salperton Park's courses by taking out the steep hill before the water complex has been, greatly welcomed by World Class Performance Manager and chef d'equipe for eventing, Yogi Breisner. "The significant investment being made by Salperton's owner, Jason Houghton and event organiser, Karen Bartlett and the appointment of such a high calibre course designer is sure to establish the event as one of the country's best novice and intermediate tracks" said Yogi.