ENTER A CLASS
You can enter almost any class at the Northern Ireland Festival. The only exceptions being classes 401-415 where you need to pre-qualify.
SHOW RULES
Click Here to view the General Show rules, the Class Specific Rules, the Jumping Fence Heights and the Horse and Pony Breed Criteria Specifications.
SPONSORSHIP OPTIONS
Sponsor a Championship, get a ring named after you or your company, book a trade stand or place an advertisement in the next show catalogue.
RUN A QUALIFIER
Apply to run a Northern Ireland Festival working hunter qualifying show. Simple, free sign up process. Choose which classes you wish to run.
WHAT IS NIF?
The Northern Ireland Festival is the largest annual horse and pony show on the island of Ireland. The three day show takes place at Cavan International Equestrian Centre and attracts around 2500 entries each year.
NORTHERN IRELAND FESTIVAL
Established in 2005, the Northern Ireland Festival has become a firm favourite with competitors and many return year after year. This annual ‘equestrian holiday’ offers a diverse range of jumping and showing classes for a wide variety of horses and ponies.
- Three day show with three ‘black tie’ indoor evening performances.
- Six rings operating throughout the weekend on superb all weather surfaces.
- All the judges are recruited from the Great Britain mainland.
- Includes NI Festival Working Hunter championship finals and HOYS qualifiers.
Latest NIF News
Northern Ireland Festival – Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd May 2026
PLEASE ALLOW SUFFICIENT TIME TO GET INTO THE SHOW-GROUNDS AS ROADS AROUND CAVAN ARE LIKELY TO BE VERY BUSY ALL WEEKEND – EVERY YEAR PEOPLE MISS CLASSES BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T ALLOW ENOUGH TIME. 1). SHOW GROUNDS – open on Thursday 30th April from 12…
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Meet Nifty the Bear
To celebrate the 20th Northern Ireland Festival, all champions at the show will receive a special souvenir Nifty bear in addition to the rosettes and sashes. Nifty (Northern Ireland Festival Twenty Years)
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NIF 2026 Catalogued Animals Numbers
Attached HERE are the catalogued competitor numbers for NIF 2026. Numbers are the same for all classes. They can be collected from the show office when you arrive at Cavan. Numbers must be worn whenever riding or leading an animal – this is an…
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