Subaru backs Scone Palace International Horse Trials

Subaru UK & Ireland has supported the Scone Palace International Horse Trials as official vehicle partner, giving the automaker direct access to equestrian and rural buyers at Scotland's only international eventing fixture. The four-day event, held in Perthshire at the end of August and now in its second year, attracted 14 Olympians representing 11 nations. Subaru also sponsored the Subaru Scottish Grassroots Eventing Championship, which provides a route into the sport for young and new competitors, with vehicles displayed alongside the dressage arena and cross-country water jumps and a Subaru-branded spread on the showjumping course.

Subaru UK & Ireland is the UK and Irish distribution operation for Japanese automaker Subaru, run by International Motors Ltd from its Birmingham headquarters across a network of around 65 UK dealers, with Subaru Ireland separately distributed since 1984 through a network of 12 dealerships.

Scone Palace International Horse Trials is a CCI4*-L eventing fixture launched in 2025 in partnership with British Eventing, staged on the grounds of Scone Palace and Perth Racecourse and owned by Scone Estates and the Murray family. It succeeded the long-running Blair Castle International Horse Trials as Scotland's sole international eventing fixture.

The deal follows a well-established playbook for outdoor-focused automotive brands, using event sponsorship to place vehicles directly in front of buyers already engaged in rural and equestrian pursuits rather than relying on conventional advertising.

Subaru UK & Ireland managing director Lorraine Bishton said the company was delighted to be involved as official vehicle partner and title sponsor of the Grassroots Eventing Championship, describing Subaru as synonymous with the rural, outdoor pursuit and equestrian world.

The event itself has grown quickly since replacing Blair Castle International, which ran for almost half a century before folding, giving Subaru an association with an event organisers are positioning as Scotland's leading equestrian fixture with long-term plans to rival established UK counterparts.

For the sector, the sponsorship illustrates how automotive brands with a rural or lifestyle positioning continue to prioritise niche sporting events with a closely matched audience profile over broader-reach sponsorship, even where such events remain in their early growth years.

Source: Motor Trade News / British Eventing / Eventing Nation