The Government is urging more and more recreational
use of the countryside Over 1.5 million riders
regularly use the countryside. Yet their requirements
are being more and more ignored.
LEARN TO “LOVE RIDING” WITH
LOCAL CELEBRITY TEACHER
MINETTE RICE-EDWARDS
How has your 2010 started? Did you keep those New Year promises about getting fitter and having a more balanced lifestyle? Have you been in good spirits or sluggish? Are your resolutions intact, or in tatters? If you fancy an easy approach to taking some action then an introduction to horse riding could be a solution for you.
Love the idea of riding? Local celebrity riding teacher, Minette Rice-Edwards, opens her beautiful Jacobean stables to Richmond residents in a series of "Love Riding" sessions, beginning on Saturday April 24th, 2010. The sessions will include:
A tour of the unique 17th Century stables, with their late Georgian interior plus an introduction to the 14 resident horses, with an explanation of their daily routines;
On-the-ground instructions about the basics of handling horses;
One to one preliminary lesson on an experienced horse – "getting to know the riding essentials";
Full personal diagnosis of the rider’s position, and likely strengths for further development
Refreshments provided in Minette’s walled garden
Special offer price for Minette’s new DVD, "Understanding the Art of Riding".
No previous experience is necessary and the "Love Riding" groups will be limited to a maximum of six to eight people to ensure one on one attention.
The lessons will take approximately two and a half hours and costs just £40.00. They will start at 2.30pm at Ham House Stables
It's vitally
important that riders know and maintain their Rights
of Way.
If we dont know and maintain our Rights of
Way, we will have less and less land on which to ride.
The problem is knowing our Rights of Way
If you are uncertain or have any queries about your
Rights of Way e-mail the Horseytalk.net Rights of Way
Hotline BobMilton@
horseytalk.net
He will tell you your Rights
Gold Cup glory for Imperial Commander
Imperial Commander stayed on strongly up the final hill for trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies and jockey Paddy Brennan to land the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The 7-1 chance travelled powerfully all the way and with Kauto Star falling four fences out, only 2008 Gold Cup winner Denman could stay with him on the turn for home.
Imperial Commander was easily travelling the best of the two, however, and after going ahead on the run to the last, he powered away on the run-in to win with seven lengths to spare.
Reigning champion Kauto Star, chasing his third Gold Cup success, had already made a horrendous mistake at the eighth fence before he came down when looking beaten.
Brennan said: "It's by far the best day of my life. I'm speechless. It was a dream the whole way."
"I've just got to take time to thank my boss (Twiston-Davies). He's the best boss ever - he's produced two horses this week (Imperial Commander and Champion Hurdle runner-up Khyber Kim) and I just had to steer them."
Twiston-Davies, who went on to record a treble on the day, added: "It's absolutely superb. I thought Kauto was in trouble some way out before he fell."
"All the hacks were saying he didn't stay, so we'll go for the Ryanair next year!"
"It's just absolutely brilliant. It's been very hard for us sat there with the third-favourite when all the talk was about Kauto and Denman, but we always knew we were going to win."
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in the South-East. To read the latest issue on-line Click
here
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Barbara
Wigley
They call her, Mrs Golden Horseshoe.
They also say you need lots of endurance to
keep up with her.
For Barbara Wigley, a busy, fast-talking, no-nonsense,
endurance rider is the driving force behind what
over the years has become one of the great, legendary
endurance rides in the world.
Not that there haven't been set-backs along
the way. In fact, at one time it looked as though
the days of the Golden Horseshoe, which today
covers 100 miles of the toughest terrain in the
country, were very nearly over.
British Eventing has just announced that the inaugural Drumclog Horse
Trials will be held on the 21st August 2010, near the historic hamlet of
Drumclog, on the outskirts of Strathaven, South Lanarkshire.
The event will be held at organizer Nesta Gilliland's home of Greenfield
Farm, Drumclog.
Says Nesta, "We are very excited to be hosting Scotland`s only new BE Event
in 2010 and the first ever BE event in Lanarkshire. The location is very
central Scotland- so very well situated for all of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Fife
and Ayrshire riders which are all around 1.5 hrs drive time away."
The event will be hosting BE90, BE100, BE100 Open plus a BE80 Training
class.
Nesta`s husband David decided to diversify the family farming business to
include equestrian facilities, and eventually had a BE standard cross
country course built. The couple have been running hunter trials for over
three years now and with the word spreading in the area about the excellent
ground conditions, and encouragement from BE officials, the next move was to
become a BE affiliated event. So, by popular demand, and with the support of
Iain Graham, (former BE Regional Director for Scotland) Jeanette Brakewell
(who uses the facilities for teaching) plus Fiona Muirhead and Muriel
Colquhoun OBE, that is what the Gilliland's did!
The course is set in 200 acres of farmland and includes a large wooded area,
undulating terrain, three sets of water, including a brand new water
complex - which includes 8 different approaches.
Nesta commented on the BE80(T) course; "Since Greenfields started as a
training facility, many of our fences were already suitable for the BE80(T)
course which is a very important class to encourage riders into the sport."
Much of the course building will be done by David Gilliland himself, who was
involved in helping to build at Thirlestane and laterally Oatridge for the
last few years; David is a course builders bronze level candidate; Fiona
Muirhead is the course designer and Douglas Weymouth will be TA for
Drumclog.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer for the BHS please either contact your Regional Development Officer, Claire McCaffery-Clarke – claire.mc@bhs.org.uk – or the relevant County Chairman.
To keep up to date with news and events please keep an eye on the BHS Regional Website – www.bhs-londonsoutheast.co.uk
Golden Horseshoe Supports the British Endurance Team.
This year, the World Equestrian Games are in Kentucky, USA. As usual, the Horseshoe OC likes to do things differently, so our fundraiser is not a Sponsored Ride. Instead it is a Sponsored Walk!
Over the weekend of 17th/18th April, you can walk half of this year's Golden
Horseshoe Ride route, accompanied by a guide. Entry fee is £10 and you will need to gain a minimum of £15
sponsorship to take part. Approximately 12/13 miles will be covered on each
day, with refreshments provided en route. Take this opportunity to:
** Check out this year's course
** Get yourself fit
** See the fabulous views you don't have time to appreciate when competing
** Help to send our team to Kentucky!
Carol Jones on Ptolemaus >>
See the Golden Horseshoe Website for
more details.
In addition to raising money for the British Team, we are encouraging the competitors
in both the Sunday Pleasure Ride and Trail Run at the Golden Horseshoe to raise
sponsorship for 3 deserving and diverse charities.
Sponsorship
raised in the Sunday Pleasure Ride will go to the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance,
and Moorland Mousie Trust (with competitors choosing their prefered charity).
<< cheque being presented to the Dorset and Somerset Air
Ambulance last year, riders at Tarr Stepps
Sponsorship raised by competitors in the Trail
Run is to go to Leukaemia Research.
Again, full information is on the website,
together with a provisional timetable of the event and also downloadable maps
of where this year's route will go.
Paralysed rider sues motorcyclist for spooking horse and making it bolt
A woman left paralysed after being thrown by her horse is seeking compensation, claiming an uninsured teenage motorcyclist caused her horse to bolt.
Shelley Jane Brown, 47, from Hove, claims the noise from Ian Surry's 250cc trail bike spooked her horse causing him to panic, jump a gate, and throw her off.
A former social worker, she broke her back in the 2006 accident near Shoreham-by-Sea, and is now facing a lifetime in a wheelchair, London's High Court has just been told.
Mr Surry, who was 16 at the time, was uninsured and unqualified to ride such a powerful bike, Ms Brown's counsel, Gordon Bebb QC, told the court.
Pearson raises his voice in support of Sport Relief
GB’s most successful para dressage rider Lee Pearson has swapped test sheets for music scores to join the first ever Sport Relief choir. Led by inspirational choir master Gareth Malone from the hit TV show, 14 Olympic and Paralympic athletes have been brought together to perform a special live recital on BBC2.
Choristers also taking part include sporting heroes Roger Black, Steve Backley, Kriss Akabusi and Daley Thompson. A week of hard graft has unveiled hidden talents among the group, not least in Pearson who has been awarded one of only two solo parts in the performance.
"I hope all BD members will get behind me and donate as much as they can" commented Lee "Gareth is great but the training for this has been torturous, it’s all live and very scary!"
The money raised by Sport Relief is spent by Comic Relief and helps transform the lives of poor and vulnerable people, both at home and across the world’s poorest countries.
A CHALLENGE COMPETITION
SERIES WITH A DIFFERENCE FOR EVERYONE
FROM 7 YEARS
OLD TO 77
UK Chasers have been running
the popular
UK Riders Challenge Series for ten years.
UK Chasers and Riders Course of the Week
Peak Park - UK Chasers Course
30
Peak Park Chasers has one feature most other
Courses do not have - vehicle access around the
entire course. This has proved invaluable for everything
from keeping a parental eye on young, inexperienced
riders to helping professional coaches and trainers
to help riders improve their riding skills.
To have your own Notice Board, only
90p a day .... more info
Horseytalk
Product of the Week
Stuff it in!
Moorland Rider’s new Horse Stuff Big Bag is the perfect place to put all your horse stuff.
The bag itself is made from 10oz cotton canvas and is ideal for carrying all that kit from the house to the stables, from the stables to the car and can even be used as a shopping bag!
‘The Horse Stuff Big Bag was launched at BETA and received really well,’ explains Caroline Graham from Moorland Rider. ‘The
bag has a fun and novel design which was really popular and comes with a mini
version which holds the big bag when it is folded up. The bag is also eco-friendly
and has a huge capacity, you’ll be amazed how much it holds!’
The Horse Stuff Big Bag is available in Natural or Pink and retails at £9.50.
Moorland Rider products are available through a network of stockists across the UK. To find your nearest stockist or to learn more about Moorland Rider.
Thirty-year-old Lancelot, a 16.2hh black Irish draught gelding, worked at the Royal Mews for six years and before that had a long military career. During his time at the Royal Mews he carried the Sovereign Standard of the Life Guards on many parades and was the riding horse for the Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle.
Lancelot retired to The Horse Trust's Home of Rest for Horses in 2006, where he became best friends with Just Otto, another Royal Mews horse, who he had worked with at Windsor Castle.
"Lance was a real gentleman and was very popular with visitors," says Shirley Abbott, the Yard Manager at The Horse Trust. "He will be sadly missed by all who knew him, in particular by his best pal Otto and his groom Matt Bradley."
Shirley said that Otto was noticeably quieter for a few days after Lancelot passed away. She is looking forward to letting him and the other horses out onto the spring paddocks soon.
"Otto was very quiet for the first few days after Lance passed away. As the weather is finally warming up, we can let the horses out onto the spring paddocks soon, which will cheer Otto up."
The sanctuary is also mourning the loss of Pandora, who - at 55 years old - was the oldest equine living at The Home of Rest. Pandora, a blind 9.2hh light brown mare, came to the sanctuary in 2005 with her daughter Chloe, after their elderly owner was no longer able to care for them.
"Pandora was absolutely ancient, outliving her daughter Chloe by a number of years," said Shirley. "She was a very quiet old lady, although she used to shout when she could hear anybody about."
Both Lancelot and Pandora died of natural causes.
All Your Favourite Videos
We've had so many requests to collect all our
favourite videos together that's exactly what we've
done .......Click
here See if you agree with our choice
All's well that ends well.
Five-hour battle to save horse trapped in well
FIREFIGHTERS have just spent five hours digging a horse out of a 10ft well on farmland near Darwen, Lancashire.
Three crews and a rope rescue team were called to Lower Waterside Farm, Johnson New Road, in Waterside.
Kevin Birtwell of Darwen Fire Station, said: " The horse was trapped due to the depth, the confined space, and also the suction caused by the slurry. "
" With the help of a mechanical digger and shovels we began digging away at the side of the well."
" The intention was to create a ramp and a hole in the side so the animal
could try to get out, or we could drag it out."
" The sides of the well had to be removed brick by brick."
" After five hours of rescue work the animal was dragged out by using a mechanical winch, lines, strops and sheer brute force."
The horse eventually got to its feet and was checked over by a vet.
Horseypedia
Everything you need to
know
Gastric Uclers
Controlling Horse Gastric Ulcers
Could feeding alfalfa hay help cure high-performance
horses of stomach ulcers?
It’s commonly thought that horses turned out on pasture are better off than
those that are confined, but if grass hay is the only hay they are fed, horses
can still get gastric ulcers.
A change in diet can be good for what ails you – even if you are a horse.
Research from Texas A&M University shows that feeding alfalfa to horses
that have the potential to be high performers either prevented or was
therapeutic in treating stomach ulcers.
"Something in alfalfa hay tends to buffer acid production," says Dr. Pete
Gibbs, Texas A&M Extension horse specialist.
19.00
Showjumping Ireland
H&C premiers the best of Irish Show Jumping from 2009 season. This episode comes from Ballina
19.30
Showjumping Ireland
H&C premiers the best of Irish Show Jumping from 2009 season. This episode comes from Tattersalls
20.00
Limerick to Dublin by Stagecoach
The Bowman family took their 15 horses across the Irish Sea to re-create the historical Limerick to Dublin coach run and raise money for an extremely worthwhile charity.
21.00
FEI World Cup Showjumping
Watch all the action from the Helsinki Showjumping World Cup.
22.00
Showjumping Ireland
H&C premiers the best of Irish Show Jumping from 2009 season. This episode comes from South County
22.30
Showjumping Ireland
H&C premiers the best of Irish Show Jumping from 2009 season. This final episode comes from Premier Series Final
RURAL TV can be watched in the UK and Ireland on Sky Channel
279 and Freesat 403
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Congratulations to everyone who has signed up for Horses for Heroes
Verity Wise on Chelsea
Ellie Ridpath
on Dicky
Lizzie & Finn
Toni Terry
Vicki Thompson-Winfield
Colonel Ollie Ellwood, the most successful
soldier rider with 14 military meeting wins to his credit
Charles Barnett, Chief Executive, Ascot
Racecourse
*************
Tell us if you've signed up as well.
Send us a photograph of yourself and your horse.
Tell us your e-mail address and postcode.
We want to do everything we can to make sure Horses
for Heroes 2010 is the
most successful charity-raising event in the horsey world.
Maybe we can arrange for riders living close to one another
to co-operate on:
-
fund raising
-
on sharing transport
to and from the event
-
on taking part as a member of a local group rather than as an individual
The Government is urging more and more recreational
use of the countryside Over 1.5 million riders
regularly use the countryside. Yet their requirements
are being more and more ignored.
How has your 2010 started? Did you keep those New Year promises about getting fitter and having a more balanced lifestyle? Have you been in good spirits or sluggish? Are your resolutions intact, or in tatters? If you fancy an easy approach to taking some action then an introduction to horse riding could be a solution for you.
It's vitally
important that riders know and maintain their Rights
of Way.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer for the BHS please either contact your Regional Development Officer, Claire McCaffery-Clarke – 
sponsorship to take part. Approximately 12/13 miles will be covered on each
day, with refreshments provided en route. Take this opportunity to: 
Sponsorship
raised in the Sunday Pleasure Ride will go to the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance,
and Moorland Mousie Trust (with competitors choosing their prefered charity).
" The sides of the well had to be removed brick by brick." 
