Facebook Twitter Instagram

Month: April 2017

Categories
Discount Providers EHOA

Luxury Motorhome for hire

Perfect for joining in all the best aspects of having your horse competing at three day events. Fed up with staying off site and missing out on parties (drink driving!) and behind the scenes special moments with your horse.

Our luxury American Motorhome will sleep up to 7 people, one kingsize pop-out bedroom, two pop-out bunk beds and a sofa bed and large single in the main pop-out lounge area.

Full size shower room with basin and loo and vanity units. American sized fridge freezer , oven, hob, microwave and nespresso coffee machine! Gas BBQ and outdoor table and chairs provided.

The motorhome would be delivered and set up on site for you fully kitted out with bed linen and towels and a welcome pack and full handover instructions. When you leave just walk out and we will sort the rest!

Price £2250 per part week/week plus delivery and hook up. 10% discount for EHOA members.

For more information please call Michael or Sophie Payne on 01799 550 621 or 07850701007 or sophiecbpayne@msn.com

Categories
Grass Roots

Jack Update

Jack
Jack

We took Jack off to Bicton International Horse Trials at the weekend and competed in the BE100. We only managed a run at Moreton so really needed the run. The ground was great hard but the ground cover was fab and the ground staff had obviously worked really hard.

Dressage was a nice neat test having warmed up really well, a small lapse and break in canter before being quickly picked up. He ended on 32.8 which was fair. He is certainly capable of more but it put him in the top 10.

A fabulous show jumping round it all seemed to come together and we couldn’t have been more pleased.

Jack
Jack

Cross Country and on checking the live results he’d moved up the table to 6th and people seemed to be coming in too slow, unfortunately kicked on a bit too much and he then came in with 5 faults too quick.  We were pleased as this was a prep run for Badminton which will be over a longer course and we had hoped we had got his fitness right trying to follow the BE fitness plan. By the time he had walked back to the box he had recovered and wasn’t blowing and wasn’t particularly sweaty.

This week I am away with work and so he’s on full livery at Centyfield Eventing and Dressage Academy. Sue, Sarah, Barry and team have been amazing and this has only been possible with their help.

We’re planning a last run at Port Eliot on Saturday as we haven’t had chance to get show jumping on grass yet.

Categories
EHOA International Owners

Owners Dinner – SOLD OUT

Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials
Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials

SOLD OUT

Owner’s dinner at Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials

We are delighted to be hosting the owners dinner on the Thursday night after the cocktail party at Badminton again.   The dinner will take place in one of the stunning Lakeside Marquees and is now SOLD OUT.  We are maintaining a wait list.

Categories
Sponsors

Charter Tax is a Chartered Accountancy firm specialising in providing tax advisory and tax compliance services

We are delighted to welcome a new sponsor to our team for this season.

Charter Tax is a Chartered Accountancy firm specialising in providing tax advisory and tax compliance services.

Janet Paterson is the Principal of Charter Tax Consulting Limited.

Janet competes herself when the soundness of her stable star allows.   She has a small stable yard at home in Kent where she keeps several horses.   Janet has joined the owner ranks this season too!   SYDSERFF FINNADOON, a pure Connemara, will be showing the ropes to a friend of Janet’s whilst she events JSH SIMPLEY BLUE and brings on her youngster with the 2018 season in mind.

The firm has supported of Francis Whittington for two seasons and Janet enjoys lessons with Francis when time allows.   “Eventing really is a small world, my fellow Director Mark has known Francis for ever so combined with my personal interest in eventing it seemed a logical step to support him.

Janet Paterson – founder of Charter Tax Consulting Ltd – is herself a keen amateur event rider and supporter of the sport.  She commented: “Our knowledge of both the tax industry and the world of eventing, and equestrianism generally, means that for us it was the obvious step to come forward and support the EHOA in a more formal way, and hopefully give event horse owners, as well as eventers themselves, access to first class tax and accountancy advice by people that actually understand the sport.”

Categories
Sponsors

Equine construction to support EHOA for 2017

Equine Construction are delighted to confirm their support of the Event Horse Owners Association (EHOA) for 2017, in the form of title sponsorship for the Badminton Owner’s Dinner in May, followed by the presentation of a set of stunning medals to the owners of horses who have represented Team GBR at the FEI European Championship in Strezgom, Poland, at the EHOA Annual Dinner in November.

“We are thrilled to be supporting the EHOA this season, as our first step into the eventing world”, added David Johnson of Equine Construction, “working with an organisation that is not only passionate about the sport as a whole, but that also supports owners from grassroots to world class level, is very important to us and we look forward to an exciting season ahead.”  Owned and managed by David Johnson, Equine Construction offer an exceptional service when it comes to the planning, development and construction of world class equestrian facilities.

With a passion stemming from a lifelong love of horses, David’s knowledge and equestrian experience shines through in the exquisite facilities he builds. Working across all equestrian disciplines, Equine Construction have designed and built numerous facilities across the country. Amongst these are a large scale polo facility consisting of 3 American Barns, 38 stables, tack rooms and associated facilities and a beautiful 28 box racing yard in Lambourn, as well as many more prestigious projects including a number of indoor and outdoor arenas.

Equine Construction and, recently launched, Equine Planning offer a service that takes the client from concept to completion, with the combination of construction experience and an equestrian background at the heart of the company, enabling Equine Construction to be leaders in their field. To see these projects and more, please visit the website at www.equineconstruction.co.uk

Categories
Grass Roots

Jack at Bicton Eventers Camp

Jack at Eventers Camp Bicton
Jack at Eventers Camp Bicton

Last time I wrote the lorry was in lorry hospital having its MOT and some work done on it, its back and we planned on going to do and do a couple of dressage tests. Then I went down with a heavy cold which knocked me off my feet and wasn’t fit to drive the lorry so that went out the window.

Last week we had booked Jack onto a 3 day eventer’s camp run by Lucy and Padraig McCarthy at Bicton Arena. He had never stayed away and being 17hh we knew temporary stables would be a tight squeeze! So this was a chance to see how he took to being away before Badminton, as its just about close enough we could have taken him up and back in a day if he didn’t settle. He took it all in his stride and quickly returned to joker Jack we all know and love!

Jack at Bicton Eventers Camp
Jack at Bicton Eventers Camp

On the 1 st day they had a dressage lesson with Lucy and then in the afternoon they had a grid work session with Padraig, it ended with them jumping over 110m oxer at the end of the grid.

On the 2 nd day we worked to make the lorry more weather proof as Alex had found it quite cold over night with a draught, it’s got a basic living but I have never put bunks in it as we haven’t had the need to stay away. Which meant the back was turned into a bedroom!

They had a Show jumping lesson in the morning working on arena techniques and then in the afternoon they ran through a dressage test of their choice. Alex ran through the championship test although slightly squished into a 20x40ish arena! But this works well as we often have to put tests together in different orders or Jack comes around a corner and asks if he should be cantering yet or pre-empts movements! He thinks he is helpful!

On the 3 rd day they did Cross Country techniques in the arena in the morning and worked on how to ride difficult lines and then in the afternoon they went out in to the field and did some cross country practice. Then we packed up and brought a tired boy home.

Jack at Bicton Eventers Camp
Jack at Bicton Eventers Camp

He’s then had a day to chill out in the field with the sun on Sunday whilst a few of us went to support Maria Cooper from our yard who was competing in the Advanced Medium Petplan Nationals at Hartpury. We also visited Teletubby land on the way (anyone that has been to Gloucester Services will know what I mean!) I am so lucky to be on a fantastic yard where everything is like a huge family. Then back to it yesterday! Today they have a lesson planned and then he is having a Bowen treatment from Pippa Perry who has treated him every few months as a preventative to keep him feeling good for a couple of years. Saturday he is entered in the BE100 at Bicton to get another run before Badminton.

Badminton got very real this morning with the numbers and sections being released. It looks like he will dressage on Tuesday and then Show Jump and Cross Country on Wednesday as he is 8 th to go in his section.

Categories
Committee EHOA Owners

Chairmans Letter 2017

Dani Evans and Lokis Trumpet, Nunney June 2016
Cathy with her own horse Lokis Trumpet, Nunney June 2016

I sit here with great anticipation of an amazing season ahead writing about our great sport, comprising of fabulous people who have an immense passion for their horses. The Two Heart campaign launched for the Olympics in Rio 2016 was absolutely befitting but there was a part of me that felt a few more “Hearts” could be included, that of the Owner(s)! Unless you are one, and have experienced what it is like to sit on the side lines with your heart pounding whilst watching your horse and rider compete in any one of the demanding disciplines then I don’ t expect those that aren’ t to understand what it is like. For what it’ s worth, from my own experience, it was less stressful being a rider, albeit ‘ amateur’ than now my current status as an owner.

We now look forward to the season progressing, some changes a foot and we wish both Chris Bartle and Richard Waygood all the very best in their new positions as World Class performance coach and manager respectively. Likewise with other Nations who are currently appointing new performance managers, we wish them all every success and will be following all our Member Owners and their riders throughout the season.

The success of the EHOA over the past years is fundamentally down to the enormous support from our Sponsors. The Association is indebted to them for all they have done to enable us to evolve with the sport and to bring the “Owners” voice to the fore and to be now recognised as a leading stakeholder in the Sport. We thank you for your commitment to us and to the Sport and hope in some way that we have given you something back in return.

Finally, I would like to thank the large pool of stoic volunteers who year on year help us run the hospitality tents, once again without your enormous contribution we would have been unable to expand these Owners facilities across the Country. The EHOA is fortunate enough to have a membership that enjoys the sport at all levels, whether an owner/rider, owner, young rider, competing at the Grassroots level or on the International stage and part of a National Team, I wish you all every success in 2017 and look forward hugely to seeing you at the events and welcoming you once again to the Owners tents.

Categories
Sponsors

Zip Travel Holiday Winner

Fern Hordern was the lucky winner of the prize draw at Badminton in 2016
generously sponsored by Zip Trave. The month of January would normally herald short, grey winter days, the joys of cold hacking and muddy turn out rugs. But not this time around…

Mister Luck shone brightly on me in May last year when my name was pulled out of the EHOA prize draw and I found myself booking an adventure to Sri Lanka with ZIP Travel.

My sister and I set off mid January, flying out to Colombo and meeting our guide, Ralston (whom we secretly named Wally on account of his Where’s Wally T-shirt). He became our translator, driver and all round hero for the trip. A perfect example was on our train ride from Kandy to Nurawala Eliya which was a stunning 4 hour train journey over beautiful
hillsides and through the tea plantations.

At the station, Ralston positioned himself perfectly on the platform in order to leap onto the train before it had come to a stop, push past all the passengers waiting to get off and grab us two seats on the side of the train which would have the best views. By the time my sister an I had boarded the train, all the seats were taken apart from the two guarded by Ralston.

Highlights of our trip included: 1000 steps up to the rock fortress at Sigiriya, and the ancient wall paintings and Buddha statues at the Dambulla Rock Temple. Cheeky monkeys live at these world heritage sites and one tried to pull my sarong off! The safari in Yala National Park was a bit more hectic than we had imagined it would be. The Jeep drivers raced around like rally car competitors in their frenzied search for the elusive leopard. This resulted in “Jeep-jams” and general chaos. However once off the beaten track, we were thrilled to see brilliant green and blue bee eater birds, unbelievably huge crocodiles, pelicans, mongooses, and a rare sloth bear (a shaggy black bear the size of a chimpanzee).

There were some unexpected moments too: A swarm of silent crows at dusk as we sat on our balcony in Kandy turned out to be a colony of fruit bats (also known as flying foxes). We saw wild elephants wandering along the roadside and at our hotel in Yala, on the edge of the National Park, we had to side step water buffalo, wild boar and a land monitor to
get to breakfast!

Although we were sad to leave the warmth, sunshine and beautiful sunsets, it is always lovely to get back to family, dogs and horses (clean or otherwise). A wonderful trip.

Categories
Horses International Profiles

Rider Profile: Willa Newton

Willa Newton
Willa Newton

2016 was a personal best for 26 year old Willa Newton, winning the prestigious 8/9 year old class at Blenheim (and 8th in the CCI class just for good measure) and the Young Horse Championships at Osberton were particular highlights.

Ambition for 2017:

To recruit some new sponsors and owners to help build on 2016 and work towards
my long term aim – to represent Great Britain in the Tokyo Olympics
in 2020.

Favorite event?

Burghley- it’s our local event and I always dreamed about riding there as a child.

Favorite horse?

I am very lucky to have ridden some lovely horses. Newmarket Vasco One was very special, a lovely person with a huge heart. I think it has to be Neelix though who took me from pony club to four star! Caja 20 is a real character though and also very special to me!

Best thing about the job?

Working with different horses every day and learning how to get the best out of each one.

And the worst?

Career ending horse injuries when the horses give so much and on a lighter note the cold weather!

Owners – how do you attract them?

I really appreciate the value of owners and I held an Open Day in November last year to showcase my yard and the benefits of ownership I feel very lucky as I have some very loyal owners who have been with me for a long time but I think owners are attracted to hard work, commitment and achieving results on many different horses and hopefully some fun!

What differentiates you from other up and coming riders – why should owners choose you?

Having a solid basic training in young horse production which I have been lucky enough to learn from professional riders and trainers. I believe this is the key to seeing horses successfully move up the levels and reach the top.

What does a fab owner experience look like to you?

Of course owners enjoying success is very important but at the same time I like them to enjoy the whole experience of the yard as well as being supportive of the whole team and other owners horses as well. I have set up syndicates in my
young horses and I feel that those involved (not necessarily horsey) enjoy the whole day out from the picnic, the wonderful locations as well as meeting like minded people!

Plans for the future?

The main aim for this year is to ride at Badminton for the first time. I would love to get closer to senior selection now my young horses are starting to move up the levels.

Categories
Committee Owners Profiles

Huw Lloyd – New Board Member

Huw-Lloyd
Huw-Lloyd

5 mins with Huw Lloyd who has joined the EHOA Board to lend expertise around the website and technology.

About Huw:

Brought up in Somerset and now live in London escaping whenever I can!

Job:

Tech focused investment banker.

What role do you play on the EHOA board?

New and finding my feet but helping with the new website and general enthusiasm for younger owners.

Last time you rode a horse?

Try and ride Mr Chunky at least once a month (the event horse co-own and is competitively ridden by Padraig McCarthy) and hunt a few times a season. We are heading on a riding safari in Botswana for our honeymoon in April.

Favourite event, and why?

Blair Castle – great scenery, the terrain makes for interesting and challenging cross country and in 2001 it was the last event 3DE I did as a rider come back?!?

Proudest moment in the sport

In the saddle, winning the JRN at Bicton in 1999, and as an owner or Mr Chunky winning his CIC3* at Chatsworth last year.

If you could look in to the future, what developments would you like to see in the sport/EHOA/BE/FEI in the next 3 years and why?

We must maintain the top level sport (including championships) as the ultimate test of horse and rider but for we have to be open to new ideas that allow more people to experience our very special sport (both riders and spectators). To use a cricket analogy can Twenty20 be used to save Test matches.

Secret weapon?

Wellies packed in the boot of the car at all times ready for a quick escape from the smoke.