Horses Stolen 30th July

GREENBANK HARLEQUIN STUD

Black Mare with Piebald foal
Purebred Chesnut Arab with 2 white back legs
Strawberry Roan Gypsy Cob with foal
Iveco Sky Blue & White Reg: R799 WDB

07768 981816 – Esther e.nash-smith@tiscali.co.uk
Stolen on the 30th July between 9.45PM – 12PM Midnight
PLEASE NO HOAXES

Kelly's in the driving seat at the main arena at RIHS

After training at home for many weeks the Royal International Horse show had arrived. Paddy was washed and plaited ,the harness and carriage were cleaned to perfection. The preparation took hours, including various blisters after shining and cleaning the brass. Early on Sunday morning we left home to take Paddy into the Light Trade class, to enter this class you have to own a traditional working vehcile such as a butchers cart.
Paddy went superbly as it was only his second time in the light Carriers Van.

His individual show consists of a trotting figure of eight, a walk, stand and rein-back . All of the show must be driven in the left hand, this is known as coachmen’s style of driving.

After the intial judging Paddy went into the International arena to be given his prize. Paddy loved the big arena but not the jumps! I think he’s a little way of jumping the king Georges cup.
It was a great day and I think we all truly enjoyed it.

Hickstead Royal International horse show

Well the girls have been very lucky this week with the nice weather. Although I think on Thursday 24th July some staff members felt the heat! It is always nice to be on home turf and be able to sleep in your own bed.

For this show the girls are offering 15% of all adverts placed at the trade stand and also 30% of National horsemart subscriptions. So go see the girls at trade stand 46 (behind public gallery). If your really lucky you'll catch the girls dancing to our horsemart advert on 87.7fm Radio Hickstead

As always the girls held an exhibitor reception on Weds 23rd where we supplied complimentary food and drink. The girls did a great job and a good evening was had by all.

Ellen Whitaker riding Ashdale Futuro

Laura and Sam P spent Friday afternoon watching the Horsemart International Trial at the Royal Show, from the comfort of the Royal Box no less. It was a hard course with 33 entered, two withdrawals, nine retirements and only four clear rounds in the first round. It was quite a technical course with the ground a little on the firm side in places. Di Lampard on Master Cruise took first place, and Ellen Whitaker came second on Ocolado.

It was a fab weekend, the sun shone, and the team had a great time. Many thanks to all the staff at the Royal Show for making us feel so welcome.

Our Laura presenting the first prize to Di Lampard

A right royal affair

This coming weekend, from Thursday 3rd to Sunday 6th July, the HM team is going to be at the Royal Show at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire.

Make sure you stop by the stand, number E7-D-3 on Block 7, for great show discounts on advertising and subscriptions. And you can enter our free prize draw to win some brilliant prizes.

Third prize is £250 worth of clothing from Tayberry (http://www.tayberryonline.co.uk/), second prize is Royal Mats rubber matting and Aquamax bedding worth £345 (http://www.aquamax.co.uk), and first prize is a fantastic field shelter from Stable Designs (http://www.stabledesigns.co.uk/) worth an incredible £1,675.

New for 2008, the brand new Heavy Horse area with a breed village and demonstration ring is a must-see! The show also features the ever-popular champion level showing and showjumping and a wide range of equestrian stands from clothing to horse equipment.

For family and friends who share tastes outside of the equestrian world, the show offers an action packed programme in the Grand Ring, craft demonstrations, shopping and countryside pursuits, a gourmet choice of great regional produce in the food hall and farmers market - the challenge is to fit it all in!

Other new attractions for 2008 include the Energy and Sustainability Park. With alternative energy being one of the hot topics for the summer, a great opportunity to really find out how this new energy source can benefit us all in the not too distant future. For a different kind of green, the newly-extended horticultural area is a must for the green-fingered.

For further information or to book tickets visit http://www.royalshow.org.uk/index.html or call 02476 696969.

To coin an old cliché, miss it and you'll miss out - and how can you resist meeting this gorgeous curly chap (someone should have a word with his hair stylist, frizzy perms are so 80s).

See you there!

Driving Miss Kelly

Sam Kelly is one of our newest team members, so new in fact we haven’t cut the labels off her yet. Sam, along with her husband Matthew and daughter Hannah, are involved in the sport of driving – something a little new and unusual for the primarily SJ and dressage HM team.

A couple of weekends ago they entered a competition, and Hannah has written all about it for us…

Matthew and Hannah after winning the Junior Whip

“June 15th was Father’s Day, and this year, instead of buying my dad the usual pair of socks and a bar of chocolate, I decided to treat him to something a bit different. This year we entered for the BDS (British Driving Society) Kent Area Show, where various carriage driving enthusiasts flocked to Under-River to show just how beautiful their horses and carriages are.

“We took our Hackney stallion Paddy (Stapleford Enchantment) to compete in the variety of classes held. The first class of the morning was the Private Drive, which we regularly compete in. The Private Drive has to be a traditional carriage in the best condition – spare parts of harness must also be included in the event of an emergency and the harness must correctly fit the horse, not rubbing or hurting him in any way.

“Paddy and dad worked hard and showed Paddy’s wonderful Hackney movement in the class to secure first place. And that was only the start of dad’s Father’s Day present.

“After a bit of convincing, I was trusted to take the reins and take Paddy into the Junior Whip, which I won last year. The pressure was on to hold my title. Luckily I couldn’t make a mistake as Dad was sitting right next to me, as until the age of seventeen you must have a responsible and capable adult on the carriage with you. Paddy was superb and behaved himself, allowing me to keep my title as Best Junior Driver at the show.

“Paddy progressed through the day to become Champion and Supreme Champion. By the end of the day we had two sashes, a trophy, a shield and rosettes. We had and excellent day, and qualified to go to the Championships later in the year. Our hopes are resting high on our yard star and Dad went to sleep that night with a smile on his face – something that a pair of socks can’t deliver.

“Hackneys aren’t always driving horses they can also be ridden too. Last year dad helped me to break Paddy to ride – he seems to enjoy this new found activity and loves going hacking, although it took him a while to get over the fact that he can fit through a one horse gate as there is no carriage behind him to get stuck.

“There would be no team without Paddy – he’s one in a million.”