Love it. In this issue... NEWSLETTER FOURTH ISSUE What a Spring Spectacular! Issue 16 April

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1 Love it NEWSLETTER FOURTH ISSUE 2017 What a Spring Spectacular! Hello, and welcome to this post-event issue in celebration of what was a truly spectacular three-days of eventing! We welcomed a record number of two-legged and four-legged visitors through the gates and the sun-gods blessed us with the most incredible weather. Here s just a little snippet of all the action and, remember, in just under 5 months we ll be doing it all again! We hope to see you at our autumn British Eventing Horse Trials running September Get involved for this Spring Spectacular In this issue... Issue 16 April 2017 Michael Owen and The Highland Prince of Matt Nuttall Photography FEATURES 2-5 Owen for gold Our very own Michael Owen was crowned king in the Istanbul BBQ, Chester Advanced Intermediate class. Take a look at how the AI, OI and I classes panned out. FEATURES 6-7 Jump to it! Jump to it! Our brand new arena eventing competition held on grass was a huge success and kindly sponsored by Equine and Pet Feeds. Check out our winners. FEATURES 8-9 Smile for the camera Did you know that we ran an incredible 24 sections over three-days of competition? We d like to congratulate all our winners in this hall of fame! REGULARS 10 Sponsorship FOCUS Our Rowen Barbarysponsored water complex is much admired and provides a stunning location for visitors to watch all the action. We catch up with our long-term supporters Rowen Barbary Horse Feeds. REGULARS 11 A Day in the Life this issue, Kelsall Hill s Phil Latham reflects on what was a great weekend of sport.

2 Owen goes for gold Congratulations to our resident 4* event rider Michael Owen who proved to be the one to beat in the Istanbul BBQ, Chester Advanced Intermediate (AI) class. With a total prize pot of 3,000 up for grabs a record number of entries were received from riders wanting to challenge the reign of two-times champion Paul Sims, who returned to defend his title with his 2015 winner, Last Secret. An impressive performance from Michael and The Highland Prince saw them claim the 1,000 winner s cheque by finishing just 0.4 penalties ahead of the reigning champion. Third place went to early leaders Louise Harwood and the Badminton-bound Whitson after penalties Michael Owen and The HIghland Prince. Image: Matt Nuttall Photography incurred in the show jumping phase proved to be costly. Michael has a long-standing partnership with The Highland Prince and, at 17-years-old, this remarkable event horse is showing no signs of slowing down. Michael commented: Darcy did his first event at Kelsall Hill 11-years ago and he still feels as good as ever. He s so conditioned in his body that we just keep him ticking over these days, he goes around the farm ride at home and schools in the arena once a week to help with suppleness. Darcy will next be aimed at the CIC3* at Tattersalls International Horse Trials in the hope of team selection for the Nations Cup. Louise Harwood has had a less than perfect start to the season. Her schedule was disrupted following a fall at Belton Horse Trials and then bad luck plagued her journey to Kelsall Hill when her lorry broke down. Louise explained: The organisers were just brilliant about things, I couldn t have asked for more and everyone was so helpful. The ground at Kelsall Hill is perfect so it was great to give Whitson a good gallop in preparation for Badminton, it was frustrating to pick up a few time penalties, but I m happy with his run. In my opinion, Kelsall Hill is one of the best events around. There s not many venues where you can view the show jumping and 80% of the cross country track from where you re stood which makes it perfect for owners and spectators. AI winners Michael Owen & The Highland Prince. Image_ FRW Photography AI winner Michael Owen is presented with his prize by Captain Mark Phillips, Robin Latham (Land Owner) and, representing principle sponsors, Istanbul BBQ Chester, Lesley Bradshaw. Image_an-eventful-life.com.au Paul Sims and Contiki Too. Image: Ann Gibbons 2 3 Paul Sims

3 Pistol Pete hits the target Sarah Stretton and the diminutive Danger Mouse VI were unstoppable in the Cazenove Capital Management Intermediate, leaving AI rivals Paul Sims and Michael Owen with another battle on their hands for the remaining medal positions. Sims gained the advantage on this occasion with Sharon Bayston s Contiki Too when Michael and Jim s Pal rolled a pole in the show jumping arena, dropping them into third place. Rugby-based Sarah Stretton, part-owns her winning ride Danger Mouse VI with Heather Foster. Known at home as Pistol Pete, Sarah took over the ride on this 15.2h, chestnut stallion four seasons ago. Sarah commented: Pete is just mega and I m really chuffed with him! Kelsall Hill is one of my favourite places as the courses are varied with plenty of questions which is perfect for training horses. This is a must-have fixture in my diary. Image courtesy of Tim Wilkinson, Eventing Images Mark Kyle and Jesmond Justice, Image: Matt Nuttall Photography Paul Sims and Last Secret, Image: FRW Photography of Tim Wilkinson Eventing Imags The ground at Kelsall Hill is just perfect and the educational cross country courses encourage positive, forwards riding. It s wonderful that the AI class has a good prize pot on offer, I think that it s great for the sport. International Event Rider, Louise Harwood Louise Harwood and Whitson. Image: FRW Photgraphy Three cheers for Archie Alexandra Farrar-Fry and Cruisings Slainte Mhath claimed the Cazenove Capital Management Open Intermediate section, despite suffering with a case of mental block in the dressage phase. Alexandra explained: Archie is not the easiest horse in the world and he took umbrage at a straw bale outside of the dressage arena. We held it together for the first few movements but then my mind went totally blank. It just proves that you don t have to be perfect to win at this game! The duo moved up to BE Intermediate level last year and they have secured qualification for the Open Championships at the British Festival of Eventing Ireland s Mark Kyle enjoyed a good day at the office when he claimed the OI runner s up prize aboard Maria Doel s Gortfadda Diamond, while his Badminton entry Jesmond Justice finished in third-place. AI prize giving, Michael Owen, Paul Sims and Louise Harwood, Image: Maria Wynne of Tim Wilkinson, Eventing Images What s behind the name? Alexandra Farrar-Fry s winning ride Cruisings Slainte Mhath, is named after an Irish greeting meaning good health or cheers. A world-class field Our outstanding cross country courses designed by Captain Mark Phillips, attracted some of the best riders in the business across three busy days of competition including Nicola Wilson, Piggy French and China s Alex Hua Tian. The many visitors to our event enjoyed trade stands, food concessions and free face painting for children, while other highlights included an arena eventing competition and a side saddle show. of FRW Photography In the money: Kelsall Hill was a happy hunting ground for Paul Sims with no less than 7 of his rides scoring top-ten placings across the BE90, BE100, Novice and Intermediate sections! of FRW Photography 4 5

4 Jump to it... BE80cm Class Maxine Linas BE90cm Class Maxine Linas riding Pippins Goldie Pricilla Ian Graham riding Shadow and Samantha Tomlinson riding Dizzy Rascal Sarah Caplan riding Miranda Carolyn Banner riding Steeling Stars What a fabulous day! On Sunday 23rd April we ran for the first time our Arena Eventing competition on grass sponsored by Equine and Pet Feeds Knutsford. The track designed by BS course builder Gilly Milner with 20 new purpose built fences for the occasion gave all the combinations a tricky ride to earn their placings. Classes ran from BE80 up to BE100 level with prizes courtesy of Equine and Pet Feeds and British Eventing. Equine & Pet Feeds are a family business based in Knutsford, who offer a full range of horse feeds including natural products from Thunderbrook Equestrian and Agrobs. They provide a free delivery service within a 50-mile radius and can offer feeding advice from a trained nutritionist. Image May Whiston Photography Image May Whiston Photography Image May Whiston Photography Image May Whiston Photography Image May Whiston Photography Image May Whiston Photography Carolyn Banner BE100cm Class Nicky Grey Williams riding Finley s Flight Vicki Pye riding Roo Susie Wise riding Canaletoo III Claire Phillips riding Lark Abigail Jones riding King Champ We would personally like to thank... The following for making the event run smoothly and the best it possibly could: The sponsors, Equine and Pet Feeds for the brilliant support and amazing prizes! The Judge, Wayne The Judges writer, Rachel The collecting ring steward, Lucy Miller The pole pickers, Layla and Liberty The medics, Top Cat Medics... and finally but by all means not last all the competitors! Image May Whiston Photography Image Maria Wynne Image May Whiston Photography Image May Whiston Photography Image Maria Wynne Image May Whiston Photography Susie Wise 6 7

5 Smile for the Camera Did you know that we ran an incredible 24 sections over three days of competition? We d like to congratulate all our winners in this hall of fame! BE80 (T) section winners Suzanne Birchall, Lily Evans, Connie Russell sponsored by D & J Saddlery. BE100 and Open section winners, Emily Philp, Michael Owen and Laura Williams and sponsors Amanda Davies from Equine 74, Nigel de Winton from Cheshire Carpet Edging, Chantal Siddle and her son Barney from Siddle Equine Services and Equine and Canine Solutions. BE90 section E & F winners, Neil Fox, Sophie Brown sponsored by Siddle Equine Services. BE100 section G winner Paul Sims sponsored by Equiport BE90 H, I, J, X section winners Rachel Andrews, Sophie Wilson, Hannah Barnett and Kate Hayward sponsored by Dales Agri, Plas Tirion Farm Livery and Siddle Equine. Advanced Intermediate top 3, Paul Sims, Michael Owen and Louise Harwood sponsored by Istanbul BBQ Chester. BE90 open section winner Paul Burgess sponsored by Siddle Equine Services. N, ON (Sunday) section winners Alice Tracey, Bianca Mortimer and James Somerville sponsored by Afford Bond Accountants, Bolesworth International Horse Show and Siddle Equine. Joint Organisers Phil Latham and Jane Whitaker with Land Owner Robin Latham, BE Steward Lady Best and BE Chairman Paul Hodgson Nov O section winners Hayden Hankey sponsored by Delamere Manor Weddings. Novice N section winner Lauren Shannon sponsored by Equine 74. Open Intermediate section winner Alexandra Farrar-Fry sponsored by Cazenove Capital Management. Intermediate section winner Sarah Stretton sponsored by Cazenove Capital Management. 8 9

6 Sponsorship F CUS Rowen Barbary Horse Feeds We re proud of our long-standing relationship with Rowen Barbary Horse Feeds as loyal supporters of our British Eventing Horse Trials. The Rowen Barbary-sponsored water complex is much admired and, being at the heart of our cross country course, it provides a stunning location for visitors to watch all the action unfold. Based near Whitchurch, Rowen Barbary Horse Feeds is consistently growing year on year by providing good quality products and helpful, friendly advice. Working alongside parent company Target Feeds Limited, Rowen Barbary offer their customers a wide range of animal feeds and supplements. The team at Rowen Barbary are renowned for their excellence in customer service and guarantee a personal service to provide tailored advice to their clients. Whether you keep horses for pleasure or you re a professional rider, Rowen Barbary are committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of your horses. From youngstock to veterans, their range of carefully designed, premium quality feeds and supplements can meet your requirements. Becky Hollows from Rowen Barbary commented: We are delighted to support local events and Rowen Barbary has sponsored the Water Complex at Kelsall Hill for many years. We know it is an event that many riders look forward to and special congratulations must go to all the riders achieving a double clear in the grassroot classes who picked up a Rowen Barbary rosette and to all the section winners. To find out more please visit I have to say that I always look forward to getting ready for our events. Yes there s a lot to organise and the hours can be long but there s something about seeing it all ready for Thursday at 2pm when the first course walkers set off that has its own reward. The satisfaction the team gets from the positive feedback rejuvenates fatigued muscles which is necessary as we re left after the event with just as much work putting everything away. It makes for a long 10 week period from start to finish but when we ve had nearly 1000 horses through the door and everyone s gone home in one piece and the sun shone in a cloudless sky for three days you can t do much better than that. We used some new tactics this time. We zero grazed the grass off the entire area to achieve a nicer finish for spectators with less dead grass on the surface which looks unseemly and can cause horses to slip. I was a little concerned about the going so we verti drained the entire course which I hope was appreciated. At 400 a day it adds a significant cost to the event but it ensures that clients get the best we can offer. All the fences were repainted, sanded where appropriate and oiled all greenery replaced. We even ran our first ever Arena Eventing competition on grass too. We were delighted with the way Sunday s unaffiliated arena eventing went and we may now look at a summer series with a lower entry level of 70cm. It s a great way to introduce horses and novice riders to competitive sport and allow horses to get the big day atmosphere without the dressage. The side saddle competition seemed to go well on the Saturday with plenty of entries and a full days competition. I have to say I m proud of what we ve created and the team we ve got to work with, it takes a lot of effort to put on an event. It was a pleasure to show Paul Hodgson, BE chairman, around and discuss the sponsorship issues facing venues without which we couldn t function and the future direction for British Eventing, we very much look forward to being part of the sport as it develops. IN THE DAY LIFE In this issue, Phil Latham reflects on what was a great weekend of sport Two weeks on and our cross country schooling has now come to an end. I It was great to see our very own think we ll start awarding clients with Kelsall based Michael Owen points for their excuses for dropping strings and doing things that they win the Istanbul know they ought not to but thought BBQ AI section no one would notice, who knows we and collect may even start publishing it after the the Winton memorial next event! Now it s a race to clear trophy and 1000 cheque. all the fences, string and posts away, store the banners and flags, numbers It s also good to and letters so that we re ready for see the other top next time. The ground will be set names compete right again and we ll hopefully take in this section something that we hope crop of haylage sometime later in Phil Latham appeals to spectators and sponsors alike. the summer before we start all over again