love it... We ve broken records! Over 3000 people witness a thrilling three days!

Transcription

1 Issue 8 May love it... Official Publication of Kelsall Hill Equestrian Centre The official publication of Kelsall Hill... We ve broken records! Over 3000 people witness a thrilling three days! ITV s Lucy Meacock drops by... Hankey & Levett dominate a debut Intermediate... Townend triumphs again... Raise your game with High Performance Haylage! Diary Listings for May

2 Comment from the press office... Hello and a very warm welcome to the May edition of Love It! What a truly thrilling three days of competition we enjoyed at Kelsall Hill just a couple of weeks ago! As we drew closer to the event and the heavens opened, events all over the country succumbed to the wettest drought on record. With events cancelling left, right and centre, it truly highlighted just why Kelsall Hill is so special. The efforts put in by the ground team combined with the well draining, sandy soil and exposure to winds, allowed all competition to run as normal, and actually maintain what was superb going. From the Press Tent, I watched horses in both the show jumping and cross country phases, and the ease that horses were jumping with endorsed this. The crowds were a tough lot too, braving cold winds and the occasional sharp downpour to browse the tradestands which were extremely well attended! Plenty of people also got out on the course to witness the works of art created by the talented team of David Evans. The Saturday afternoon made for a thrilling result with the Intermediate and Open Intermediate showcasing some of the country s finest riders. The inagurual Twitter Commentary proved popular as many people not attending the event tuned in to get up to the minute results and information live from the event. I look forward to running this again in September. Jane, Phil, Emma and team have done a truly amazing job of developing the event and presenting, in mine and many peoples opinion, by far the best one yet. I remember actually riding at one of the very first events back in 2006 and they really have come a long way. The huge list of sponsors, tradestands and volunteers continues to show the events popularity and its great that they have built up some great relationships with them. As always, this issue is brimming with the latest from the Centre and be sure to check out the sport reports for the low down on the competition.lottie Williams and Claire Margreth are offering some great livery packages at Kelsall Hill. What a great way to be able to make use of the superb facilities! Great to have seen Lucy Meacock drop by during the event too have a read of our news pages. Until next month have a good one! Mark Hayward Press Officer With thanks to The Fotografer Graham Loader for his photographic contributions to Love It.

3 EDITORIAL & MARKETING TEAM Contact the Press Office: Mark Hayward T: E: W: Follow us on Contact the In-House Team: Emma Latham Organsdale Farm, Middlewich Road, Kelsall, Tarporley, Cheshire CW6 0SR T: E: Facebook: Kelsall Hill Equestrian Centre & Its Kelsall Hill JOIN THE CONVERSATION We want to hear from you... Tell us your news, views and comments via facebook & twitter... FB: Kelsall Hill Equestrian Centre/Its Kelsall Hill

4 Record Breakers! Over 3000 people descend on Kelsall Hill to witness a thrilling three days... Organisers of the Its Kelsall Hill event are this week celebrating what was a truly record breaking weekend. The fixture, affiliated to British Eventing, saw three full days of competition in which riders faced the challenges of dressage, show jumping and The numbers... cross country, culminating in what is renowned as the FRI 20 TH 709 attendees ultimate test of horse and rider. SAT 21 ST 1053 attendees SUN 22 ND 1316 attendees Total: 3078 attendees... By incorporating family attractions including an extended tradestand village and a farmers market, the event brought in 3128 people through its gates a record on previous years. For the first time, the event ran over three days and witnessed the addition of three new classes a BE80 (T) class aimed at the grassroots competitor and an Intermediate and Open Intermediate aimed at the more experienced combination. All three classes

5 were well attended by competitors based locally and also from further afield. On a weekend where many events succumbed to the heavy rainfall, Kelsall Hill highlighted just why it boasts some of the best going in the country. Despite heavy downpours, competitors reported fantastic going and it was evident to all just how well horses were jumping off the sandy soil. Saturday afternoon gave spectators a real treat as world class riders went head to head in the Intermediate and Open Intermediate sections. After many favoured combinations ran in to trouble around the Mark Phillips designed cross country course, Dee Hankey and Bill Levett came out on top with immaculate jumping rounds following polished dressage performances. Problems were scattered around the course which was described by Badminton bound Michael Owen as a fair test, but with no room for complacency. Locally based four star rider Polly Stockton was quick to praise the efforts put in by the Kelsall team They have done a great job, it is surprising to see such good going in light of all the rain, and they always present the event to a really high standard. Press Officer Mark Hayward ran a tweet commentary service which was widely used for those not able to attend all three days. Tweeters had the chance to stay up to date with the weather as well as how competitors were fairing around the course in real time! As part of an in-depth PR campaign aiming to raise the profile of the event, several influential media attendees came through the gates including ITN & Granada News Presenter Lucy Meacock who expressed her thoughts on the event Watching this fabulous sport in such great surroundings, what a great way to spend an afternoon.

6 SPORT NEWS The Hankey s & Levett dominate a thrilling Intermediate afternoon... It was a Levett & Hankey battle in the Intermediate and Open Intermediate sections on the 2 nd day of competition at April s Kelsall Hill One Day Event. Millfield Condescend and Hayden Hankey put in an effortless dressage test to achieve a penalty score of 29.1, but a rail down around Adrian Southward s influential show jumping track and 6 time penalties meant he had to settle for 2nd place. Bill Levett made his long journey worthwhile in section L, notching up an impressive double clear aboard Improvise and finishing on his dressage score of 34.1.

7 It was a similar story in Intermediate Section M, but this time Bill was battling Hayden s wife Dee, who was in fine form aboard the talented Chequers Toyboy. After posting a dressage score of 32.3, Dee recorded an uber-stylish double clear, picking up just 6.4 time penalties. It was however not quite enough to stop Bill aboard his second ride J W Farrow. After putting in one of the best dressage tests of the day (27.3), he added just 4 faults in the show jumping before powering around the cross country cementing his win and meaning Dee had to settle for 2 nd. Dee did however reign supreme in the Open Intermediate section aboard Chequers Playboy. Favoured competitors quickly ran in to trouble around the cross country course designed by Mark Phillips, leaving Dee Hankey and Louise Harwood starting cross country on the same score of It was however Dee who let the handbrake off enough to come home with just 2.4 time penalties, securing a well deserved win. Three of the favoured combinations to run in to difficulties were Polly Stockton aboard Jeepers Creepers who had a stop at the first of the angled brush coops at 9. Jeanette Brakewell picked up a frustrating 20 penalties aboard the talented Ideal Sebastian and Rachael Lupton s The Chenko Artist was another to appear rather cheeky out on course running in to trouble late on. The Intermediate track was well received by all riders who were full of praise for the time and effort put in by the Kelsall team to ensure the very best possible going for competitors. Problems were scattered around the course and it produced a hugely exciting result.

8 Williams & Thomas give Townend a run for his money... The Novice sections at Kelsall Hill (1) proved to be full of excitement keeping spectators entertained on the 2 nd day of competition. Oliver Townend was once again in fine form, coming to Kelsall Hill on the back of what was a very successful Weston Park weekend. Hannah Bate proved the talking point in Section H after what was an impressive dressage test - just 16.5 penalties. After a fence down in the show jumping and a few time penalties around the Mark Phillips cross country course, Hannah had to settle for 2 nd, behind a determined Oliver who stayed on his dressage score (25 pens) aboard Imperial Lieutenant. Section I saw a similar theme, as Oliver set the standard in the dressage arena this time on board Skyhills Cavalier penalties proved enough to take Section I after another effortless jumping performance. Jessica Williams wasn t prepared to give up easily, and after achieving just 34.5 penalties in the dressage and a clear show jumping round, it left her head to head with Oliver. With just 0.4 time penalties, it was Jess who snatched a deserved victory meaning Oliver had to settle for 2 nd.

9 Jamie Thomas proved that size really isn t everything aboard his own 14.2hh pony Another Island. A polished dressage test gave the grey pony a head start with just 30 penalties followed up by a double clear. Jamie speaking after his round exclaimed It s great that he can compete with all the bigger horses and still go so well. I am aiming at pony trials in the future, so having a good run here was important. The Open Novice section saw Andrew Downes take the spoils piloting Ashfields Pollyanna to a win on just 31 penalties. The course generally rode well with penalties scattered across the 20-fence track. It was the angled brush coops at 9 and 10 which caused the riders some head scratching and many ran in to trouble here. Many riders had navigation problems between the Goliaths Table at 13 and the Townend Trough at 14, galloping on the wrong side of the string, meaning some had to turn round and re-trace their steps, wasting valuable time. Ground conditions were good despite a couple of showers and riders were full of praise for the Kelsall team. Monthly Results & Reports from all the competitions at Kelsall Hill Only in Love It...

10 WHATS ON... May 13 th May 19 th & 20th Cheshire Hunt South Pony Club One Day Event Open Farm Ride Weekend May 23 rd June 5 th Dressage Intro B, Prelim 4, Prelim 18, Novice 24, Novice 37, Elem 44 Dressage Intro A, Prelim 12, Prelim14, Novice 27, Novice 37, Elem 44 Competition Information & Entry Details via Results & reports from the above competitions in the June Issue of Love It!

11 OTHER NEWS Lucy Meacock drop s by to witness the trials... ITV Granada and ITN News Presenter Lucy Meacock popped by on the Sunday to check out the competition and bask in the afternoon sunshine. Lucy, who regularly rides around Kelsall Hill s farm ride, reported What a fantastic event, and a great way to spend a day with the family witnessing this thrilling sport. The team have done a great job of putting on a superb show. Twitter Commentary sees social surge The live twitter commentary service during the event was hugely popular, particularly with those not able to attend. Regular updates kept large numbers up to date and engaged many to join the conversation online, part of a comprehensive PR campaign in place between Kelsall Hill and Paparazzi PR. The Kelsall Hill Twitter page has seen an increase of over 300 followers.

12 Thank You We would like to thank all of the volunteers, officials, sponsors, exhibitors, spectators and supporters as well as the numerous competitors who made this April s event the best one yet... We look forward to seeing you on Saturday 22 nd & Sunday 23 rd September. Jane Whitaker EVENT ORGANISERS Phil Latham

13 Promotional Feature Raise your game... Kelsall Hill s High Performance Haylage

14 Emma s Diary #loveit Emma Latham, Kelsall Hill s In-House Head Of Marketing fills us in on her monthly update from HQ It s hard to believe the event is over, after months of preparation, but what a three days we had! Monitoring the weather forecast in those final couple of weeks left one rather worried to say the least, and as the rain fell it did present the team with a few head scratching moments, debating the best ways to manage traffic and preserve the very best going! Luckily for us, the ground here is just superb and the sandy soil allowed for substantial rain to have little effect on the quality of the going. It was great to catch up with the variety of exhibitors and sponsors we had over the three days and I particularly enjoyed meeting the Forward Ladies at Fridays Coffee Morning. It always gives me a great buzz when I look around at the event and see the people which support us year in, year out and also the new additions to our friends who we welcome with open arms. Looking ahead to May, the ground team are working on the post-event maintenance to ensure the best going for September and here in the Office we are focussing on our other products and services. Make sure you give our High Performance Haylage a go a superb product. Also for those who cant get enough of Kelsall Hill, why not get your horse here on one of the fabulous livery packages offered by Lottie Williams or Claire Margreth. Get your dressage entries in for 23 rd May! Arrive Derci for now! Emma x

15 Be stable... Lottie Williams & Claire Margreth are the first resident event riders to offer livery packages at Kelsall Hill. With some of the best facilities in Cheshire and expert advice, care and experience why not contact Lottie or Claire to discuss your requirements? Check out their websites;

16 May is all about... Going for a farm ride... Join us on the farm ride ring to book or just turn up on the Open Weekend (19 th and 20 th May)... Going for a gallop! With the recent wet weather, keep your horse fit by making use of our surfaced gallop... Ring to book! Having a jump... The Landtech & Hayward Arena s provide the perfect opportunity to school in a relaxed environment on a quality surface... The LandTech Arena provides the perfect place to practice those grids, have a lesson or practice your distances The new cross country schooling field is a great way to stay tuned with that all important cross country phase in between events! Raise performance... Pop a bale of High Performance Haylage in your boot! We guarantee you will be back for more!

17 THE PHOTOWALL... Have a picture from your time at Kelsall Hill? Send it to mark@paparazzi-pr.com or via