Lincolnshire Horse Trials welcomes top riders
Hosted by Riseholme College, Lincolnshire Showground saw hundreds of national and international eventers take on this prestigious annual challenge.
The land-based college, which specialises in equine education, was delighted to welcome nearly 600 competitors to the Lincolnshire Showground for three exciting days of competition.
Regulated by British Eventing, the event provided a challenging competition with many leading sporting names taking part, including British World Eventing gold medallist Yasmin Ingham, New Zealand rider Tim Price, plus Olympians Rosalind Canter, Laura Collett, Oliver Townend and Tom McEwan.
Robyn Cherry, organiser and equestrian director at Riseholme College said: “One of the things I love most about horse trials is the way young riders can watch their heroes competing in the flesh!
“Eventing has highs and lows for riders of all experience – even Olympians can have off days and it’s brilliant for young and upcoming riders to be able to see this first-hand. Not only do they get to see some exceptional, world-class riding, but they can also learn from watching in close quarters. It’s exciting to think we were probably in the presence of some of tomorrow’s equestrian stars!”
Cross-country challenge
The cross-country course was designed by the leading BE Platinum course builder and professional designer Joe Weller, offering a variety of forward galloping fences designed to give novice riders confidence, as well as proving more challenging for experienced athletes.
The competition is a highlight in the Riseholme College calendar and equine students are always involved, supporting across the competition from stewarding to dressage writing and score collecting to course building.
Jessica Guyver, equine curriculum lead at Riseholme College said: “Helping with Lincolnshire Horse Trials is a real highlight in the year for the college. It’s wonderful for equine students to be involved in such a prestigious event and gain a better understanding of how a large-scale competition of this nature runs.”
Supporting young talent
Looking to the future of the sport, Riseholme College was delighted to welcome Project Pony to the horse trials; an organisation dedicated to giving young talent the opportunity to compete in eventing and supporting up-and-coming young riders with the chance to event on elite ponies.
Robyn Cherry said: “The college is committed to equal opportunities, providing young talent with opportunities to flourish and develop, so we were thrilled to have Project Pony on board. It is a fantastic initiative supporting young riders to advance in the sport.”
The horse trials was supported by several sponsors, including Lincolnshire Agricultural Society, Bloomfields Horseboxes, Fox (Owmby) Ltd, An Eventful Life, Lincs Loos and Tigga’s Saddlery Ltd.
Equine commercial and events co-ordinator Emily Cameron said: “Our heartfelt thanks go to our amazing sponsors and all of those engaged in this event; the officials, the showground staff, the contractors, Riseholme College staff and students, and of course the multitude of amazing volunteers that give up their precious spare time to assist with the running of this event. The number of people it takes to put on a horse trials is phenomenal and [it’s] a real testament to the sport of eventing that people give up their time and expertise to facilitate horse trials up and down the country.”
Further horse trials are planned this year at Riseholme College’s sister campus, Bishop Burton in East Yorkshire, which will also host the International Youth Championships in July.
For more information visit www.bishopburton.ac.uk
For full results visit www.britisheventing.com
Photographs: Adam Fanthorpe
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