Easibed celebrates
15th anniversary
Brilliant Visit with
Bill Levett for Pony
Club Likit Open
Eventing League
Winners 2015
The Pony Club Open Eventing
League, generously sponsored by
Likit, reached its conclusion for 2015
with nearly 30 Likit Open Eventing
League competitions held all over the
country since April, accommodating
hundreds of Pony Club horse and
rider combinations across them.
The winner of the 2015 Pony
Club Likit Open Eventing League
was Honor Barker, aged 14, from the
Heythrop Hunt Branch. Honor, who is
based in Great Rollright, Oxon, rode
Lismany Lad to a clear lead to finish
on 21 points; five points ahead of the
runner-up Katherine Mason who
clinched victory in 2014.
Honor said: “Lismany Lad and
I have had an amazing season, and
winning The Pony Club Likit Open
Eventing League was a fantastic way
for it to end!” Honor was full of praise
for the events she attended to gain her
points, which she said were held at
some ‘wonderful venues.’
Honor went on to thank Lismany
Lad’s owner Chloe O'Kane and her
trainer Simon Lawrance, wi thout
whose support Honor feels she
would not have taken the top spot.
Honor also thanked Likit for their
sponsorship of the league and was
‘very excited’ to hear that part of her
prize will include a training day with
professional 4* event rider Bill Levett.
Winners placed 2nd-10th in The
Pony Club Likit Open Eventing
League receive training bursary
amounts between £200 to £50 which
they were presented with at Bill
Levett’s Eventing yard, where they
also enjoyed the chance to have a
look round, get some great advice
from Bill and his wife Jenny on what
it takes to get to the top of your game
in Eventing and the chance to watch
Bill in action on a couple of different
horses.
Liz Lyall, Chairman of Pony Club
Eventing, said: “The Likit Open
Eventing League has seen a rise in
numbers of Members competing at
Pony Club Open level competitions
in 2015, and we are very grateful to
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Likit for their continuing support of
this very hotly contested competition.
Having the prize giving at Bill
Levett’s yard was a fitting end to
the competition, and has given our
winners some great insight into the
world of top class Eventing.”
The link between the Likit Open
Eventing League and the standard
at Open Level is clearly reflected in
Honor’s result as she enjoyed success
in The 2015 Weatherbys Private
Banking Pony Club Championships,
where she was 5th in her section of
The Stonar Eventing Championships
and also chosen as winner of The
Open Eventing Bursary, awarded
to the Pony Club Member who
the judges deem to have the most
competent horsemanship round on
the cross country course.
Pony Club Branches whose events
include an Open (1.10m) Class, are
eligible to register for the League with
entrants gaining points for places and
double clear rounds. The horse and
rider combination with the highest
number of points at the end of the
season wins, with further placings
being awarded to 10th place.
Based in Scotland, Open League
sponsor Likit manufacture a wide
range of stable toys and treats. Brand
Manager, Lindsay Gall commented
“This is our forth year supporting this
amazing competition and we are so
proud of all the competitors and their
horses and ponies that have entered
this year!” Lindsay continued “As
ever the competition was fierce and
the courses extremely challenging
for both horse and rider so hats
off to all those that got round, and
special congratulations to those that
achieved a top ten place, it is truly a
fantastic achievement. The Pony Club
remains at the forefront of young rider
development and we are delighted to
continue to support such a worthwhile
organisation.”
Bedding specialist easibed is
excited to be celebrating 15 years
of producing quality equine
bedding and one woman who will
be celebrating with them is Angela
White from Bardney Nr Lincoln.
Having first used the bedding
at an equine show in York, Angela
has continued to choose easibed for
her miniature ponies Kyra 17 and
Glenoaklands Lulu 16 (pictured
below) and has been using the
bedding since its inception in 2000.
“Someone had a lorry full of
easibed at the show and I decided to
try some for my ponies. Up until that
point we had used straw for them
and it was proving quite tedious,”
said Angela.
“I’m a total convert and I wouldn’t
use anything else for my girls now,”
said Angela.
easibed is thrilled to present
Angela with a beautiful easibed
branded coat for being such a valued
and loyal user of the bedding. And
Angela’s coat is particularly special as
it includes easibed’s 15th anniversary
logo.
To add to its 15th anniversary
celebrations easibed has also
incorporated a brand new collectable
token to the back of each of its newly
designed 20kg bale.
The easi-token can be cut out
and collected and used to redeem a
wide range of easibed merchandise
including easibed lead ropes, caps
and jackets when the scheme is fully
launched in the New Year.
In preparation, users who are
collecting the tokens should register
at their local easibed stockist to be
eligible to redeem their tokens.
Everything Horse UK • Issue 27• December 2015
A Sixth Olympic
Games on John
Whitaker's Radar!
The Liverpool International Horse Show
Director, Nina Barbour, is also responsible
for Bolesworth International CSI***,
another top equestrian event
hosted in the North West!
Inaugural Liverpool International
Horse Show could prove to be
Whitaker’s Olympic launchpad
T
he inaugural Equestrian.
com Liverpool International
Horse Show could provide an
Olympics launchpad for one
of world showjumping's most famous
riders.
John Whitaker will be 61 by the
time next summer's Rio Olympics take
global centre-stage, but his ambition
and desire remain as strong as ever.
Yorkshireman Whitaker's longevity
is underlined by the fact that when he
helped Great Britain win an Olympic
team silver medal in Los Angeles 31
years ago, current world number one
showjumper - Whitaker's fellow British
star Scott Brash - was not born.
And a possible sixth Olympics
appearance after Los Angeles,
Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney and
Beijing is firmly on Whitaker's radar,
especially given his powerful string
of horses highlighted by the stallion
Argento and exciting new mare
Ornellaia.
"I have had a really good year.
My horses have been jumping well they've been on form - and I can still
win at my age, which is quite good!
"For sure, gaining selection at the
highest level is tough, and all you can
do as a rider is keep doing your best.
The mare is still improving, and if she
keeps improving, I know I have a good
chance. I will try my best to get to Rio."
Only Brash, among British riders,
is currently above Whitaker on the
sport's official world rankings list,
which underlines the standard that
he continues to hit, and he is relishing
being part of what Liverpool will have
to offer during three days of worldclass competition.
"It's very good to have a new
international show in the north again.
It is great to bring the sport to the
public," he added.
"It is the right idea to get shows
in city centres in big arenas, and it is
something to really look forward to for
riders and spectators."
Each day at the Equestrian.
com Liverpool International Horse
Show will host both afternoon and
evening performances. The actionpacked schedule combines worldclass showjumping with high quality
shopping and an array of showstopping displays and performances
to give a truly unforgettable family
experience.
Besides the thrilling 4*
showjumping action, attracting famous
names from around the globe, there
December 2015 • Issue 27 • Everything Horse UK
will be a fantastic entertainment lineup for everyone to enjoy. This includes
the ever popular Shetland Pony Grand
National, The Bootleg Beatles tribute
act, and Clémence Faivre, a truly
spectacular horsewoman making
her name in the equestrian arts and
performance industry, who is set to
give a spellbinding display, working
closely with her Lusitano horses.
Besides the mesmerising displays
and showjumping, there will be
a fabulous shopping village in a
hall housing the collecting ring,
champagne bar and bistro, offering a
quality selection of trade stands.
For event information visit
www.liverpoolhorseshow.com.
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