Relaunched horseracing equestrian marketing consultancy sponsors young dressage rider

Swindon-based Racing and Equestrian consultancy, Foxhill Racing Promotions, has relaunched as Sporting Horse Promotions to coincide with the business’s move to new offices at Idstone (Wiltshire) – and has announced a new dressage sponsorship, as part of a part grant-funded recovery business plan following the impact on the business earlier this year by FMD.

The Sporting Horse Promotions team of Sandy Thwaites (Partner); Becci Berry (Account Manager) - with sponsored horse and rider (centre) - and Elain Mellor (Partner).Photograph courtesy of Charles Sainsbury-Plaice

Comments Sandy Thwaites: “The name Sporting Horse Promotions reflects the fact that we work for a broader base of clients, outside of racing alone, across the equestrian field.   In fact, part of our relaunch strategy is to raise awareness in the increasingly popular sport of dressage, through a sponsorship of 18 year old young dressage rider, Emily Pigott, based near us at Liddington, near Swindon

Emily Pigott has represented Great Britain on the Junior and Young Riders team with her 7 year old Danish bred, Mistral which she has trained with Pony Club and affiliated through the different levels to ‘Medium’.  Her biggest successes to date have come as Prelim Novice Champion at the British Dressage Midlands Winter Championships (1999), as a member of the Beaufort Pony Club winning team at the Badminton International Dressage Championships (2000) and winning silver as part of the British Junior team at an Irish International (2000).   Emily puts her progress down to her training at Pammy Hutton’s Talland School of Equitation near Cirencester but it was Dursley-based Adam Kemp (her dressage trainer in the early days) who spotted her potential:  “I first saw Emily riding at one of my Swindon dressage clinics and thought then that she was very talented.  She had lots of natural feel and ability, was keen and prepared to work hard,” he said.

Elain Mellor and Sandy Thwaites, who formed the successful business partnership in 1990, have together built up the specialist promotions business founded on an intelligent, professional approach based on a combination of a knowledge and love of the horse with many years of commercial marketing and PR experience.

On the PR side, Sporting Horse Promotions clients include many local businesses like The Marlborough Cup, Highclere International Horse Trials,  local point-to-points and The Hare & Hounds Pub-Restaurant at Lambourn.  On the hospitality side, the business specialises in added-value services which include behind-the-scenes tours and providing celebrity tipsters.