The British Equine Event 2002!

The country's top equine experts gather at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire for the twelfth British Equine Event to be held on 2nd - 3rd November. From top equestrian stars and celebrity vets to specialised stands and a focused business forum, the British Equine Event is the biggest event of its kind, offering everything for the horse and rider.

Packed with practical demonstrations and features, this year's event will be seeing celebrity demonstrations from three-day eventers Vere and Clea Phillipps, and dressage gurus Conrad Shumacher and Pammy Hutton. There's the chance to grab some tips from show jumper Andy Austin or see TV vet Sally Kingsley, from the BBC's 'Vets in Practice' programme, talking on a wide range of everyday healthcare issues as part of the Robinson Animal Healthcare Healthy Horse Focus.

Vere and Clea Phillipps will be teaming up with Dodson & Horrell horse feed specialists to present 'Eventing made fun / buying the perfect horse'. Also taking part will be top horses from horse dealer Vere's yard, based near Loughborough.

Newbury-based show jumping supremo Andy Austin, a British Nations Cup team member and British Show Jumping Association (BSJA) coaching development programme trainer is presenting 'relax, show jumping can be fun' sponsored by Martin Collins Enterprises in partnership with one of his top horses.

Sally is highlighting the latest advances in wound management and recovery procedures as well as routine therapy such as poulticing and hot and cold therapy. Horse owners also have the chance to pick up advice from her on bandaging and dressing wounds, the basics of healing, optimum healing environments and knowing when to call for immediate veterinary assistance.

Visitors will have the chance to learn the art of Western riding with Bob Mayhew in partnership with the British Reining Association, and the chance to judge a special reining competition! During the Equine Event Reining cup, members of the audience will be asked to score each rider, and the person who guesses closest to the judge's score wins a prize.

The Julie Templeton Show team will be presenting to audiences 'Training and producing the show pony' sponsored by Bailey's horse feeds by casting judge Julie Templeton's eyes over a selection of ponies and riders. From three-year old tots riding lead-rein ponies to teenagers and young adults riding native breeds up to 15 hands high, visitors gain a valuable insight in to show pony training and production.

For the Eriskay Pony society, the annual event is a important date in the calendar Eriskay enthusiasts from across the British Isles can get together to tell the horse world about Britain's most endangered native pony. This year the society is aiming to surpass last year's success when the Scottish society was awarded 'Best Breed Society Stand', out of 33 other hopefuls. Eriskay mare and foal pictured left

The British Equine Event also features an up-to-the-minute Business Forum. Now in its fourth year, the forum has proved to be invaluable as a business information resource, offering practical advice on key issues affecting the equine industry. It will appeal to professionals from across the whole sector, concentrating on marketing equine businesses, the future of equestrian shopping and what legal pitfalls to avoid when buying a horse.

A number of truly fascinating stands will feature at the event including the following:

The Women Who Listen To Horses - Stand 53
Dealing with nervous, remedial or thoroughly misunderstood horses is all part of a normal day for Sarah Kreutzer, Debbie Reilly and Maya Horsey - three Monty Roberts Certified instructors who have brought the legendary horseman's non-abusive methods of communication home from California to the UK.
Sharing Monty's vision to make the world a better place for horses is a passion that drives each one of them and they work tirelessly to create an environment in which people can not only listen to their horses, but also treat them with respect.
Instead of a traditional relationship based on domination and submission, a two-way channel of communication is established, with both horse and rider speaking the same language - Equus.
Because Monty Roberts and his proteges, of whom there are only 16 in the world, are often called 'horsewhisperers' many people wrongly assume that they spend their time talking quietly into animal's ears.
"This name comes from something Monty once said," explains Debbie. " 'A good trainer can hear a horse speak, a great trainer can hear a horse whisper'."
"A trained eye can 'hear a horse through tiny, subtle movements such as the twitch of an ear, the flaring of a nostril or tightly drawn-up facial muscles," she continues." By the time a horse is rearing, biting or bucking, it is literally screaming out for help,"
Sarah, Debbie and Maya's belief that non-abusive methods can benefit every horse has been backed up time and again by an extensive catalogue of success stories. Their credits include helping a race horse to develop from also-ran to winner, restoring the confidence of horses that would spook in traffic, tackling remedial problems, ironing out long established traits, training point-to-pointers and hunters and starting numerous young horses.
Please click here for further details

A number of new products will also feature at the event:

Stable Comfort - Stand No 95 The Stable Comfort mattress is a revolutionary new flooring product to come on to the UK market. It has been well established both in Canada and the USA. Stable Comfort provides unsurpassed horse comfort, is equivalent to 4" bedding and is a completely different product to the range of mats currently available. Traditional stable floors are hard and unforgiving, requiring several inches of bedding to create a suitable environment. This amount of bedding can intensify dust-related health problems, is very costly and labour intensive and takes up valuable time that could be spent working with your horse rather than for your horse. Stable Comfort has been designed to feel like natural pasture, providing the ideal surface for your horse's comfort and well-being. Please click here for further details

Launched at the British Equine Event: The New Marquis Supergrip - Stand No. 111 The new Marquis Supergrip hoof boot, launched at the 2002 British Equine Event is something sure to revolutionise the protection of horses' hooves. The patented Marquis Supergrip hoof boots are the first realistic alternative to nailing lumps of metal to a horse's hoof. Why would you want to replace metal nail on shoes? Well, metal shoes only protect the hoof wall - not the sole or delicate frog, the repeated insertion and removal of nails can degrade the hoof wall and raising the hoof off the ground reduces the all important frog pressure, reducing lower limb circulation that may lead to problems. Please click here for further details

Robert Lemieux Endorses the Armadillo Airotec Saddle Pad - Stand No. 21 Lightweight ~ Anti-sweat ~ Anti-shock Robert Lemieux bought an Armadillo Airotec Saddle Pad at from the Armadillo stand at Burghley this year. Tested at Blenheim Horse Trials only a week later, Robert now says "I would absolutely not be without my Armadillo Airotec Saddle Pad!" Robert had a fantastic Blenheim, rising from 60th after the dressage to finish 11th on his new ride Ivor Mission. Former British National Champion before riding for Canada, Robert hung up his professional boots in 1997. Now aiming for Badminton CCI*** and the Pan American Games in October 2003 Robert and Ivor Mission are looking towards the Olympic Games in Athens 2004. Much lighter than most saddle pads, riders have found outstanding results from using the Armadillo Airotec Saddle Pad. The unique design combines superb shock absorbency with Stomatex, a high-performance, anti-sweat fabric, keeping your horse cool and comfortable. The pad actually PUMPS the air and sweat away from the horse. Please click here for further details

With its two-day demonstration programme and over 300 specialist trade stands offering unbeatable Christmas shopping opportunities, the British Equine Event is a must for anyone with an interest in horses and riding.

The British Equine Event is organised by the Royal Agricultural Society of England in association with Your Horse and is sponsored by Dodson & Horrell Ltd and Eqvalan.

Please visit www.equineevent.org.uk. for further information.

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