Taking the fear out of fireworks

Bonfire night is drawing near, and it's a worrying time for all horse owners.

Fireworks can frighten even the most sensible horse, so to help the British Horse Society (BHS) has issued the following advice for owners:

Fireworks must not be set off near livestock or horses in fields or stables

It is best to keep your horse in its normal routine

Risk assess your stable yard and plan to limit disturbance

Ensure you find out if there are any displays planned nearby

Warn local organisers, councils and schools that there are horses in the area

Organise your plans in advance

Remain calm and positive yourself as horses will sense your unease

Keep your horse in a familiar environment

Safety for everyone is the key – do not put yourself in danger

This advice is available as a downloadable poster, along with further information from horseaccidents.org.uk

The BHS also supports the Blue Cross guidelines on Fireworks and Animals which is available at bluecross.org.uk and in paper format from both the Blue Cross and the BHS.

It is not just horse owners who need to be careful. People organising firework displays should inform local horse owners and it is also a good idea not to let off fireworks anywhere near fields or farms. Most people don’t realise how much suffering fireworks cause animals, particularly horses. Those who really want to have fireworks in their back garden should think carefully about how it will affect local pets and animals before they do so.

By being proactive in planning for fireworks and Bonfire Night, you can make the annual celebrations less stressful for you and your horse.

Share your shame!

So we will hopefully have lots of people trying their have at dressage for the first time on Sunday (as well as some more experienced ones doing our TWO novice classes) and I thought it would be nice to give them some moral support by sharing our most embarrassing dressage memories.

Personally, mine is probably when my hunter, Meg, lost her brakes in medium canter across a diagonal and ended up several metres outside the arena, but even that can't beat an unfortunate friend of mine who got caught in a sudden downpour... and found her freshly applied fake tan transferred quite dramatically onto her breeches.

Post yours below, and I'll put the best ones in a blog post sometime in the next few days. Information about the dressage is, if course, on our website, www.leighanddistrict.co.uk

Last minute HOYS tickets

We've had the following press release from the lovely folks over at HOYS who are currently very busy getting ready for this year's show which starts on Thursday. It says:

"Have you got you ticket for Horse of the Year Show yet?

Take advantage of our Don’t Miss The Action Packages on Thursday 6th and Friday 7th - Includes 2x B Band Tickets and a HOTEL ROOM.

Thursday 6th 2x B Band Tickets and a Crowne Plaza Room £220 incl. VAT (based on 2 people)

Thursday 6th 2x B Band Tickets and a Hilton Metropole Room £190 incl. VAT (based on 2 people)

Friday 7th 2x B Band Tickets and a Crowne Plaza Room £220 incl. VAT (based on 2 sharing)

Friday 7th 2x B Band Tickets and a Hilton Metropole Hotel Room £190 inc vat (based on 2 sharing)

Limited availability*

To take advantage of these last minute deals, please call 0870 7611424 or email laura.hardwick@grandstand.co.uk"

So if you haven't booked your tickets yet, do it now!

Sad news as the horse world loses a legend

Tragic news today from the Eilbergs whose fabulous Grand Prix horse Two Sox has been put down less than two weeks after retiring. Two Sox didn't miss a national championship in 10 years, and was national champion in 2008 with Maria.

The news was broken, as far as we know, on www.horsehero.com, who had the following statement from Maria's mother, Geri:

"Such sad news: Barely two weeks into retirement, Two Sox, our beloved Ed, shattered his pastern while grazing and was put down yesterday. It is a complete mystery how this happened as he appeared to be settling perfectly into his new routine of hacking and turnout. The paddock was small, level and in view of our outdoor arena so we could keep an eye on him and he seemed perfectly relaxed in the october sunshine. We are all devastated it is like losing a member of the family, he was such a special horse, one of the best. it's been a terrible shock, especially for Maria. Geri Eilberg."

You can watch Two Sox's retirement lap of honour, and the standing ovation this great horse received, at www.eqtv.co.uk.

Your horse is fit... are you?

With just over a week to go until the first competition of our winter dressage, we know that many of you have been working hard to make sure your horses are fit enough for competition - but what about yourselves? It takes a lot of work just to "sit there looking pretty", so to help we've found a helpful article about lengthening your leg from the fab American magazine Dressage Today. Personally I really wish there was a magazine like this over here in England - if you're on Twitter why not follow them at @DressageToday

Some good news from across the pond

We do like a bit of good news here in the Leigh and District camp, and we were particularly worried about the horses caught up in Hurricane Irene as it swept across America. However, we've just received this rather sweet story from North Carolina:

"The 116 wild Shackleford horses, 400-year residents of North Carolina’s Southern Outer Banks, weathered another storm. Immediately following Hurricane Irene, a new foal was born only hours after 90+ miles per hour winds struck Shackleford Banks, the horses’ permanent home. Appropriately named “Aftermath,” the new born foal is perfectly healthy, serving as a testament of the fortitude of the wild Spanish Mustangs.

"At the southern end of Core Sound, a valuable part of the Cape Lookout National Seashore, lies a gem of an island known as Shackleford Banks. The only permanent residents on this nine-mile long island are Spanish Mustangs, locally known as "Banker ponies." The majestic horses, survivors of Spanish galleon shipwrecks, have roamed freely across the miles of pristine beaches for more than 400 years. Visitors make their way to the island by private boat or on one of the ferries running from Harkers Island, Beaufort and Morehead City."

Championship news and dressage is back!

Hello all!

Sorry it's been so long, it's been incredibly busy over at L&D towers. However we're thrilled to report that last weekend we won the Osbaldeston Classics showing championships by a whopping 60 point margin. We're really pleased and would like to thanks everyone that came along and represented us. This weekend is the team showjumping event, so let's hope we can dominate that, too!

Here's Darren and Ann with our trophies...



In other news, Leigh and District's winter dressage series has returned for its third year, giving horse owners in the North West the chance to brush up their dressage skills from next month riding their tests in the shelter of our indoor school.
Once again, we're offering separate classes for beginner riders and green horses aged six and under, plus a choice of two prelim and two novice tests.
For those who become dressage members there is the chance to compete for an end-of-season trophy, while the test schedule has been co-ordinated to help horses and riders improve over the course of the season.
Leigh and District's dressage committee pride themselves on being the friendliest in the area and are always happy to answer questions from newbies and provide advice on everything from tack and togs to how to interpret the judge's comments.
The first competition will take place on Sunday, October 9th, at Landlords Farm Equestrian Centre, on Dicconson Lane in Aspull, Lancashire.
For more information, test schedule, membership and entry forms, email leighanddistrict@yahoo.co.uk.

Racehorse to... dressage ring

I know quite a few of you attended our TARRA (Thoroughbred and Retrained Racehorse Association) qualifiers at the July show, so you might be interested in the news that British Dressage have teamed up with Retraining of Racehorses to run a racehorse to riding horse dressage championship. More details can be found on the British Dressage website, here