Free tyre checks for horseboxes in Bolton

HORSE owners in the Bolton area are this month (March, 2012) invited to a leading tyre specialist in the town to have the tyres on their horseboxes or trailers checked for free.

People are being offered the complimentary check by Bolton Thistlethwaites Tyres, which is located on Burns Street, to ensure their tyres are safe and roadworthy.

Jamie Cole, Manager of Bolton Thistlethwaites Tyres, which is part of the Protyre Group, said: “During the spring many horseboxes and trailers will make their first trip after being stored away for the winter. Not all people are aware that tyres can deteriorate when left unused for extended periods of time.

“Also because some trailers and horseboxes are only used occasionally, often for limited miles, they remain on the vehicle for longer. This can be a problem as tyres become time expired after seven years. We suggest to customers tyres older than seven years should be considered for replacement, even if they appear to have adequate tread depth.

“The reason for this is that tyres will deteriorate over time and the chemicals that keep a tyre in good condition can leech out and they are also susceptible to ozone degradation.”

Bolton Thistlethwaites Tyres is offering a free spring tyre check for horseboxes and trailers, which will include a check on the age of tyres.

Jamie added: “Owners of horseboxes and trailers can undertake a series of simple checks themselves to check the condition of their tyres. We suggest people carefully examine tyres to ensure that there are no cuts, lumps or bulges and that the sidewalls are not affected by cracking or distortion through being left standing for an extended period.

“Tyres must also have a minimum of 1.6 millimetres (mm) of tread, although we recommend that tyres with less than 2.5mm of tread should be considered for replacement.

“Tyre pressures are equally crucial to the safety, stability and economical running of a horsebox or trailer. Under or over inflated tyres can not only affect the handling, but can at the extreme result in a tyre failure. They will also wear more quickly and use more fuel thereby creating more CO2 emissions.”


For more information, please visit Bolton Thistlethwaites Tyres, which is located on Burns Street in Bolton, call 01204 524 392, visit www.protyre.co.uk, follow the company on Twitter at www.twitter.com/protyre or log on to www.facebook.com/protyre.

Dressage results and fabulous gala day!

**** February results ****

After the postponement of the January dressage competition due to the heavy snowfall, we were thrilled to see that competitors braved the cold for Leigh's February dressage competition.

Karen Calderbank won the senior beginners' class on her pony, Gigman Sandypipit, while Holly Watson took junior honours on Carrwood Goldleaf.

The open prelim class was won by Debbie Dobson on her shire cross, My Gentleman. Abi Lilley and Euphoria Queen won both the junior prelim and novice classes. The elementary winner was Jackie Fare on Oskar.

Katie Hodson won the prix caprilli (dressage with jumping) on her Connemara pony, A Bouncing Star.

**** March dressage ****

The final dressage competition of the winter series will take place on March 20. The classes will be beginners prelim 4, open prelim 13, novice 30 and elementary 49. The competition will be a qualifier for the Veteran Horse Society dressage championships - currently the only qualifier for the champs in this region.

**** Dressage Gala Day ****

The dressage committee have just announced that they will be holding a Dressage Gala Day on July 3rd.

Riders will have the chance to improve their dressage scores in clinics with British Dressage listed judge Jenny Johnson, followed by classes in the afternoon including lead rein, young horse, beginners and prix caprilli, plus prelim, novice and elementary classes.

The day will also have qualifiers for the Veteran Horse Society dressage championships and the UK Riders dressage championships.

Details and entry forms are available on the Leigh and District website, http://www.leighanddistrict.co.uk

Show clinics and dressage

There are no more places left for the January clinic with Julie Templetone. If you have paid for a place but haven't heard about what time your slot is yet, please email leighanddistrict@yahoo.co.uk

Places for the February clinic are also going fast! You can download a booking form from the Leigh and District website but if you are an M&M owner I would recommend texting first to check there are spaces available. Absolutely no calls before 6pm on weekdays please!

We are also now taking entries for the next dressage competition on February 13. Again, you can find more details from the Leigh and District website. It's a great chance to come and try your hand at dressage, and we have classes for everyone, from beginners to elementary.

For the March competition and the dressage day in July (details yet to be announced) I am considering holding a VHS dressage champs qualifier if enough people are interested. Please comment below to let me know your thoughts.

I am also thinking of organising two one-hour clinics at the July event if there is enough interest - again, comments below please!