Cornwall will host more jumping and dressage shows this year after Colraine Equestrian Centre, near Truro, underwent a major upgrade during the winter.
Centre owner Mike Gadsdon has added an 80m x 40m all-weather outdoor arena to the existing indoor arena.
The new arena is bordered by grass, on which there will be a bank and devil’s dyke complex.
Centre manager Zoe Gwennap said that this was a much-needed facility in the area.
“I hope this will bring Cornwall into the 21st century, in line with other areas,” she said. “This gives us the facility to continue our indoor program year-round, and will also create local jobs.”
Anne Newbery, British Showjumping’s development officer for the south-west, said that the upgrade would be welcomed across the region.
“It’s wonderful not only for Cornwall but for the whole of the south-west,” she said. “I had a guided tour before it was finished, and it looked great. Although Cornwall has more ‘old-fashioned’ green-field shows than any county, it only has three actual year-round centres [Duchy, Colraine and Tall Trees].”
Verity Perry, who runs a Rosevidney Livery Stables in Penzance and competes in affiliated dressage and jumping, is based 25 miles from Colraine.
“It’s fantastic, it looks huge,” she said. “It will make it the biggest in the area — we normally have to drive 80 miles to compete in an arena of a comparable size.”
Colraine will launch the new arena during their four-day Easter show (22-25 April), which has previously been held indoors.
The show currently hosts affliated showjumping and unaffiliated jumping and dressage competitions.
For more up-to-date news stories, see the current issue of Horse & Hound (17 March, 2011)
