Ben Hobday riding CILETTO H in the CIC *** Section B during Banbury International at Barbury Castle Estate in the village of Rockly, near Marlborough in the county of Wiltshire in the UK on 9th July 2017
The four-star eventer tells Emily Bevan about the kit that makes life run smoothly for him — from the clippers that make the horses ‘look pretty’ to the showjumps that make the arena look like an international show
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Ben says: “My wife Emma really likes these handheld clippers as they are handy, easy to use and they are not noisy so the horses don’t get scared. A lot of clippers break or wear out quickly but these ones are really good quality and make the horses look pretty.”
Ben says: “When I go away to an event I use this bag for my trot up gear and other personal clothes as it’s a good size and looks really smart. Emma and I both have one as they were a wedding present and they are both personalised which is a really nice touch.”
Ben says: “When I was a kid my dad used to spend hours mowing the lawn and I used to wonder what on earth he was doing but now I have discovered lawn mowing and it is life changing! It is so therapeutic and I take a lot of pride in mowing the grass around the yard. Although I only have an old school Honda push lawn mower I am hoping to upgrade to a sit on John Deere one soon.”
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Ben says: “I have a couple of massage pads — one for the yard and one we take to competitions — and they are so useful. They really help to loosen the horse up or to cool down when they’ve worked hard. At shows they can be good to help a horse switch off and relax in a busy environment and they are really quiet so it doesn’t scare them.”
Ben says: “I recently got a 3.5 tonne lorry from the Scotland branch of Bloomfields horseboxes and it’s awesome. Mine is silver and blue with a union flag on the side and I love it. You only need a normal licence to drive it, it takes two big horses and is built around the horse’s safety. Although it’s smaller than my big lorry there’s plenty of room, it’s sturdy and it’s much more economical. For general running around it saves a fortune and it’s quicker too.”
Price: Build price from £14,995 + chassis & VAT
6. Training set of Equibox showjumps
Ben says: “I get a lot of use out of my showjumps and they are great for training. There are so many different colours, shapes and sizes with various fillers and water trays that it makes the arena look like an international show. Often when you go and try a horse they only have one showjump for you to use which annoys me, so I like it that when people come to my yard to try a horse they have a whole course of great jumps to choose from.”
Price: from £2,000
7. Spalding International dressage saddle
Ben says: “My Spalding dressage saddle is so comfy, it’s like putting your favourite pair of pants on. It fits most horses and puts you in the right balance which helps you to do your job better. For Badminton in 2016 Spalding gave me a bright blue jumping saddle which was a one off — it was pretty cool.”
Ben says: “There’s so much rubbish on the market but this Trackmaster Grader is brilliant and is reasonably priced. It’s really easy to use as it just hooks onto the back of the quad bike. It has spikes which break up the surface and two roller bars to roll it at the same time. It leaves the ground looking smart and level and resembling an Olympic arena in no time!”
Price: £1,800 + VAT
Amongst others, Ben Hobday is sponsored by Spalding International Saddlery and Equilibrium Products
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