Sponsorship news in the UK and Irish horse industries

Somerford Park-based international event rider Andrew Heffernan, who competed at the London 2012 Olympics and the 2011 European Championships for the Dutch team, is now sponsored by Blue Bell BMW Wilmslow.Blue Bell has provided Andrew with a BMW X1 and will sponsor his horse box.Andrew said: “It’s great to be associated with such a high-profile company as Blue Bell BMW and it is a fantastic opportunity.”Jason Shenton of Blue Bell Wilmslow added: “We’re delighted to agree this sponsorship deal with Andrew — a Cheshire-based sportsman at the top of his game — as part of our on-going dedication to support the area’s upcoming sporting stars and Olympians.”
Technical equestrian footwear and apparel producer Ariat is now sponsoring showjumper Daniel Moseley.Previously based with William and Pippa Funnell at The Billy Stud, Daniel represented Great Britain in his first senior Nations Cup aged just 20.He went on to win the Queen Elizabeth II Cup at just 21 years old, before being crowned the National Gents Champion in 2012.And now, at the age of 23 years old, he is managing his own yard in West Sussex.Daniel said he was thrilled to join the Ariat Pro team of riders, which includes William Fox-Pitt, Mary King, Tina Fletcher and Andreas Ostholt.

British Showjumping is delighted to announce that leading protective headwear brand, Champion, will be an official supporter of the Fairfax British Showjumping pony, children, junior and young rider teams.Champion will provide the youth teams riders with a striking new Champion Air-Tech helmet.
Tattersalls is to sponsor the Irish 2000 Guineas on 25 May at The Curragh.The Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas is the first Group 1 race of the year in Ireland and the highlight on day one of the Curragh’s Spring Racing Festival.Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony said: “Our sponsorship of the Irish 2000 Guineas demonstrates Tattersalls’ continued commitment to Irish racing and breeding at the highest level and we are delighted to add Ireland’s first Classic of the season to our long association with the Tattersalls Gold Cup and to our global sponsorship portfolio.The Emirates Equestrian Federation will continue to sponsor the Irish 1000 Guineas and His Highness The President of the UAE Cup on Sunday 26th May.
Sue Carson Saddles is offering three sponsorship packages this season.One dressage rider, one showjumper and one event rider will each win a year of sponsorship to include:
Expert saddle fitting from a Sue Carson Saddles distributor
Six discipline-relevant training sessions with trainer(s) working with Sue Carson Saddles
Branded saddlecloths and branded rider clothing
10% off the price of any saddle from the Sue Carson Saddles range
20% off any item from the wide range of Sue Carson Saddles accessoriesThe three winners of this fabulous prize package can also look forward to an insight into working with commercial sponsors and will be chosen by Sue Carson and the team of nationwide distributors from all entries received by 12 April, 2013.Email your name, address, contact telephone numbers and a photograph, together with no more than 200 words about yourself, your horse, your recent competition record and your plans for the 2013 season to info@suecarsonsaddles.co.uk
Blue Chip will continue its sponsorship of the Flat Ridden Sports Horse Class at the SHB (GB) National Hunter Show at Bury Farm in Buckinghamshire on 2 September.More than 30 qualifying classes are held at shows across the country for the final.And this year the final will be split into two classes, for 4- and 5-year-olds and 6-year-olds and over.
The 15th annual Scurry of East Sussex hunt ride will be sponsored by the Gemini Stud in Leicestershire.The hugely popular event sees thoroughbreds and hunters go head-to-head as dozens of horses gallop round the gruelling two-mile Scurry course at breakneck speed to compete for the coveted Parker Challenge Cup.It takes place on Saturday 16 March at The Glebe in Burwash, in aid of the East Sussex and Romney Marsh hunt.The Gemini Stud is offering one stud nomination for the leading scurry mare.The winner will have three stunning stallions to choose from; Classic Primitive (British Eventing PAVO Champion), Furst Opera (British Equestrian Federation Futurity National Champion) or hunting stallion Cos Me Is Black.
GAIN Horse Feeds will be the official feed consultants to Team Ireland senior equestrian teams for the next four years.In addition to this, Glanbia and GAIN will be the official sponsor of Team Ireland equestrian underage eventing and showjumping teams.Henry Corbally of Glanbia PLC explained: “Team Ireland Equestrian’ teams have made fantastic progress in recent years with consistently excellent results culminating in an Olympic medal and Paralympic medals in 2012.”
Brightling Park International Horse Trials (13-14 July), has welcomed the return of French horsefeed brand Reverdy as 2013 title sponsor.Organiser Gardie Grissell, who is also the sole UK distributor for the feed, said he was thrilled to attract such a respected brand.He said: “This is a very exciting partnership. I have worked closely with Reverdy since they decided to launch in the UK in 2010. This year, the event will be known as The Reverdy Brightling Park International Horse Trials.”
Auction house Bonhams has given its name to a men’s open race series for 2013.The series comprises 15 qualifying races with a final at Cheltenham on 1 May, offering a first prize of £7,500.
Endurance rider, Linda Cowperthwaite has secured support from TopSpec for her team of horses.Based in Lancashire, Linda rides and trains three horses owned by her aunt Evelyn Helme, and was in great form throughout 2012 with her top ride, the Anglo Arab, Maraday Mystaron, taking the top position in the FEI World Rankings.“Endurance horses need slow release energy and I am sure the TopSpec feeding regime helps Maraday Mystaron to compete at his best,” she said.
Alltech UK is proud to announce that it will once again sponsor the Alltech Lifeforce Breeder of the Year category at the Show Personality of the Year Awards.The presentation dinner will be held at the End of Season Showing Gala, at the East of England Show Ground on 26 October.Nominations for the Alltech Lifeforce Breeder of the Year Award open in February and can be made at www.showingworldonline.co.uk.
Connolly’s Red Mills will sponsors two high profile Flat races, valued at £320,000, in the UK this year — the company’s largest ever sponsorship agreement outside Ireland.The feed brand will sponsor the Cheveley Park Stakes in Newmarket on 29 September, which is open to two-year-old fillies and is run on the Rowley Mile.Connolly’s Red Mills will also sponsor the £150,000 6 furlong Group 2 Lowther Stakes at York on 22 August, a race that attracts two-year-old fillies.Gareth Connolly of Connolly’s Red Mills said: “The UK is our largest export market.“This prestigious sponsorship coincides with the introduction of Derek Fallon and Michael O’Hagan to our UK team in support of our growing market share.”Our investment is a significant commitment to the British thoroughbred industry at the highest level,” Mr Connolly said.
Neptune Investment Management has extended its horseracing sponsorship portfolio by backing two races at Ascot; one over hurdles and one on the Flat. The Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle over a distance just short of two-and-a-half miles, ran on 16 February. The second race will be a £50,000 event for three-year-olds over a mile-and-a-half, on Saturday 13 July. Charles Barnett of Ascot, said: “Neptune Investment Management’s commitment and support of horseracing all over the country is an invaluable benefit to the sport as a whole and we look forward to working with them to build the profile of these two races.”

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A self-confessed newshound, farmer’s daughter and journalist of many years' experience, Charlotte worked on regional papers before joining H&H in 2007. A regular rider, she visited Ireland in 2010 to investigate the fate of Irish horses through the recession, to much acclaim, and reported from the FEI General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro in 2011. She left Horse & Hound in March 2013.