Contact magnet aims to combat showground distress

The David Broome Event Centre has developed a new magnetic information disc, which it says “could save thousands of equines from unnecessary distress at shows each year”.

The brightly coloured horse and pony safety magnet is intended as a wind- and rain-proof way of displaying contact details when you’re away from your lorry.

Should your horse or horses become distressed, said James Broome of the centre, passers-by will have no trouble finding your mobile number and alerting you.

“Most people who travel to shows will, at some time, leave their horses or ponies unattended,” said Mr Broome.

“We hear many stories of horses becoming distressed. People will try to help, but they do not always know who to go to. We hope this new magnet will eliminate this common problem.”

The David Broome Event Centre is to introduce a rule to insist that owners’ contact details are clearly displayed whenever horses or ponies are left unattended in lorries at its shows.

Cat Jarman of the centre added: “Of course you could display your contact details with a pen, piece of paper and blue tack, but the magnet makes the task a one-off exercise.

“Once the details are written on, all you have to do is pick the magnet off your dashboard, and slap it onto your trailer door. That’s better than faffing around looking for pen and paper, which after all will not work in rainy or windy conditions.”

The horse and pony safety magnets are available for £6.50 from www.theshowground.com or tel: 01291 420777.

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