Equestrian community continues to go over and above during pandemic
The equestrian world continues to raise spirits through the pandemic as it supports charities and equine businesses.
We round up more efforts of those who have gone over and above to show support.
Equestrian retailer Harry Hall, which has been rewarding weekly nominated “heroes” and raising money for the NHS Charities Together Covid-19 appeal, has launched phase two of its campaign and will now focus on supporting equestrian venues and clubs.
The retailer asked the public to nominate their favourite equestrian club or venue for the chance to win a 12-month support package including £1,000 of personalised clothing, 40% off its brands, marketing support, and unlimited free bronze membership for the club or venue’s community.
“Equestrians all have their favourite go-to place be it a livery yard, a riding school or club. For some, that’s a local friendly yard that does arena hire, offers training sessions and organises fun competitions. Or it could be a larger competition centre or their trainer’s yard – but one thing is for sure, the past few months have hit them all hard,” said Harry Hall managing direct Liz Hopper.
“Venues and clubs are the heartbeat of the equestrian industry and are key to the growth of the sport we know and love. With this campaign our aim is to share positive stories and give us all some much-needed future hope for life after lockdown.”
Nominations can be made until 30 June by clicking here or via the retailer’s Facebook page.
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Showjump manufacturer Jump 4 Joy held a competition on its social media channels to help budding artists “beat lockdown blues” by giving them the chance to design a jump.
The company was “inundated” with more than 1,000 entries from which the winner, Maddie Larwood Smith, was chosen for her magic-themed jump featuring a rabbit in a top hat filler and magic wand poles and wings.
“We are looking forward to creating a new jump out of this design,” said Jump 4 Joy managing director Nigel Underwood. “We hope to create 3D magic wand wings too so this will be a truly fun jump.”
The company has also developed its own new designs, including an NHS superheroes jump.
“It was important to us to pay tribute to the NHS workers who have supported us all through this difficult period in time,” said Nigel. “All profits from this jump will be donated to NHS charities.”
Ascot racecourse has launched a new charity appeal, #StyledWithThanks in supports of the National Emergencies Trust Relief Fund, NHS Charities Together, the Care Workers Charity and the Berkshire Community Foundation.
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Scrubs, visors and racing printers: equestrian community pulls together to support pandemic effort
H&H rounds up some of the ways members of the equestrian world have been helping during lockdown
Calls for vital support as pandemic hits hard
As visitor centres remain closed and many vital fundraisers cancelled, charities are continuing to look at alternative methods to raise
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The racecourse has kicked off the campaign with a £100,000 donation – and as part of its wider ‘Royal Ascot at Home’ campaign (16 – 20 June) is asking fans to get involved by wearing a hat and sharing a photo on social media with the hashtags #StyledWithThanks and #RoyalAscot. Participants are encouraged to donate £5 to the fundraising page. Top prizes are up for grabs, including tickets for Royal Ascot 2021, for the most “elegant, original and uplifting” outfits across the week as judged by a panel of fashion industry judges.
“Photos posted using the campaign hashtags will be turned into a giant rainbow mosaic image tribute which will become a permanent installation at Ascot racecourse,” said a spokesman.
Guy Henderson, Ascot racecourse chief executive, said: “We are marking this year’s Royal meeting with our #StyledWithThanks initiative so people can combine the enjoyment of participating in the event from their homes with their own thanks and contribution to the fundraising campaign.”
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Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.