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Vote for RDA Centre to win £6000 Natwest Award

With just two weeks’ left for votes to be cast in the annual Natwest Community Force Awards, your chance to support New Lodge RDA Centre, Near Eltham is nearly over.

Founded 30 years ago, New Lodge RDA provides a service for children and adults with physical and sensory special needs and learning difficulties and currently has 12 horses and ponies and a team of volunteers helping to provide lessons six days a week to approximately 100 regular riders.

Thanks to votes cast last year, New Lodge RDA benefitted hugely from a £3000.00 award last year, helping to pay for tack and equipment for a new horse.

Now bidding for £6000.00, manager, Hilary Crawford explains, “New Lodge started 30 years ago and many of the fixtures and fittings are original.  We’ve raised £5000 already towards the £20,000 required to repair the pot-hole filled driveway and replace old post and rails but adding another £6000 to these funds through the NatWest Award will really help get work underway.”

Members of the London Horse Network, an Olympic Legacy project of the British Equestrian Federation have already added their support, and David Gadsby, London representative of the BEF explains, “New Lodge really brings many London boroughs, including that of the Olympic Park in Greenwich, together spreading its work to many children and young adults and drawing volunteers from across the region.  Visited by Lord Sebastian Coe and Lee Pearson CBE earlier this year, the centre demonstrated how the London Olympics has inspired the centre – funding sourced through the London Horse Network enabling volunteers to help train youngsters to reach the RDA National Championships this year.  And, winning this funding will mean all those at New Lodge can be proud of their facilities, not just the work within the centre, and create a safer environment from which to support their community.”

Whether New Lodge is part of your local region or not you can add your votes online by visiting communityforce.natwest.com/project/2343 - you just need to register and verify your email address to vote.  But hurry, voting ends 23rd October 2011.
 

London Horse Network Celebrates First Birthday

London Horse Network Celebrates First Birthday

The London Horse Network celebrated its first birthday on 26th September with drinks and canapés on the 11^th floor of 6 Mitre Buildings, Greenwich Peninsula, overlooking many of the Olympic village sites for 2012.

Supported by HOOF the Olympic Legacy project of the British Equestrian Federation, BEF London Representative, David Gadsby says, “The London Horse Network owes its success to development funding and assistance from the BEF and Sport England and the invaluable contribution of volunteer chair, Jodie Maile and contributing members of the Network.

From the first meeting in which the network agreed priorities of accessing funding, generating links with County Sports Partnerships, schools and local government, improving standards and providing affordable training in the region to increase participation, much has been achieved.

David says, “We held a funding workshop enabling six centres to achieve £50,000 in facilities funding between them and a further six centres successfully applied for Mayor’s Legacy funding to subsidise training for new or existing riders and staff, in return for volunteering.”

Kevin Butchart of Woodredon Equestrian Centre says, “We have already achieved well in excess of 100 new young riders attending our centre who have never ridden before due to HOOF projects with additional interest from their parents to start riding on other HOOF initiatives.”

Members of the London Horse Network include representatives from BEF member bodies such as the BHS and ABRS, riding school proprietors, livery yards, competitive riders, and grooms and encompass various disciplines from RDA to carriage driving, polocrosse to eventing.

Linda Hinds, manager of Vauxhall City Farm Riding School says, “Just meeting and getting ideas, sharing problems and feeling less alone has been hugely beneficial.”

In response to requests, the London Horse Network has hosted business skills days from book-keeping and allowable expenses to employment law and customer care, and coaching clinics have been carefully chosen.

Jodie says, “The Network aims to respond to the needs of the region and hence we hosted coaching clinics that demonstrated what can be achieved to bring new people in to the sport, fill quiet times and keep current riders challenged.”

Open European Eventing Champion, Lucy Thompson, demonstrated cross-country training in a confined area, the UK Polocrosse Association gave an insight into setting up this exciting sport, Andrew MacFarlane who runs Lead Change, offering business professionals the chance to analyse their leadership and team skills by being around horses on the ground, spoke of the influence a coach has on their pupil and, acclaimed coach, Minette Rice-Edwards, discussed how the rider can affect the horse.

The London Horse Network also supported the inaugural Team London Riding Schools Dressage Championship, bringing in sponsorship to the summer competition and increasing competitive opportunities has since been drafted in to the wish list of Network members.

Intent on building on the enthusiasm generated over the past year, the first birthday and AGM also gave those present the chance to put forward their views for the coming year, particularly how this Olympic Legacy project should capitalize on increased tourism, and interest in equestrian sports, thanks to the Games coming to Greenwich Park.

David concludes, “It was thanks to Greenwich Council that we were able to enjoy the fabulous venue beside the O2 arena for our birthday and it felt like we’d come a long way from a yard portacabin where people barely knew one another at our first meeting.  It was a great way to celebrate the contributions of many individuals of all age and experiences and to thank professionals who have generously given their time to seeing the Network succeed.”

Notes to editors:

For more details regarding HOOF, visit www.hoof-in-town.com or contact Anna Bruce at evenerprise pr on 07970 285781 or email annabruce101@googlemail.com.

London Rider At HOYS

Look out for London’s Shari Butchart, competing at Horse of The Year Show tonight.

No stranger to championships, Shari rode at HOYS, the World’s most famous horse show, as a junior show jumper before going on to represent Britain at international level as a young rider.

Now 27, Shari, and her aptly named horse, Olympic, will be up against leading international event riders.

Shari switched to take up eventing four years’ ago and has ambitions to win one – or all – of the major British events and compete in an Olympic team.

Alongside this, Shari is yard manager and a BHS II instructor at the family run, Woodredon Equestrian Centre – which, as a member of the London Horse Network, is supported by HOOF – the Olympic Legacy project of the British Equestrian Federation.

And, Shari is involved in encouraging old and new riders to take up the sport through projects such as Mayor’s Legacy and is piloting the ‘Take Back The Reins’ initiative for the British Equestrian Federation.

Shari says, “I love teaching”, but on being under the spotlight for the Express Eventing competition, Shari says, “I’m excited about the whole experience and just thinking about riding in to the arena with the crowds!”

For more info visit www.hoof-in-town.com