London Horse Network puts funding as priority

The first meeting of the London Horse Network under new chairman, Jodie Maile, identified funding as the Network’s priority.


Facilitated by the British Equestrian Federation’s HOOF-Ride London project to create a legacy for equestrian sport in response to London as home to the Olympic Games 2012, the Network brought together professionals from riding schools and livery yards to instructors, charity-run city farms and RDA centres as well as representatives of funding organisations and government bodies responsible for developing sport in the city.

Jodie said, “A short discussion session to identify the key needs of the Network demonstrated a wealth of experience a valuable insight into the differing approaches of the Network members to combat similar challenges.”

With accessing funding identified as one of the priorities of the network, the meeting moved on to talks from Mary-Ann Horne of the Emilie Faurie Foundation, Kelly Smith of the Pro-Active Network and Katie Couchman of the Mayor’s Legacy, outlining funding available through the initiatives they represent.

“It is a good start”, remarked Jackie Cheeseman, manager of Mudchute Equestrian Centre, generous host for the meeting and a fine example of a well-presented, professional facility in the heart of the city.

BEF London Representative, David Gadsby, then proposed an action plan following the outcome of this first meeting and said, “Although the plan is for the Network to meet quarterly to both review progress and identify future projects, HOOF-Ride London will set up a series of workshops. Helping the Network file viable applications for funding will be a matter of priority.”

Network members were then invited to put themselves forward to lead, particularly, the funding project.

David concluded, “Organisations seeking funding need to be in it to win it. Day-to-day business pressures aside, much of the funding identified is only available for a limited time so it is imperative that the members work together and take ownership of the network project for their aims to be achieved.

“I am confident there are people within the Network with ample expertise to do just that”, he added.



Ebony Horse Club Receives Funding Boost for new Riding Centre in Brixton

Brixton, London: South London’s pioneering horse riding charity, Ebony Horse Club, has been awarded £600,000 towards the cost of building a riding centre in Brixton, South London. Ebony has transformed the lives of hundreds of local children during its 15 year history. Many of the children are from ethnic minority backgrounds making it the biggest provider of its kind in the UK.

The Club has been limited by not owning its own facilities and Sport England has invested £600,000 of National Lottery Funding in the project towards the £1.75m total cost of building the centre in Wyck Gardens in South West London.

Ros Spearing, Founder and Director of Ebony Horse Club said: "We have been providing horse riding for children in Brixton since 1996 and have been developing the riding centre for seven years. The new riding centre will enable us to reach three times as many children. The local community, Council and schools support the vital role that Ebony plays in opening up opportunities for local children especially those with special needs.

"We have now raised £1.2 million towards the new centre and we are awaiting news on a further £400,000. We are appealing for donors to come forward with the last £150,000 so that work can start on the building in February 2011. Our aim is to open by January 2012 in time for our role as an equestrian Olympic Legacy Project. Sport England has given us their support with this generous award which follows the tremendous support the British Equestrian Federation has given to Ebony. The new centre which will also provide mentoring and other sports will allow us to reach so many more children who at present are turned away."

Hannah Bladen, Sport England's Regional Lead for London, said: "The opportunity to go horse riding in state-of-the-art facilities is not something every Londoner has on their doorstep. That's why this centre will be an important addition to sports on offer in South West London. Sport England is delighted to be investing National Lottery funding to support Ebony Horse Club in getting young people taking part in, and enjoying, their sport."

Tessa Jowell MP for Brixton said: "My congratulations and admiration go to everyone at Ebony Horse Club who have argued, cajoled, persuaded and campaigned to bring an equestrian centre to Brixton.

"When you witness the fantastic way that Ebony Horse Club work with young people, the logic of bringing the riding centre to Brixton becomes crystal clear. I cannot wait to see this hard fought for centre become a reality in the months ahead."

Andrew Finding, Chief Executive of the British Equestrian Federation said: "When London was announced as the venue of the 2012 Olympic Games, BEF quickly realised its potential to encourage people of all ages to start, stay and succeed in our sport.

"Our legacy project, HOOF-Ride London, identified the unique opportunity that Ebony Horse Club represents. Through HOOF - Ride London, our moral encouragement and financial contribution, to support the opening of the Ebony’s bespoke facility in the heart of Brixton just ahead of the Olympics in 2012, will enable Ebony Horse Club to reach out to more children than ever before. This is just the start however, as Ebony Horse Club also has potential to link to many of our 16 member bodies, offering far-reaching benefits for all."

Derrick Anderson, Chief Executive Officer, Lambeth Council said: "I can think of few organisations more deserving of the sort of financial support Ebony has managed to achieve. The centre will be a real asset to the local area and provide desperately needed new opportunities for our young people."

Local parent, Karen Reid, who has three children at the Club said: "The whole family has waited so long to hear this news. Ebony has really supported my children especially my son, through some quite difficult times. The children cannot wait to be able to go to the stables after school and at weekends. It’s great that so many more children from the area will benefit and have access to this support."

Martin Clark, Head, at St John The Evangelist Primary School, Angell Town said: "Since a group of children has been working with Ebony Horse Riding Club it has had a remarkable impact on their self-esteem which has resulted in a dramatic improvement in their achievement at school."



BEF urges London equestrian centres to access funding from Mayor's Skills Legacy worth £30 million

British Equestrian Federation is urging London’s equestrian centres to access a slice of over £30 million – and offering advice as to how to do so.


As part of the Mayor of Loondon, Boris Johnson’s key election promises, the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games must deliver a genuine grass-roots sporting legacy of increased participation in sport and physical activity amongst Londoners. “In total, in excess of £30 million is to be invested in grass-roots sport by the time of the Olympic opening ceremony”, says project manager, Katie Couchman.

To understand how to access this funding the BEF has therefore secured Katie Couchman as a speaker at the next meeting of the London Horse Network, to be held at Mudchute Equestrian Centre, Isle of Dogs, on 28th September.

BEF representative for London, David Gadsby explains; “This is a staggering figure to be put towards accessing subsidized training, and we’ll have to fight many other sports to secure it but I’m confident the London Horse Network can work collectively to put forward something that will benefit the individual and the industry as a whole.”

Established as part of the BEF HOOF-Ride London Olympic Legacy, the London Horse Network aims to combine the expertise of riding centres and instructors to individual horse owners and riders and to connect them to external agencies, to develop the sport, improve standards and secure funding for the region.

Under the new leadership of Jodie Maile, the London Horse Network will also hear from Kelly Smith, Pro Active London Equestrian Relationship Manager at the meeting. Jodie explains, “Kelly will address the audience on how to link into Country Sports Partnerships, with a particular emphasis on creating links with schools so that equestrian centres can not only make the mid-week, daytime more profitable but also to create a lasting legacy, introducing scores of new volunteers into our sport and could inspire others into equestrian careers.”

A few spaces remain and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis with those interested invited to contact Jodie Maile.

David concludes, “This meeting will be a great opportunity for the London Horse Network and I hope it will not only encourage equestrian enthusiasts in London to get in touch and join the Network but also inspire other professionals with equestrian links to offer their advice and services to the Network so that the Legacy of the London Olympic Games is seen for decades to come.”

If you would like to join the London Horse Network, or offer your expertise to the Network, contact Jodie Maile at jodievm@aol.com or Tel 07815 670035.

For more information on HOOF-Ride London visit http://www.hoof-in-town.com/

Hoof strives to 'out' sofa dwellers with new campaign

Hoof, the British Equestrian Federation's legacy to the London 2012 Olympic Games today launches a new campaign - Hoof it to Health - to get people off the sofa and onto horse back as one of London's healthiest outdoors sports for any age or fitness level.

The new online video for the campaign explains the benefits.

"Horse riding can burn as many calories as jogging, tones and strengthens your core muscle groups, is a great way to get fit and at the same time, enjoy the psychological benefits of being outdoors in partnership with a horse," says Lynne Munro, Chair of the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Therapeutic Riding.

"Riding is proven to help everyone but also benefits people with physical and mental challenges. Every step a horse takes, the rider must rebalance their body resulting in continual muscle, posture and balance adjustments even in walk. Once a rider is able to move up a pace, they not only continue to tone muscles in this way, the whole cardiovascular system gets working. We have many examples of people whose fitness, strength and mental abilities have been vastly improved through horse riding." Concludes Lynne Munro.

Andrew Finding, Chief Executive of the British Equestrian Federation says;" We are building a lasting legacy to the London 2012 Olympic Games for the equestrian industry by investing in expanding riding facilities in selected London riding centres and through this campaign, to get more people off the sofa and into horse riding as a great way to get and keep fit."

Hoof has teamed up with the Riding for the Disabled Association and Vauxhall City Farm to launch this campaign in the heart of London. Vauxhall City Farm runs a Riding Therapy Centre working with RDA to enable people with disabilities to ride and also offering riding to disadvantaged children in the local community. It is also a British Horse Society approved centre and a Pony Club centre. Hoof is also a partner of Go London - the Change 4 Life campaign.

In addition to this campaign, Hoof is working to make riding in London more accessible through financial investments to help riding schools develop their facilities and offer more riding opportunities to Londoners.
For more information on Hoof, visit www.hoof-in-town.co.uk

Ends


Editor's notes:
RDA is proud to be celebrating 40 years of delivering opportunities for therapy, achievement and enjoyment to people with disabilities. Founded as a National organisation in 1969, RDA now has 500 Member Groups across the UK - together, these Groups help 23,000 people to take part in riding, carriage driving and vaulting activities.

Although RDA was set up to work mainly with people with physical disabilities, RDA Groups now work across the spectrum of disabilities, age range, social status and urban and rural environments. The focus of our work is to ensure that each individual has the chance to derive a direct therapeutic benefit and the opportunity to achieve their personal goal (whether that be learning a very simple skill or winning a major competition).

Hoof
Hoof is led by the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) and supported by the major equestrian bodies in the UK. It aims to increase participation in, and awareness of, equestrian activities and horse sports across London, as a Legacy of the London 2012 Olympics.

Media enquiries and online video and photography:
For more information contact: Caroline Corfield-Rose 07979 706 553 or Denise Pritchard: 07802 582842. Website address: www.hoof-in-town.co.uk

Greenwich Park ground preparation work begins for 2012

Work will begin this week at Greenwich Park to prepare it to be the Olympic Equestrian venue. The work will be carried out by sub-contractors working on behalf of the London 2012 Olympic Organising Committee (LOCOG) in association with The Royal Parks.


The works have been approved by the local planning authority, Greenwich Council, who granted planning permission in March 2010 for both the test event in 2011 and events in 2012, subject to a number of planning conditions. LOCOG is now discharging a number of these planning conditions which have been agreed with the four statutory consultees - The Royal Parks, English Heritage, Natural England, and Sport England.

The route of the Cross Country course will be marked out in August to clearly identify the course for ground preparation work. The work itself will improve the condition of the grass in the Park for the route of the Cross Country course which involves reducing the hardness of the ground, and ensuring the grass is sufficiently watered. Temporary artificial grass tuft markers will be used which will remain in place until the course is visible when they will be carefully removed. These markers are used in many sports grounds to mark out playing fields.

The works will include:

• Irrigation – Water will be applied to the course from time to time to help the grass to grow and to develop stronger root systems. Because of the dry summer, this will happen daily for the first few weeks;

• De-compaction – Over many years of use the ground in the Park has become closely packed together. Works will reduce this compaction, which in turn will improve the quality of the grass by allowing roots to develop and strengthen;

• Mowing – Specialist mowers will encourage a thicker, stronger sward of grass;

• Other works will include the filling of minor and localised hollows in the ground using topsoil and turf, the removal of stones from certain areas of the Cross Country course, fertilisation of the ground and some re-seeding of areas where grass cover is poor.

Enhancement works to increase areas of acid grassland elsewhere in the Park will also commence, as part of the LOCOG-funded restoration programme. This will result in an increase in the quality of acid grassland, once re-instatement works are complete.

Much of the work is similar to that which is carried out by The Royal Parks and their contractors on a regular basis in Greenwich Park throughout the year such as mowing, slitting of the ground to aerate the soil, and selected watering.

Ground improvement work will begin in August 2010 and continue throughout 2011 and up to the Games in July 2012. The regularity will vary depending on weather and ground conditions. Some works funded by LOCOG will continue beyond the Games to ensure the Park is returned to its previous condition as part of LOCOG’s commitment to re-instate the Park.

Children's courses offered by Ridgway Stables

Ridgway Stables will be offering children’s courses in conjunction with Merton Council.


The courses run throughout the summer holidays Tues –Fri 10am until noon or 2pm -4pm and offer riding tuition and basic stable management. There are open to children from any borough from the ages of 8 to 16.

For more information please visit www.merton.gov.uk/activeplus or http://www.ridgwaystables.co.uk/

Duchess visits BEF-backed Ebony Horse Club in Brixton

The Duchess of Cornwall speaking to representatives from the BEF

HRH The Duchess of Cornwall met with the members of the equestrian community in Brixton, London, yesterday (21st July 2010) at an Open Day of the Ebony Horse Club charity of which she is President.

Her visit included a tour of the area in Wyck Gardens that, once approximately £500,000 is raised, is destined to become stabling, a riding school, and a classroom for members of the Club, right in the centre of one of the most challenging places to live in London.

The British Equestrian Federation, of which the Duchess is a patron, has already committed some £200,000 of finance secured through Sport England, to the £1.7million project.

Andrew Finding of the BEF gave an impromptu, impassioned speech as to just why the BEF were so keen to endorse and support this project as part of its HOOF Ride London, Olympic Legacy Project.

He said, “The Club is proven to change lives and has the capacity, through this proposed riding school, to reach many more children.  By being involved at this level, our sport will hit into the heart of London and, in light of the London 2012 Olympic Games, make a lasting difference.”

“I urge all in our sport to join us and pledge their support to the Club”, he added, with the Club grateful of donations, great and small.

Saroj Chakravarty, a patron of many Royal charities and his wife Mandirar, were so inspired they made a donation to the Club on the day - Saroj having retired from international business to support principally, The Prince’s Trust, leading to HRH The Prince of Wales, naming international polo match, The Chakravarty Cup, in his honour.

Equestrian enthusiasts in attendance included Rosemary Barlow, who has been nominated for the BHS Queen’s Award for Equestrianism this year for her fundraising activities via the Horse Trials Support Group and for her part in building relationships and greater understanding throughout the whole equine community.

The premise of using horses to teach five key social skills; punctuality, regular attendance, commitment to improvement, team work and exam preparation, in order to achieve beyond their expectations, struck a chord and she was joined by fellow event horse owner, Ann Walkinshaw, daughter-in-law of Nick Walkinshaw,  the owner of Billy Shannon, ridden by Pippa Funnell.

Sir David Steel and his wife, Charlotte, were also among those present – Charlotte having been known to drive the minibus that currently takes the members across London to their riding lessons, and during the open day she demonstrated how to put on a tail bandage on the Club’s plastic horse.

And, Lady Heseltine, being introduced to the Club for the first time, spoke of how she felt inspired to offer the Club a chance to visit and ride from her farm in Exmoor.

Such an opportunity would be a world away from the stables, surrounded as it will be, by high-rise residential buildings that are home to many of the Ebony Horse Club’s members – children from the age of 12-19 – who are readily exposed to poverty, poor educational achievement, social exclusion and crime.

In the days running up to the Open Day, five children were involved in a shooting incident, and the families of the members and those involved in the local community spoke of how the Club has turned the lives of many children otherwise branded, ‘too difficult’, around.

It was also noted that, although to the country equestrian community, the costs involved in building and running such a Club may seem high, it would inspire the area to be regenerated, prevent crime and was cheaper, per capita, than holding a child in a youth detention centre while also offering them much needed opportunities and a way out, with many former Club members going on to University and even careers in the equine industry.

Donations can be made online at www.ebonyhorseclub.org.uk – or send cheque to Ebony Horse Club, The Loughborough Community Centre, 105 Angell Rd, London, SW9 7PD.

To find out more about the BEF London Olympic Legacy, HOOF-Ride London visit www.hoof-in-town.com