No need to beg, borrow or steal....

 Since many riders competing in the Team London Riding Schools Championships to be held at Dressage at Hickstead on 22^nd June 2011, have never competed before, online retailer Cavaletti Clothing has come to the rescue.

Cavaletticlothing.com has created a special Team London site where riding schools can buy some items at special rates and receive a free pair of Hac Tac gloves with every order, in association with HOOF – The Olympic Legacy project of the BEF.

Get the (Team) London Look!

In association with HOOF – The Olympic Legacy project of the BEF, TOGGI is donating celebration blousons, polo shirts and baseball caps based on their latest Team GBR collection to team medal winners at the Team London Riding Schools Championships to be held on 22^nd June at Dressage at Hickstead.

EcoComfyBed supports Team London Riding Schools Championships

London Riding School horses could sleep comfortably as they are in with a chance of winning EcoComfyBed bedding in the Team London Riding Schools Championships to be held at Dressage at Hickstead on 22^nd June 2011. 

Both the centre behind the winning team and winning individual rider will receive a pallet of bedding worth approximately £185.00, in association with HOOF – The Olympic Legacy project of the BEF.

Ebony Horse Club Championships offers inspiration to all

The eighth annual Ebony Horse Club Championships demonstrated achievement against the odds – for the Club and its members.


Against the backdrop of taking children from one of the most deprived areas of Britain to an average of 15 riding lessons a year, the Club delivers standards that rival more regular riders.

14 year-old twins, Shanice and Shaneka Reid, epitomized this with a dressage and jumping display aboard Patch – a green five year-old, and Romeo, an established competition horse who’s last outing had been in the ‘Hunt Challenge’ at the Royal Windsor Horse Show.

Yet the girls delivered performances that belied their experience and showed a horsemastership that clearly thrilled the owner of the horses, former three-day-eventer, and Club Patron, Charlotte Steel.

“The horses are far from the riding school ponies the girls are used to but I’m enormously proud of how the girls took instruction and rose to the challenge”, explained Charlotte, who is to continue to support the Club as it moves to a bespoke establishment in the centre of Brixton.

There, the Club will be able to deliver more riding and stable management to more members, backed by a £200,000 grant from the British Equestrian Federation’s Olympic Legacy project, HOOF-Ride London.

15 year-old Chloe Rice, explained, “ I have been trying to get extra riding by helping out at Willowtree Riding School at weekends but it can take an hour or more to get there.”

However, the centre will likely be completed just as Chloe heads to college.

She said, “The Club took lots of us to view Plumpton College’s Open Day and we were meant to tour the whole College but I got to the Equine department and stayed there all day”, adding, “Ebony has given me so much confidence, I can’t wait to go and I’m hoping I’ll get enough GCSEs to be able to go in at a higher level than I thought!”

And, this year’s Club Champion, Nahshon Devin, also has his sights set on the College.

“I want to study horse care and go on to work in a showjumping yard”, said Nahshon, 16, who took the title with 235points, nearly 50points ahead of his nearest rival.

Encompassing a unique judging system that includes points for ‘attitude to the horse’ and ‘persistence’, quelling challenging behaviours that some of the members may suffer from, the championship day also includes a written stable management exam, ridden assessment at walk, trot and canter and a practical assessment of leading a horse up in hand and tacking up and/or untacking a pony.

Chairman of the Volunteer Committee for the British Horse Society in London, Janet Coe, was among the judges and said, “I’m delighted with the Champion because when I saw him ride I thought we’ve got a winner here, but next year I’ll be anxiously waiting in the wings as I’ll be teaching at the new centre.”

And as the day came to its conclusion, founder, Ros Spearing, must have had mixed emotions as Hugo, the horse that inspired her to take children from her then neighbourhood to riding lessons made an appearance and she then waved goodbye to the host venue, Chelsfield Equestrian Centre, looking towards the championships being held at the Ebony Horse Club centre next year.

“All I can say is that I’m very proud”, said Ros.

London Riding Schools snaffle up Mayor’s Legacy Funding

London’s riding schools are to offer subsidized training at all levels thanks to the Mayor’s Legacy Skills Investment fund.


The opportunity was identified by the British Equestrian Federation and presented to members of the London Horse Network, a group supported by the BEF’s HOOF Ride London Olympic Legacy project.

BEF London representative David Gadsby says, “The ‘Mayor’s Legacy’ appeared to be almost too good to be true, paying up to 75% of the course cost in return for the candidate volunteering in the community, giving a win-win situation for candidates, riding schools and the London community.”

With the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) already offering an established training route for volunteers - to suit even those with no equestrian or special needs experience, so the Greater London region has delivered Mayor’s Legacy courses this spring with funding exceeding £5000.

Chair of the Greater London RDA, Diane Jeffries says, "This is a great initiative to encourage those considering volunteering, giving them the skills to be able to support their community and even our volunteers with more than 35years experience have been able to benefit from training part-funded by the Mayor's Legacy Skills Investment fund."

And a further six London riding centres are following suit with a raft of courses to encourage all levels including training towards Pony Club badges, BHS exams, ABRS qualifications, RDA awards, first aid to fundraising skills and even cross-country course building.

Jodie Maile, volunteer chair of the London Horse Network says, “The Network put forward some innovative training that would benefit the community by enabling new and established riders to develop and encourage non-riders including parents, friends and individuals to gain a greater understanding and enjoy being part of the sport, confidently able to contribute directly to the sport either on a yard or in a supportive role, rather than just watching from the sidelines.”

Hence transferable skills such as first aid, fire marshalling and fund-raising are among the courses on offer.

David continues, “The potential of this funding is huge as candidates can reside anywhere in the country with the only condition being that the minimum 20hours of volunteering, akin to work experience, is conducted in London, and in return 75% of the course cost will be met by the Mayor’s Legacy.”

For a full list of supporting riding schools and courses on offer register your details with Jodie Maile at jodievm@aol.com while details of forthcoming courses will be available via http://www.hoof-in-town.com/ and on the HOOF Facebook page.

Pony’s Unplanned Pregnancy

A city farm in London is appealing for help after discovering one of its seven riding school ponies is pregnant.

Pimms, a five year-old coloured Irish cob was purchased last autumn and has proved to be exceptional – even taking part in a sponsored cross-country ride earlier this month.

However, the size of her waistline was of some concern and Vauxhall City Farm’s veterinarian prescribed a low-calorie diet. When this failed, suspicions were raised and it’s been confirmed that she is due to foal in the next four to six weeks.

Director of the riding school, Linda Hinds, says, “It’s unlikely the previous owners were aware of her condition either as she’d have fallen pregnant last summer but it is no wonder she’s been so quiet!”

However the city farm is now faced with sending Pimms away to specialist care to have her foal and to rear it in appropriate surroundings.

Linda explains, “We don’t have any grazing, her stable would be too small for her to foal safely and there would be little peace and quiet. It feels like she is an Irish girl being sent away to the country to a home for unmarried mums!”

David Gadsby, London representative of the British Equestrian Federation notes, “The HOOF Olympic Legacy project of the BEF is supporting London’s riding schools to improve participation but this wasn’t the kind of legacy we had considered.”

More seriously, the care for Pimms and her offspring comes at an unexpected cost with Linda saying, “As a city farm we provide a large number of subsidized lessons and rely on donations and paying for veterinary care and costs for a mare and foal on confinement until Christmas plus paying for a replacement pony was not in this budget so we’re hoping people will help.”

To donate to Pimms please visit Vauxhall City farm’s website, http://www.vauxhallcityfarm.org/ and click on ‘Support the Farm’ and then, ‘Donations’.

Or to find out more about horse riding in London, visit http://www.hoof-in-town.com/

Olympic legacy rewards riding school

HOOF, the Olympic Legacy project of the British Equestrian Federation has invested £25,000 of capital funding on an arena roof for Mount Mascal Stables, a top London riding school.


Members of the London Horse Network were invited to apply for the last-minute funding from a £50,000 pot, secured for the City from Sport England in November 2010. Mount Mascal itself invested the remaining amount needed for the fruition of its proposal. As a result, the venue now boasts a light, airy and dry outdoor school with a difference - a £78,000 roof.

John Window, Director of Mount Mascal Stables explains, "The outdoor school surface was too deep in the summer and too wet in the winter. So, for much of the year, our riders were limited to sharing the indoor arena, while the outdoor space stood idle and empty."

From modest beginnings, 45 years ago, with two horses and one small paddock, John has devoted himself to growing Mount Mascal Stables into a thriving equestrian centre. The complex now combines a 50 equine strong riding school, full livery services, stabling and 70 acres of pasture. John says, "We were so thrilled to be awarded funding and very grateful to HOOF. This is first time we've ever received any financial help and it is absolutely marvellous. My daughter, Alison put in an enormous effort to present our bid and we are delighted to be already seeing the benefits of our new outdoor facility."

London Representative of the British Equestrian Federation explains, "Mount Mascal's bid showed how a relatively small investment could deliver a substantial increase in capacity and participation, to broaden the range of people riding, improve standards and help change the elitist view of equestrianism, which meant it fitted well into the funding criteria set by Sport England."

John explains, "Our philosophy at Mount Mascal is that riding should be accessible to everyone. Our new space means we can continue and further develop our community links to enable more people to learn and enjoy riding - especially those who may be disadvantaged or discouraged by their perception of the sport. They can now benefit from a safe and attractive outdoor riding environment, all year round. This is especially important in our ever increasingly urban society. And, with 2012 just around the corner now, we are looking forward to encouraging new fans of our sport, inspired by the Olympic equestrian events in Greenwich, to convert from spectating to participating."