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

Love Riding

June 26th is the next “Love Riding” event at Ham House Stables, with Minette Rice-Edwards, her skilled team of riders, experienced Alexander Technique teachers and beautiful horses. So, if you missed the first session, be sure to book in early for this next one; via email Minette on minette.re@googlemail.com or see her website: www. art-of-riding.com

The Olympics in Greenwich

Click the link below to watch the LOCOG video about Greenwich Park:
Greenwich Park (March 2010) video

London Bar Honours Local Stables

Old meets new as one of the oldest equestrian establishments, Wimbledon Village Stables is to be honoured at the new Hemingways Lounge Bar, set to open on the high street of Wimbledon Village on 4th May 2010.

With the independently-owned bar aiming to put ‘the Village back into the Village’, proprietor, Kelly McAteer, who also rode at the Stables as a child, has chosen to name the four ‘booths’ within the bar after the yard dog, Filly, and three resident horses, Silver Dollar, Inky, and Chester with a private area being appropriately named, The Paddock.

The Stables’ director, Carol Andrews, says, “It’s a lovely gesture. The Stables was first established in 1919 and is very much at the heart of the community and we enjoy the camaraderie between businesses in the Village.”

Commenting on the honour, David Gadsby, London representative of the British Equestrian Federation says, “In line with our HOOF Ride London project to promote riding in London, this demonstrates just how inclusive equestrian centres are in the city and how important they can be in building a community.”

Situated close to Wimbledon Common the stable nonetheless must negotiate a short stretch of main road but businesses in the area stepped in to support traffic lights and warning signals for the Stables, while the Stables takes part in the Christmas Fair and runs a summer show on the Common that brings the community together and attracts others to the area.

Film stars, pop stars and Blue Peter presenters have undergone instruction at the Stables while Strictly Come Dancing’s Lilia Kopylova is the latest new rider to benefit from regular training on offer at this BHS and ABRS-approved equestrian centre.

Carol adds, “We are a community within a community with lots of members who ride regularly and strong links in the Village and with various charities.”

Indeed through its sponsored rides and fundraising activities the Wimbledon Village Stables has raised over £500,000 for worthy causes since Carol took on the Stables some 30years ago.

For more information visit www.wvstables.com and www.hemingwaysbar.co.uk with all riding centres in London being listed under www.hoof-in-town.com