Sunday 20th White Horse EC Summer Show, Trowbridge.

We have been asked to point out that this show is not taking place so please do not turn up at the venue.

If you know of anyone who might have been thinking of going please let them know too.

14th Jul 2008

A substantial reward is being offered for information leading to the return of 15.3 hands bay mare, 8 yrs approx, stolen from Bollington, nr. Macclesfield on Friday night, 27th June 2008. Lovely temperament but not novice ride. The distinctive scar at top of off foreleg (right) is clearly visible, she has a white star, otherwise bay with black points. Please contact 07787 858423 / 07765 308471 or Cheshire Police Crime Ref No 08009516.

11th Jul 2008

The Exmoor Pony based charity, The Moorland Mousie Trust received its highest accolade to date recently when Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall accepted their invitation to become Patron.

The Moorland Mousie Trust was founded in 2000 by Mrs Valerie Sherwin, who lives on Exmoor, and Sue Wingate, an equestrian artist from Surrey. They were joined later that year by Juliet Rogers from Northumberland, now Chairman of the Trust. The Trust was established in order to help stop the decline in sales of Exmoor pony foals.

11th Jul 2008

After more than 20 years of remedial work with horses and ponies of all sorts, Gary Witheford is closing his yard to the general public at the end of the month. The demand for Gary's services to the racing industry has taken the business in a new direction. Gary will still accept referrals from professional instructors and trainers who he works with and who endorse his techniques, but enquiries from the general public will be out of his remit.

His yard at Westcourt will continue to be as busy as ever. Gary and his son, Craig, both have hectic schedules covering race meetings all over the UK, Eire and Europe. Suze will continue to run all aspects of the business, including the on-going investment in further facilities scheduled in Autumn 2008. Nicky Davies, who has been with Gary for 10 years, will remain as Yard Manager and continue to work those remedial cases that are referred along with assisting with the racehorses that are sent to Westcourt for remedial work.

Gary's appearance at the forthcoming Cotswold Show & Country Fair on 5th & 6th July will be his last and therefore very poignant for all involved. His team will be there to offer the usual advice but all admit it will be difficult to advise owners with problem horses that they can no longer be taken to Westcourt. To that end Gary will extend the deadline for remedial bookings following the show but stresses that this will be limited to the end of August. Thereafter owners will be asked to contact Gary via their instructor.

www.garywitheford.co.uk

26th Jun 2008

The British Horse Society is advising horse owners to be vigilant and take the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of their horses and equipment.

The BHS has received many reports over the last few days of stolen horses and people acting suspiciously around them. These incidents usually involve photographs being taken of horses in fields with unknown individuals showing a high level of interest in particular animals. While such activities in isolation may not appear suspicious, the descriptions of the vehicles and of the people involved are remarkably consistent.

Horse owners are advised to ensure their fields and property are secured to make the removal of horses as difficult as possible. Such precautions must be sensible and not put horses at risk in the event of fire. Tack and other equipment should be locked safely away and, where possible, kept at a separate location to the horses.

Horse owners are advised that it is a good idea to vary the times of their visits to their horse and to have an unpredictable routine. Where possible, owners should work together to keep an eye on one another’s horses and it may be useful to ask friendly local residents to join in.

Freeze-marking and microchipping are both excellent deterrents to horse theft although, as microchips are not externally visible, signs should be displayed to advertise that horses are microchipped. Tack and other equipment can also be chipped or marked to prove ownership.

The BHS advises anyone who observes suspicious activity around horses to note down as much detail as possible and report it to the police. Time, date, vehicle registration details and descriptions of any persons involved are particularly helpful.

5th Jun 2008

The search is on for the 2008 BHS Young Instructor of the Year. The competition is open to anyone who is 30 years of age or under on 1 January 2008, who holds a minimum of the BHS Preliminary Teaching Test and is actively involved in the equine industry.

The competition is split into ten regional qualifiers across the country. Each qualifier is used as a training day for selected applicants and allows them the opportunity to question, discuss and debate coaching and teaching skills with a Fellow of the BHS.

Contact the BHS Training Department for further details 01926 707820.

2nd Jun 2008