28 Mar World class event draws international names
28.03.11 : POST EVENT UPDATE: For results from the Lincolnshire Horse Trials click here to read the report in Horse and Hound. And click here to read the Event Centre’s review of the coverage.
The annual Lincolnshire Horse Trials takes place in March at the Lincolnshire Showground at Grange de Lings.
International riders will head up an exciting three day event when this year’s Lincolnshire Horse Trials gets under way, with up to 700 competitors expected to take part.
The 2011 event takes place at the Lincolnshire Showground from Friday 18th to Sunday 20th March with competitors taking part in dressage, show jumping and cross country over the three days at pre novice (BE100), novice and intermediate levels.
Once again, selectors for the British team are expected to be on the lookout during the pony trials that are also held.
The venue is recognised as an excellent event for early season because the flat, well drained ground is a good proving ground for both horse and rider.
International names attracted over recent years include last year’s Open intermediate winner Piggy French, Oliver Townend, Polly Stockton, Caroline Powell, Sharon Hunt, and Ruth Edge; and Olympic riders William Fox-Pitt and Nicola Wilson, both members of the Gold medal winning team at the World Equestrian Games last year, and New Zealand double gold medallist Mark Todd.
The event has also positioned itself as a showcase for local Lincolnshire talent. Last year’s successes included local Walesby rider Emily Parker who took the under-21 Open Intermediate section on Treefers, her 2009 young rider team gold medal winner. In recent years, Emily has had a stream of successes including runner up in the Pony Club Championships and Junior Regional Novice Championships in 2007. She was also fourth in the U21 Eventing National Championships at Weston Park.
Amongst other local riders, Matthew Wright from Retford won the 2010 final Open Intermediate section on Hugginstown. From Louth, Rosalind Canter had success with a win in one of the BE100 sections plus placings in other sections. And 17 year old Gina Ruck friom Tealby, a previous gold medal winner for Britain at pony level, came in sixth in the Open Intermediate Under 21 Sections.
Another BE100 section winner was Helen Scholl from near Grantham on Blackstairs King, and in the local novice section, the winner was Deborah Doyle from Lincoln.
Last year’s event provided record visitor numbers and Show director Charles Hood is hoping to build on that success in 2011. He said: “Our courses have a good variety of well-built straight forward fences, designed to give confidence for early season and it’s run over flat, extremely well-drained light land, giving ideal going.”
The event draws large visitor numbers to the county each year, providing a boost to the local economy, and is organised by Lincolnshire Events Centre on the showground site at Grange-de-Lings, which is also home to a major national conferencing venue and the groundbreaking EPIC green building project.
Running order:
Each day of this three day event is focussed on a particular class, giving visitors the chance to see all events each day, cross country, dressage and show jumping.
Friday 18th March:
BE100 and Open BE100 classes.
8.00am Dressage
8.50am Show jumping
9.30am Cross country
5.00pm Approx finishing time
Saturday 19th March:
Novice and Open Novice plus Pony Trial dressage and show jumping
8.00am Dressage
8.50am Show jumping
9.30am Cross country
5.00pm Approx finishing time
Also taking place on Saturday is Pony Trial dressage and show jumping. The pony cross country is on Sunday at 9.00 am.
Sunday 20th March
Intermediate and Open Intermediate classes plus Pony Trial cross country
8.30am Dressage
9.00am Show jumping
9.00am Pony Trial Cross country, then the open intermediate cross country
Entry on Saturday and Sunday is £5.00 per car to include all occupants.
ENDS
Media enquiries:
Laura Luty at Lincolnshire Events Centre inc Lincolnshire Agricultural Society
lluty@lincs-events.co.uk – 01522 585501
Maggie Taylor at Prima PR
maggie@primapr.co.uk – 01400 251557 / 0797 3767 602
Editor’s Note:
Lincolnshire Events Centre is a major national conferencing venue, home of the Lincolnshire Show and the groundbreaking EPIC project. Just outside the historic city of Lincoln, the Centre hosts events for 10 to 10,000 visitors on its 200 acre showground site and 3000 square metres of indoor exhibition and venue space.
Outdoor events include the flagship Lincolnshire Show, antiques fairs and horse trials, attracting over 200,000 visitors each year. Under cover, there are exhibition halls and conferencing facilities, including the recently completed EPIC centre, the second largest purpose-designed showcase for environmental technologies in the UK, it enables event organisers to reduce, monitor and offset their carbon footprint.