Ian continued:
“I can safely say that this year the SEIB Burghley ride have raised over £22,000 pushing the cumulative to just over £222,000.”
Some riders were taking part in the ride for the first time whilst others return year after year. The eight strong team from Four Winds Equitation Centre in Spalding wore matching polo shirts specially designed for the event. Centre owner Paula Leverton organised the ride to celebrate the end of the school holidays. It was their first time taking part at Burghley and Paula said:
“The woods were the best bit, it was beautiful and we had a good canter.”
Allison Nicolson completed the ride 10 years ago and this year she was with her daughter Vicky who had just got back from Japan and hadn’t ridden for a year. Allison said:
“We’re celebrating Vicky coming home and my birthday.”
Riders from the British Mule Society also took part in the ride. Helen Brody, who rode her mule Queen Elizabeth (Betty), organised the group of four which included Jackie and Clive Tilley, riding Chico and Luna, and Sarah Hemmings on Honey.
Jackie, who’s mule, Chico, starred in the TV series Poldark explained:
“We get invited to a lot of events but this is something a bit different.”
Sarah said:
“We’ve had lots of questions; people were interested to know more about them. It would be lovely to do it again, I hope we raised awareness of the society and the breed.”
14 Icelandic horses from the Icelandic Horse Society GB (IHSGB) turned a few heads around the cross country course. Society member Karen Smith organised the ride as part of HestFest, a group of events held to celebrate the society’s 30th Anniversary. Karen explained:
“I was coming with a friend and I knew the society would be up for it. Our team name is Viking Raiders and when I suggested going colour coordinated the rest of the team said we had to dress up as Vikings.”
IHSGB Chariman, Dave Savage, and his wife Anna were part of the group. Anna said:
“We’ll definitely come again next year. We want to make it an annual event.”
The group are all passionate about the breed and the ride was an opportunity to show off their versatility and their impressive fourth gait, the tölt. IHSBG Arena Representative Nev explained:
“They are extremely versatile horses, anyone can ride them, and although they are small they are always referred to as horses because there is no Icelandic word for pony.”
Raising as much money as possible for the SEIB Burghley sponsored ride beneficiary charities was a major aim for many of the participants and the three equine beneficiaries attended the event to show their support. Members of the Ebony Horse Club, Cameron and Calvin, came up from London for the SEIB Burghley sponsored ride with the charity’s Chair of Trustees, Sue Collins. She said:
“We were very pleased to be able to talk to the riders and thank them personally for supporting us. It was a great opportunity for our members to chat to other horse lovers and to feel part of the wider equine community.We met the team of mules and we loved the troop of Icelandic horses but Cameron’s favourite was a gorgeous Norwegian Fyord horse who was being ridden Western style.”
Cameron, 16, has just started a 2-year apprenticeship at Operation Centaur in Richmond, Surrey. He said:
“I’m learning carriage driving because we do carriage rides at Hampton Court but I’d love to have a try at riding on a Western saddle”.
Calvin, also 16, whose ambition is to become a farrier, is about to start a foundation course at Hadlow College in Kent. He said:
“I’d love to ride here next year. Perhaps one day I’ll ride in the real competition.”
The money raised will go to some of Ebony Riding Club’s core costs.
“Hay for our nine horses’ costs over £4000 a year so a contribution towards that will be very gratefully received.”
SEIB Marketing Manager, Nicolina Mackenzie said:
“This is a wonderful opportunity for riders of all levels to ride round Burghley and raise money for good causes at the same time. It is important to us that 100% of the money raised by participants goes to charity”.
SEIB offers competitively priced insurance cover for a multitude of equestrian possessions and pursuits and the company has a long held ethos of putting something back into equestrian sport. The company is also the sponsor and organiser of the hugely popular SEIB Racehorse to Riding Horse show class held in the main arena also on the Sunday at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials.
Everyone that completed the course received a special SEIB rosette and goody bag. Burghley sponsored prizes were donated for the riders that raised the most money.
For further details, visit www.icommentate.co.uk/burghley. Find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SEIB-Burghley-Sponsored-Ride
