Feed company Dodson & Horrell has been announced as the new title sponsor of Bolesworth International Horse Show 2021.
The show has new dates this year, confirmed to run from 7-11 July, with classes at CSI3*, CSI1*, CSIAm, CSIP and CSIYH.
“We are very pleased to join Bolesworth International as their new title sponsor to celebrate showjumping and the dedication, passion and talent of all the competitors and their horses,” said Sam Horrell, managing director of Dodson & Horrell.
“A strive for excellence, a commitment to success and a passion for all things equestrian are three core values that Dodson & Horrell and Bolesworth International Horse Show share in abundance, and are what make our exciting new partnership a perfect match.
“Our teams are both relishing in building this new relationship and are incredibly excited for
the potential it brings. We very much look forward to seeing you all at the Dodson & Horrell Bolesworth International Horse Show in July.”
Show president Nina Barbour said Bolesworth is “incredibly proud” to welcome Dodson & Horrell as title sponsor.
“It is a company backed by a long-standing family heritage offering an exceptional range of
products and customer service, which has been relied upon by equestrians for over 80 years,” she said. “It will be a huge pleasure to once again open the doors to spectators and hospitality guests, together with an exciting schedule of international sport.”
SPANA
Insurance company KBIS British Equestrian Insurance has announced SPANA as its charity of the year.
SPANA, the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad, was founded in 1923 and aims to improve the welfare of working animals around the world through free veterinary treatment, training owners and teaching children.
“We are pleased to be working with SPANA to help provide funds for their invaluable work, we are looking forward to getting involved with fundraising activities, starting with the SPANA World Tea Party” said Emma Cover, KBIS marketing director.
David Bassom, director of fundraising and marketing at SPANA, the charity is honoured to have been chosen.
“This charity partnership will raise vital funds for SPANA’s work to support working animals, including horses, donkeys and camels, who toil tirelessly to provide the water, food and transport developing communities need to survive,” he added.
Spillers
The feed company has narrowed down 650 entries to welcome 11 new riders to its ambassador programme.
“We had so many amazing entries,” said Spillers’ marketing and research and development director, Clare Barfoot. “Even with the help of horse lovers voting via social media, it proved impossible to whittle the list down to just 10 so we added an extra place!”
Each of the winners will be given coaching sessions from professional riders such as William Fox-Pitt, Joe Stockdale and Judy Harvey, consultations from a Spillers nutritionist, £250 of Spillers feed vouchers and a collection of Spillers-branded riding kit.
The winners are: Nicola Jane Mellor, Sally Karr, Ben Fairbrother, Thomas Branfoot, Steph Gumn, Amy Battle, Natasha Hamblin, Shannon McNally, Flo Carter, Millie Toulson-Clarke and Georgina Grace.
Sorbeo
The pellet bedding company has signed a sponsorship agreement with multiple Paralympic, World and European Championship medallist Natasha Baker.
The new deal will involve a collaboration between Sorbeo and Natasha to promote the bedding, as well as online activities and competitions.
“We are thrilled about our sponsorship of Natasha,” said Sorbeo marketing director Fiona Hill. “As well as the highly visible aspects of the sponsorship, this deal represents a real partnership between our brand and Natasha — and it is an example of our continued engagement with horse riders and owners across the UK.”
Natasha added: “We have always used wood pellet bedding and moved over to Sorbeo last year. We love the fact that this is a British brand and that Sorbeo is fully sustainable. It has an amazing recycling scheme so you can recycle all the used plastic bags. Not only this, it is so easy to muck out, leaves no odour, it saves storage room and makes our muck heap last at least three times longer saving us money in removal. It is such an honour to become the latest member of “Team Sorbeo” and I cannot wait to work with such a forward-thinking British brand.”
WellChild
The charity has been announced as the headline partner for the 2021 Cheltenham Festival.
The partnership means WellChild is the new official charity partner to the Cheltenham Festival (16-19 March), which has been named “The Festival supporting WellChild”.
Friday’s Gold Cup also now includes the charity’s name in its official title.
WellChild is a Cheltenham-based national charity for seriously ill children. It lost 60% of its projected income owing to the Covid crisis and it is hoped this new partnership with the Jockey Club, which owns Cheltenham racecourse, will provide a “much-needed boost”.
“This has been a challenging year for our organisation and the families we support, many of whom have felt hidden and isolated more than ever before,” said WellChild chief executive, Colin Dyer.
“However, we have responded at every turn to ensure that families have access to the support and equipment they need to thrive at home. This partnership will bring a much-needed boost to our organisation after a challenging period and will help to ensure that we are ready to respond again in 2021 and beyond.”
ITV Racing presenter Ed Chamberlin, who has been a WellChild ambassador for close to 10 years, added: “When I was being treated in Southampton Hospital the children’s cancer ward was next door and broke my heart.
“If I recovered I vowed to support a charity that got children treated at home, rather than a hospital ward. The work WellChild do from their headquarters in Cheltenham with seriously ill children is truly remarkable. They, like all charities, have had a brutal year and I’m so thrilled about this partnership. It combines two of the passions in my life: WellChild and the Cheltenham Festival.”
Other recent sponsorship news from the Cheltenham Festival include construction firm JRL Group as the first ever sponsor of the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup (18 March), McCoy Contractors as new sponsors of the County Hurdle (19 March) and the 25th renewal of Weatherby’s sponsorship of the Champion Bumper (17 March).
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Bates Saddles
The company has been named as official partner of the German national federation, British Eventing and the United States Eventing Association.
“The foundations of our partnership lies in a shared passion for the welfare of
our horses and building strong networks for furthering our communal understanding for their benefit. When saddle design puts our horses first, we optimise the performance of every horse and rider,” said Bates Saddles managing director, Ron Bates, on the announcement of the German federation partnership.
Olivia Szajna, head of marketing, communications and commercial at British Eventing, added: “Bates Saddles have created quality products since 1934, with a wealth of research and innovation behind their designs with a focus on horse and rider comfort. We are looking forward to connecting Bates Saddles to our members through educational content and sharing some of this key research, to help them maximise their eventing performance.”
Bomber Bits
Dressage rider Hannah Biggs and eventer Lydia Heywood have joined the bit manufacturer’s team of ambassadors.
The brand manufacturers a range of off-the-shelf and bespoke bits, and also developed a mouth-moulding process that takes an impression of a horse’s mouth to create a custom-made bit.
“We’re thrilled to work with Hannah and Lydia; our partner riders’ feedback and expertise help us to strive to create the ultimate range of bitting solutions,” said Bomber Bits’ founder, Bomber Nel.
Centauras Products and Cool Horse Socks
Dressage rider Sara Malpass has signed sponsorship deals with Cenaturas Products and Cool Horse Socks.
Centaurus has provided Sara with its therapy unit, Centauras Pulse Pro, and a pair of C-Ice cooling horse boots to use through 2021, while Sara has also joined Cool Horse Socks as one of their sponsored riders.
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