Latest News from allenandpage.com

Preparing for WEG

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Pippa Funnell and Mirage D’Elle came an impressive 15th at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, a strong result in what was a challenging event on the undulating Burghley course. August was a busy month of events, with Hartpury International and Highclere proving to be highlights, but now the countdown to the World Equestrian Games has begun. We caught up with Pippa for some quick-fire questions on her preparations for Kentucky.

What training are you focusing on for WEG?
My training will becomes more intensive building up the horses general fitness and not leaving a stone unturned.

When do you need to start getting all your equipment organised and sent over?
The Allen Page feed and the haylage has already gone. The equipment I will need is as per a normal event and will go with the horses.

How will Redesigned travel over there? Will you travel at the same time?
I will drive Redesigned and two other team horses to Liege in Belgium on the 20th of September for their flight to the USA on the 21st. One groom and a vet will accompany the horses. I will fly out to the USA with the other team members and the grooms a day or two later.

What extra items of kit do you need to take, compared to a normal event?
I will take less then usual as I will not have my lorry with me; each horse is allowed one large and one small trunk. We will share a lot of the equipment we will need such as mucking tools.

How much feed do you need to take?
I have sent eight bags of Allen & Page feed, enough for two weeks worth and a bit extra, plus haylage.

Are there any changes to Redesigned’s feeding regime in preparation?
Over the last three weeks Redesigned has been changed from our local haylage onto the one that has been approved by the USA authorities.

What are you looking forward to the most about WEG?
Being part of the Great Britain Team again, representing the country and the comradeship of some of my old team mates!

A Grand Day Out

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Allen & Page will once again be at Your Horse Live. Last year’s event went with a bang and one lucky visitor to the stand and her daughter won a fabulous day at the yard of equestrian stars Pippa and William Funnell. Marie Baines, her daughter Tabitha and friend Lydia describe their experience.

When we received the news about winning this amazing prize I remember it was a really horrible winter’s day– I was quite shocked to start with as I couldn’t remember going in for the competition. Then I remembered writing down the weight of the scoops of feed – there were about six of us in a group who were at Your Horse Live and we all entered the competition – I certainly didn’t expect to win!

When the day came round I felt quite apprehensive to be perfectly honest and we really didn’t know what to expect at all – I couldn’t believe that the Funnells would have the time or the inclination to spend time talking to such ordinary folk as me and my daughter! I thought we would just have an arm’s length look at their horses and perhaps shake hands with Pippa and William and then maybe be given a run down of a typical day by one of their grooms. Not being the most self-confident and assertive person I thought I would feel quite star-struck and say or do the wrong thing!

As it happened we were made to feel totally at home and at ease from the moment we arrived at Cobbetts Farm until the minute we left – absolutely everyone, from the grooms, Pippa’s secretary Jenny, Simone from Allen & Page and Pippa and William themselves included us in what was going on around us and we were made to feel like honoured guests. I still can’t believe how friendly and un-patronising Pippa and William were towards us, and my 16 year old daughter Tabitha and her friend Lydia were also thoroughly included. We are all three quite shy but we found ourselves asking questions and things were explained to us with genuine openness and desire for us to know how everything was run in the extraordinarily busy yard and ‘business’ that the Funnells run from their home.

We arrived having followed Jenny’s, Pippa’s secretary, excellent directions to yard and home that could have been anyone’s – I’m not sure whether I expected a big ‘Pippa and William Funnell Live Here’ sign with huge electric gates and security, but we arrived at a peaceful bungalow down a country lane with two stable yards, horse walker and horse boxes parked. Simone and Jenny welcomed us and Simone took us to her car to kit us out with Allen & Page T-shirts for the photos. The yard was quiet to start with but there were obviously some beautiful horses casually peering out of the boxes and a few grooms busying about. All at once a huge horsebox arrived and four grooms started to unload six or so beautiful horses. Simone explained that these were the four year olds bred from the Billy Stud and that Pippa and William would be grading them today and that we could watch.

Being fans of William and Pippa’s and knowing a bit about the Billy Stud and being great fans of eventing and showjumping in general, we were thrilled. Also we have all had our own horses from four year olds so have a keen interest in youngsters as well.

Pippa then rode onto the yard back from a hack on Rediscovered and I must admit to feeling a bit star struck at this point – more about the horse than about Pippa to be honest as I knew this was the horse that was gong to the World Equestrian Games! However, Pippa was really keen to meet us and welcome us to the yard and we had a pat of Rediscovered and as Pippa sat chatting he broke the end of her schooling whip in his teeth – which was actually quite funny as it seemed that even very famous and talented international eventers can do ‘normal’ naughty horse things.

We grabbed some camping chairs from one of the absolutely huge lorries parked in the yard and followed Pippa over to the field where some showjumps were set out with a dressage arena. The first set of four youngsters were warmed up in the sand school and then brought over ridden by the grooms. Simone, myself and the girls all sat by a jump in the middle of the course and William set about directing the grooms and teaching them as each stunning youngster was put through its paces.

We watched two batches of youngsters and then Simone took us to a beautiful country pub for a fabulous meal and a good chat about our own horses and her horses and horsey life in general – she was so easy to chat to and the whole experience was just pure good fun!

In the afternoon William showed us around his yard and we met the showjumpers that were there, including Mondriaan who we absolutely loved and was the horsey star of the day for us… a giant of a horse but really friendly.

We watched another batch of youngsters jump and William arranged for a groom to bring down Cevan, the grey stallion who was dad to some of the babies we had been watching, and this absolutely charismatic horse was jumped by one of the grooms with the youngsters – later Simone told us that William had purely brought Cevan down for us to see – wow!

For me, the best part of the day was sitting in the middle of a jumping field next to Pippa Funnell chatting about all those wonderful Billy babies – when I win the lottery one of those is top of my list! For Tabitha and Lydia it was also watching the lovely baby horses and spotting which ones they liked best, also being asked to help put the poles up and down on the jumps for William and listening to his teaching and also watching Pippa ride half passes across the school.

We were fans of William and Pippa before we went to the day but we are now total lifetime fans – they were both welcoming, friendly, attentive, modest, relaxed and totally and utterly inspiring. Horse people are horse people, whether they are grass roots amateurs like us or international and Olympic medallists – and on that day we really felt that we did have something in common with such superstars – our passion and love for our horses!

Thanks for giving me the chance to re-live a totally unique and wonderful experience.

Fast Fibre tackles hay shortages head on

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Recent reports have highlighted a potential problem that could surface this winter: a serious shortage of hay. Hay prices have already risen this summer, putting an extra strain on finances, however, don’t despair, Allen & Page Fast Fibre makes an ideal alternative – and is cost effective too!

Forage is already in short supply and with the current drought, the situation is likely to worsen. Recent media coverage indicated that hay and straw merchants are warning that this winter could be the leanest in 25 years and supplies of 2009's hay have all but sold out. Prices for this year's first cut are already around £3.50 (for a small bale), and could double over the winter with farmers predicting poor yields due to drought. Worries about lack of hay provisions this winter are very real and with a long winter just around the corner, horse owners will have to plan realistic ways to source fibre.

Allen & Page Fast Fibre may be your saviour! A high fibre, low sugar and low starch feed, Fast Fibre will help boost fibre intake and is fully balanced with essential vitamins and minerals necessary for optimum health, in a low calorie form. Not only is Fast Fibre nutritionally balanced and free from barley and molasses, it also contains digestive supporting ingredients.

Only taking between 30-60 seconds to soak, means it is quick and convenient and can always be fed fresh, so there is less likelihood of it spoiling. Alternatively, Fast Fibre may be fed as a partial or complete hay replacement and may even be fed to appetite. As always with Allen & Page, you can be confident of feeding a completely drug-free feed with non-GM ingredients and of excellent quality.

Fast Fibre is part of the Barley & Molasses Free Range. To find out more about the products or to take part in the Barley & Molasses Free Range Trial click here.

Trial Testimonials Track Success

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The Barley & Molasses Free Range Trial is proving to be a success, with many hundreds of people already taking up the challenge. With a variety of products to suit almost every type of horse, there are already some impressive transformations so we have set up a gallery of some of the best ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures.
Click here to see if you’re included.

Why choose Barley & Molasses free feed?
Allen & Page's Barley & Molasses Free Range of feeds can benefit all horses and ponies, not just those that react in a negative way to these ingredients. The Barley & Molasses Free Range feeds have low starch and sugar levels combined with quality fibre sources for a healthy digestive system. Formulated for optimum health and performance these feeds provide the right amount of energy whatever your horse's level of work.

How the trial works:
Feed your horse on one of our selected feeds for 4 weeks and tell us what differences you notice. Fill in the official feed trial diary as you monitor any differences in your horse and then return it to us by 31st October 2010 to claim a further £5 feed voucher.
To take part in the trial simply click here and submit your details.

The most impressive improvements in condition and behaviour stand a chance of winning: Free feed for your horse for one year (x5) £100 of feed vouchers (x5) £50 of feed vouchers (x5)

…and now you could also be featured on our gallery page!

Pippa made the cut

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Congratulations to our sponsored rider Pippa Funnell, who has been included in the British team for the World Equestrian Games (25 September–10 October).

This is the first time Pippa has been in the national team for five years and she said: “I am completely speechless. If anyone had told me six months ago I would never have believed them! It is a huge honour to be asked.” Pippa will be riding her top horse Redesigned for the Games in Kentucky, USA, and will be joined on the team by Tina Cook, William Fox-Pitt, Piggy French, Mary King and Nicola Wilson.

Hickstead success for William Funnell

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Thursday at Hickstead saw Billy Congo and William Funnell win an international class, in the main arena – The Bunn Leisure Hickstead Tankard. Pippa Funnell and Billy On Show also placed 5th in an international class – The Stoner Jewellers Vase earlier in the afternoon and Billy Grand and William Funnell were 4th in the Equiport Annual Grade B Championships.
William also won the first class of the day, The Camardo Coffee 1.35m Open Championship, on Julie Slade's Beowulf, another good win to add to a good day's results. William then rounded off a great show with 2nd place in the Derby Trial on Billy Congo, a horse that seems to be truly on top form.
Congratulations to team Funnell from all at Allen & Page!

The Royal Norfolk Show

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Allen & Page will be at the Royal Norfolk Show at the end of this month, enjoying the atmosphere at this fabulous country show. This fantastic event is local to the Shipdham-based company and provides a great opportunity for the team to help you out with your feeding queries. The Royal Norfolk Show takes place on 30th June & 1st July on the Norfolk Showground and is the largest two-day agricultural show in the country. The show is packed with events to interest everyone; from the latest farm machinery and livestock to sampling some of Norfolk’s finest produce.

The Allen & Page stand offers plenty for everyone, with advice on feeding a range of animals from horses to poultry. One of the star attractions on the stand will be top riders William and Pippa Funnell, who will be available to answer questions and sign autographs at various times throughout the show.

For those of you with a passion for poultry, the British Hen Welfare Trust (BHWT) will be on the stand to talk about their work with re-homing ex-battery hens. The group will bring along some of their feathered friends too, so why not come along to stand 465, avenue 16 to have a look?

Congratulations Pippa!

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Pippa Funnell won her third Bramham Horse Trials title on 6th June.

As the rain streamed down, Pippa jumped a clear showjumping round to retain her overnight lead on Roger and Denise Lincoln's Redesigned. This 9-year-old gelding was a real star, completing the event on only 45.50 points. “In the past he has got a bit lit up in the showjumping so I gave him plenty of work,” said Pippa. “You can see in the way he jumped he's still big and weak. He jumped the first six or seven fences better — and I probably got a bit tight too [as I went further round].”

Houghton and Lisbon successes

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The Subaru Houghton International Horse Trials took place over the bank holiday weekend, and as the main feed sponsors we were there to take it all in. The Allen & Page stand was thronging with visitors, many asking about our new Barley & Molasses Free Range trial. Also a popular attraction was our sponsored rider Pippa Funnell, who appeared on the stand over the weekend to meet fans and chat about her horses. Pippa was also enjoying a successful Houghton event with her own Billy Shannon. This promising young mare completed her first three-day event in style, coming fifth in the CCI* - well done Pippa and Shannon.

There is also more news from the Funnell stable: whilst Pippa was at the Norfolk event, William was away in sunny Lisbon at the Nations Cup Show jumping. William and star horse Billy Congo were part of the GB team which came 2nd - a fabulous result! William is now back for the Suffolk Show but will be whizzing back to Lisbon in a few days time - what a jetset life!

Meet Pippa at Houghton

Thu, 27 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT

From Thursday 27th May to Sunday 30th May the Allen & Page team will be on the stand at the Subaru Houghton International Horse Trials. Located near King’s Lynn in Norfolk, Allen & Page’s home county, this top class three-day event will attract the finest riders in the world.
Allen & Page is the main feed sponsor for this event and so the Nutritional Team and Area Managers will be on hand to answer any of your feeding queries – just come along to find out more.

Meet Pippa Funnell
Throughout the event you can have the chance to meet top event rider and Allen & Page sponsored rider Pippa Funnell. Pippa will be available to meet with fans, answer questions and sign autographs at various points throughout the event – to find out when just come along to the stand and check out the posters for Pippa’s next appearance!