Latest News from allenandpage.com

Allen & Page sign up to the NOPS feeding code

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The Code was implemented on 1 October 2009 by the British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA) with commitment from the leading horse feed manufacturers.

The Universal Feed Assurance Scheme (UFAS), Naturally Occurring Prohibited Substances (NOPS) Code was developed by BETA in conjunction with assurance scheme experts in response to an increased incidence of positive dope tests for the morphine, a high priority NOPS in racehorses.

The International FEI rules for competition and the British Horseracing Authority’s Rules of Racing state a no threshold policy for naturally occurring substances that could affect performance, with the exception of theobromine. The consequences of a positive dope test are disqualification and loss of prize money.

Feeds and supplements conforming to the new Code will carry labelling to reassure owners and trainers of the stringent quality management procedures that have been undertaken during every step of the sourcing, storage, transport and manufacturing processes for each product. Suppliers of raw materials will be regularly audited and staff will also undergo rigorous training to ensure strict adherence to the Code.

The Code has been endorsed by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and the National Trainers Federation (NTF) with endorsement being sought from the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) in the future. Professor Tim Morris, Director of Equine Science and Welfare for the BHA said: “By significantly reducing the risk of NOPS the new Code provides important protection for those competing or racing under rules. The fact that most of the UK’s major feed manufacturers have already agreed to comply with the Code confirms its viability as a workable verification system.”

Allen & Page has a reputation for producing the cleanest, 'greenest' feeds. They guarantee that no prohibited substances under the current Jockey Club or F.E.I. rules have been used in the production of any of their feeds. By maintaining this policy they can confirm that all reasonable precautions are taken to ensure that no prohibited substances are introduced whilst these feeds are produced.

Allen & Page already conform to many codes and the quality assured mill is ISO9002 Approved, UKASTA Feed Assured, Soil Association Licensed and it has received the Royal Warrant from HRH The Prince of Wales.

Fabulous at Forty

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Allen & Page are proud to nominate Riding for the Disabled Association as their chosen charity for 2010.

Founded in 1969, Riding for the Disabled Association today offers opportunities to ride and carriage drive to over 26,500 disabled people at 500 groups across the UK and Ireland. From its humble beginnings, when a handful of pioneers started to realise the therapeutic benefits of riding for people with disabilities, the association has developed into a truly nationwide institution (with affiliated groups across the globe), delivering outstanding levels of instruction and physiotherapy, not to mention fun - and run almost entirely by its army of 18,000 volunteers.
“This 40th Anniversary is a real milestone for us,” explains RDA Chief Executive, Ed Bracher. “It has given us a chance both to reflect on how far the charity has come, and to focus on what needs to be done for our riders and Groups to ensure
our success for the next forty years.”

Book of memories
The anniversary has also offered the opportunity to celebrate what RDA means to those involved on a daily basis – to its riders and volunteers. Struck by the inspiring and often very moving stories shared by riders and their families, the charity has committed hundreds of them to paper to create an anniversary book.

World’s Biggest Riding Lesson
The book of stories is just one of the many ways that RDA is marking its special anniversary. Celebrations kicked off in September with The World’s Biggest Riding Lesson. The event was officially launched by RDA President, HRH The Princess Royal at the Chigwell Riding Trust for Special Needs, which was the first purpose-built riding centre for people with disabilities. Approximately 5,000 people took part in the lesson at over 200 centres across the UK and abroad, raising thousands of pounds and uniting both disabled and non-disabled riders.
“It was one of those special days where the true spirit of RDA shone through,” says Bracher. “Like our National Championships – now the biggest event of its kind anywhere in the world – you have the chance to witness the dedication of our riders and volunteers, as they overcome often very extreme challenges to achieve something truly remarkable."

Looking ahead
With sponsored skydives, marathons, fun runs, parties, a royal reception, an anniversary polo match and much more to keep the celebrations going well into 2010, RDA has got a lot to look forward to. But what about the next forty years:
“There’s still so much to do,” says Jane Holderness- Roddam, RDA Chairman. “More research is needed to give us a better understanding of the therapeutic effects of horses on people with disabilities and this would give us a real focus
for our work moving forward.

Allen & Page continue to support the EHOA in 2010

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

With over £350,000 put into the sport of Eventing since the EHOA was formed and countless training awards and vouchers distributed, the EHOA continues to be a strong voice for owners and owner-riders. In 2008 the EHOA and its sponsors supported events with a total investment of over £60,000.

Supported by Allen & Page, next year’s EHOA training dates are proof that you don’t have to be a famous rider to have a lesson with one of UK’s top trainers. In 2010, event riders of all abilities will be able to take advantage of the expertise of a wide range of professionals, including: Yogi Breisner, William Fox-Pitt, Lucy Weigersma, Ian Stark, Kenneth Clawson, JP Sheffield, Tracie Robinson and many more talented trainers.

British Eventing’s Chief Executive, Mike Etherington-Smith, says of the EHOA’s respected tuition programme: “It’s terrific training – better than ours – and what the EHOA puts back into the sport is appreciated by many. They’ve become a real part of the jigsaw that is eventing.”

The training days are open to those who aren’t members of the EHOA, although members are able to enjoy priority booking up to two weeks before the training day and pay a lower fee for tuition. Those who choose to join the EHOA (just £20 a year for owner/riders) will receive a £10 training voucher (which can be used to help to pay for the training day) and £20 Shearwater Insurance voucher.

Please see below for full details of next year’s training days, or go to: www.ehoa.org/training.html

For further details and to book a place on one of our popular courses, please contact Annabel Brunner, tel: 01223 872619 or email: annabel@brunners.org

Allen & Page aim to have a member of the Allen & Page Nutrition Team at each of the training days to offer feeding advice and assistance to all of the attending riders and/or owners. The attendance of the Nutrition Team on the training days in 2009 proved a great success, many of the riders and instructors found it useful to have a nutritionist on hand during the training, and it is wonderful that the EHOA have invited them back in 2010.

EHOA TRAINING DATES 2010
Supported by Allen & Page the EHOA Training Days are open to both EHOA members and non-members, with EHOA members paying a lower course fee and having priority booking. All levels of horse and rider welcome. For further details visit www.ehoa.org

5 & 6 February: two-day course with Nick Turner and Beverley Brightman at Waresley Park Stud, near St Neots, Cambridge – flatwork, jumping, cross-country training and ‘what the dressage judge is looking for’. Top-class training facilities, stabling and accommodation available.

8 February: Ruth Edge at her yard near Carlisle, Cumbria – flatwork and jumping.

12 & 13 February: winter training weekend with Nigel Taylor at Aston Le Walls, Northants – jumping and cross-country tuition.

26 February: Yogi Breisner at Aston-Le-Walls, Northants – flatwork and jumping.

27 February: Richard Waygood at Boomerang EC, near Hungerford, Berks – jumping and cross-country tuition.

1 March: Yogi Breisner at Aston-Le-Walls, Northants – jumping and cross-country tuition.

30 March: Richard Carruthers at Forest Gate Farm and Kelshall Hill in Cheshire – jumping and cross-country tuition.

8 April: Nigel Taylor at Aston-Le-Walls, Northants – jumping and cross-country training.

13 April: Gill Watson at Tetsworth Farm, Thame, Oxon – flatwork and jumping.

14 April: Ian Stark at Ashkirk, Scotland – flatwork and jumping.

19 April: Lucy Weigersma and Caroline Creighton at Lucy’s yard, Beaworthy, Devon – jumping and pole work with cross-country technique and practice.

20 & 21 April: two-day Spring camp with Tracie Robinson, Kenneth Clawson and JP Sheffield at Kenneth’s yard, Leire, Leics – flatwork, jumping and cross-country tuition.

24 & 25 April: two-day Spring camp with Rob Stevens, near Malmesbury, Wilts – flatwork (with dressage judge present), jumping, cross-country technique and practice.

14-17 May: jumping training with Les Smith, Hendersyde Park, Scotland.

3 June: Gill Watson at Tetsworth Farm, Oxon – show jumping course training on grass.

NB. Further dates will be added when finalized – including training with William Fox-Pitt in Dorset – please check www.ehoa.org for more details

We will be adding these and all new dates as they are confirmed to the online calendar on the Allen & Page website

Meet William and Pippa with Allen & Page at Your Horse Live

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

William and Pippa Funnell are joining Allen & Page at this years Your Horse Live on stand 69 in the Allen & Page Hall to meet with fans, answer questions, have pictures taken and sign autographs.

Meet William and Pippa at Your Horse Live:
On Saturday 14th November - 1.30pm - 4.30pm
On Sunday 15th November - 10.00am - 2.00pm

Allen & Page are pleased to again sponsor Your Horse Live as sponsorship of hall one, and bring William and Pippa to the popular event which runs from Saturday 14th to Sunday 15th November at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire. To find out when you can meet William and Pippa please keep an eye on the Allen & Page website www.allenandpage.com, look out for the notice boards on the display units at the entrances to the Allen & Page Hall or on the Allen & Page stand, stand 69 at the event.

William and Pippa have been feeding Allen & Page horse feeds for over 25 years and have toasted many of their successes to the high quality of Allen & Page’s feed and the help and assistance of the Allen & Page Nutrition team.

Easton College Equestrian Centre - Official Opening

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

As official feed suppliers to Easton College, Allen & Page were delighted to attend the official opening of The Sir Nicholas Bacon Centre on Saturday 24th October 2009.

The evening was a fun filled affair with a host of well known equestrian personalities being involved in the entertainment. The evening began with tours of the new equestrian complex and guests were treated to a superb buffet. The impressive indoor arena became the setting for the evening performance with Mike Gamble (Chair of Governors), Sir Nicholas Bacon and Pippa Funnell MBE all giving a welcome speech, before Sir Nicholas cut the ribbon to great applause marking the official opening.

Comperes for the evening David Hunter and Val Attenborough provided guests with an informed and amusing commentary. Seven year old Mollie and her pony Magpie kicked off the evening performance with a fast paced display that delighted the audience and showed that she is a name to watch for in the future.

Para showjumpers Susi Rogers-Hartley and Karen Bostock took to the stage next and showed off their skills over fences with some expert tuition from Pippa Funnell. Para dressage also featured with Para Olympic silver medallist Simon Laurens giving the audience a taste of his medal winning freestyle to music test, although he did confess that he forgot part of the test and had to ad lib!

Para driver Lindsey Tyas and Easton College student Amanda Goate gave a polished performance demonstrating the skills needed for carriage driving, and compere David Hunter tried his hand at being a backstepper for Lindsey.

Pakefield Riding School’s vaulting team thrilled the crowd with their gymnastics aboard Finbarr the vaulting horse, the polished performance was all the more remarkable as the team had only been practising for one month.

The evening was rounded off with a pas de deux from Pippa Funnell and Alistair Hood, both former pupils of the renowned trainer Ruth McMullen who also received a presentation much to her surprise.

Allen & Page are proud to be associated with such an impressive equestrian college and are looking forward to working closely with the college in the future.

BETA Nutritional Helpline Awards

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The 2008 BETA nutritional helpline awards brought great success for the Allen & Page Nutritional Team, seeing them make it into the finals of this prestigious event. The Allen & Page Nutritional Team is comprised of qualified nutritionists and experienced horse owners who pride themselves on offering friendly, practical, and easy to understand advice for everyone, no matter what type of horse or pony that they own.

The Allen & Page Nutritional Team are entering the 2009 BETA nutritional helpline awards and are hoping to build on last years success. If you have any queries regarding the feeding of your horse or pony or would just like to double check that their current diet is meeting their nutritional needs do not hesitate to contact us on 01362 822 902 or email on helpline@allenandpage.co.uk

Allen & Page introduce Norfolk’s new Centre of Excellence

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Norfolk based animal feed manufacturer Allen & Page are delighted to announce their support and involvement with Easton College a new Centre of Excellence at the heart of Norfolk. This prestigious college has recently enjoyed an extensive £5million re-development to its equestrian and animal welfare centre.

Allen & Page have taken an enthusiastic approach as the official feed supplier to the college, offering their support, advice and expertise wherever possible. Working closely with Hilary Francois, Easton College’s Equine Centre Manager, Allen & Page have created tailor made feeding programmes for each horse and have enjoyed contributing to student lectures.

The extensive developments at Easton College include a new Olympic sized indoor arena with large viewing gallery, a 60’ x 40’ outdoor arena that leads indoors via a separate collecting ring and a large horse walker. Teaching rooms and stable management areas have also been newly built and fitted with the latest equipment, allowing students to take full advantage of Norfolk’s newest equestrian venue.

As well as benefiting students the centre will be utilised for equine demonstrations and competitions covering a wide range of disciplines. Easton College are already offering exciting new riding opportunities including dressage, jumping and driving for para riders.

Allen & Page are proud to be associated with such an impressive equestrian college, and are thrilled to be involved with all the new developments. It is hoped that this new centre of excellence will go on to benefit students and the equestrian industry for many years to come.

Allen & Page are a family owned business and have been producing horse feeds since 1936, using only the very highest quality ingredients. As a responsible manufacturer Allen & Page constantly focus on reducing their impact on the environment and producing quality feeds in the greenest way possible.

William and Pippa Funnell join Allen & Page at Your Horse Live

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Allen & Page are delighted to introduce equestrian sporting heroes William and Pippa Funnell at this years Your Horse Live. Pippa and William will be on stand 69 in the Allen & Page Hall to meet with fans, answer questions, have pictures taken and sign autographs.

William and Pippa have been feeding Allen & Page horse feeds for over 25 years and have toasted many of their successes to the high quality of Allen & Page’s feed and the help and assistance of the Allen & Page Nutrition team.

Allen & Page are pleased to again sponsor Your Horse Live as sponsorship of hall one, and bring William and Pippa to the popular event which runs from Saturday 14th to Sunday 15^th November at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire. To find out when you can meet William and Pippa please keep an eye on the Allen & Page website www.allenandpage.com, look out for the notice boards on the display units at the entrances to the Allen & Page Hall or on the Allen & Page stand, stand 69 at the event.

Allen & Page are a family owned business and have been producing horse feeds since 1936, using only the very highest quality ingredients. As a responsible manufacturer Allen & Page constantly focus on reducing their impact on the environment and producing quality feeds in the greenest way possible.

Clubmark achieved by two Equestrian Centres

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Clubmark, introduced in 2002, is the Sport England mark of high quality clubs, reassuring both parents and participants that the club is a high quality, welcoming environment for young people. The mark is awarded to clubs that can satisfy minimum operating requirements in the four areas of the playing programme; duty of care and child protection; sports equity and ethics and club management.

The mark is an accreditation scheme covering a variety of different sports and is specifically designed for clubs with junior sections.

The BEF is the approved agency and delivers the Clubmark scheme in partnership with the BHS. Clubmark is available to all clubs and centres who are accredited or approved by a British Equestrian Federation Member Body.

Margaret Linington-Payne, Director of Standards at the British Horse Society said "We are delighted that both BHS Approved centres have achieved Clubmark Accreditation. We believe that both centres and their clients will benefit thoroughly from the scheme."

Maggie Still, head of Regional Development at the British Equestrian Federation said â€˜"Participating in a quality environment is a key factor in ensuring a good experience and retaining riders, drivers and vaulters within the sport. The BEF encourages clubs from all Member Bodies, especially those with Junior Sections to link with the BHS, find out more about Clubmark and explore the potential benefits for themselves".

Beth Davies of Quob Equestrian centre said, "The process of applying for the Club Mark Accreditation was straight forward and we had great support from the BHS. We found most of the principles of the Clubmark Accreditation were already in place at Quob Stables, but it enables us to re-evaluate all areas of the Club. Since applying for the Clubmark Accreditation we have forged stronger links with the local schools."

Ruth Dowie of Runningwell Equestrian Cente said, "Runningwell Equestrian Centre are extremely proud to have achieved the Clubmark Accreditation. The staff at the British Horse Society proved very helpful and informative on the portfolio process, which at first did seem daunting!

This accreditation will allow us to continue to expand our work with local schools, Essex County Council, RDA, Young Carer Groups and Youth Organisations. Hopefully this will enable us to offer horse riding to children from all walks of life and give them the same opportunities as children with their own horses."

For further information and pictures, please contact: Ellie Layton, The British Horse Society, 01926 707795 or e.layton@bhs.org.uk

(As reported on the BEF website)

British Show Jumping Squad Selected For Europeans

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The squad who will represent Great Britain at the 2009 Alltech FEI European Show Jumping Championships, to be held at Windsor from 25 – 31 August 2009 has been announced as follows:

· Geoff Billington from Nantwich, Cheshire with Patricia Fraser’s 11 year-old bay gelding Rosinus

· Peter Charles from Alton, Hants with Olga White’s 10 year-old bay gelding Pom d’Ami

· Ben Maher from Bishops Stortford, Herts with his own and Quainton Stud’s 11 year-old bay gelding Robin Hood W

· Robert Smith from Shrewley, Warwickshire with Sharon Baldwin and Raging Bull’s 11 year-old bay stallion Vangelis S

· Tim Stockdale from Roade, Northampton with John Bosher’s 12 year-old grey mare Fresh Direct Corlato

Speaking about their selection, the squad commented:

Geoff Billington: “I am highly delighted to be part of the British squad for this year’s European Championships. I was a member of the British Team when the Championships were held at Hickstead ten years ago, so to make the squad again for the home Championships at Windsor, is absolutely fantastic”.

Peter Charles: “I am delighted, it’s great for my owner Olga White and my sponsor Team Murka, it’s a team effort and to be selected for the European Championships is a great honour. Windsor is a superb venue and for me is just a few minutes drive away so I am hoping for a lot of local support!”.

Ben Maher: “I am thrilled, and really looking forward to competing in front of a home crowd. Windsor is a perfect venue for the Championships and I hope that we will have plenty of supporters there cheering us on”.

Robert Smith: “It’s great that the UK are hosting the European Championships, Windsor is a superb venue and there is something special about jumping in front of a home crowd, it would be great to come away with a medal”.

Tim Stockdale: “Its great news! I love competing at Windsor and I think this is going to be a fantastic Championships. To have such a prestigious competition on home soil is amazing and I am looking forward to being part of it and competing in front of a home crowd”.

Derek Ricketts, Team Manager said:

“We are all looking forward to competing on home soil at this year’s European Championships, Windsor is a top class venue and I am sure that we will see some world class show jumping over the five days of competition. All five squad members have had consistent results this year and hopefully horses and riders will be at their peak of fitness for the Championships at the end of the month”.

(As reported on the BSJA website)