Horses for Hope raises the bar with overwhelming support

Following Natalie Heaton’s social media post asking friends whether they’d attend a charity dressage competition raising funds for those affected by the Australian bush fires, she was overwhelmed by the support. In no time at all, Horses for Hope GB was born.

Horses for Hope GB is a dressage competition that took place at Somerford Park Farm on Sunday 26 January. The competition was open to all riders, with classes catering to every level and ability. The dress code was relaxed, with competitors encouraged to wear Australian-themed outfits – there were koalas, kangaroos and Steve Irwins aplenty. Entries closed a huge 17 days earlier than expected, just three days after officially opening, thanks to overwhelming interest. Somerford Park then kindly donated the use of an extra arena to allow for more entries, which sold out in one hour.

Prizes were donated by huge industry names, including Dubarry, Fairfax & Favor, the Bolesworth International Horse Show, Le Mieux, NAF and Natural Vet Care, among others. Competitors and spectators enjoyed the huge variety of trade and food stands, with the homemade cakes a firm favourite. The organisers have been touched by the huge variety of local businesses who leapt at the chance to offer their support, too.

She told H&R, “It’s humbling to see how the equestrian community has pulled together. Within hours of announcing the event we were flooded with offers of support from businesses large and small, enabling us to offer prizes for the winners of each class and rosettes for every competitor – not to mention a really fabulous raffle. We even had an equine sports massage therapist and Theraplate on hand to offer treatments throughout the day.”

It’s not only amateur riders who have been keen to offer their support for the cause, as Olympic Grand Prix dressage riders Gareth Hughes and Matt Burnett offered prize donations. Olympic eventer Andrew Heffernan, who’s based at Somerford Park Farm, also rode Blue the Cob in one of the Intro classes, too. Blue made an incredible recovery from illness in 2019, and his owner Mairead Martin entered the competition with him, as well as setting up a Just Giving page to raise money for Hope for Horses GB. Having heard about the event, Andrew was keen to partner Blue wearing a top hat and tails. Blue loved the attention as he finished his test to an enormous round of applause.”

Natalie added, “Of course the aim of Horses for Hope GB was to raise as much money as possible, but we also wanted everyone to have an absolutely fabulous day out. There were plenty of things going on throughout the day to keep everyone entertained, with stalls to browse, delicious food and drink to sample, a fun Instagram wall to pose in front of and even a DJ. So, even if you didn’t know one end of a horse from the other, everyone still had a fun family day out.” 

To date, Horses for Hope smashed their fundraising goal of £15,000, raising an incredible £16,731.17. With a clothing line incoming, there’s still plenty of time to make a difference. For more information, and details of future charitable events, visit horsesforhope.co.uk