ALAN WINDLE WINS PONY OF THE YEAR FOR 6TH TIME AT NZ HORSE OF THE YEAR

I have just been looking through the NZ Horse of the Year Show results here, and Alan Windle, founder of Nala Stud, has clinched the prestigious In-Hand Pony of the Year title for the SIXTH year running, with 'Nala Emblems Zephyr.' What an outstanding achievement!

Two of his other ponies also did very well in the title class. 'Nala Emblems Windswept' came third and 'Nala Nicholai's Fern' came sixth. He must be very proud.

The Rising Star Park Hack class also took place yesterday. It's always good to see some new names in the results. I do hope we see all of the Rising Stars out competing over the years to come though and that they don't just vanish as many seem to do!

SUPREME PRODUCTS- THE LEADERS IN EQUINE PREPARATION PRODUCTS & GARMENTS

I'm very excited to announce that I have just started doing some online marketing work on behalf of UK based company, Supreme Products. I have been a fan of this brand for my entire showing career so I'm really looking forward to helping them develop their online presence and reach even more people

For those of you that don't know them, here are the various Supreme Products links.

Website: www.supremeproducts.co.uk
Blog: www.supremeproductsltd.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/supremeproducts
Facebook: Facebook Fan Page

If you have any questions, feel free to flick me an email. Happy showing!

NEW ZEALAND HORSE OF THE YEAR SHOW: RESULTS

If you want to keep up to date with all the goings on down at the Kelt Capital Horse of the Year Show, make sure you check out the New Zealand Equestrian Showing Scene group on Facebook. Well known showie, Elizabeth Charleston is adding results as they come in.

It's great to see that New Zealand's first ever Show Riding Horse of the Year title class was well attended, with some good quality horses in there. It will be interesting to hear what people have to say about how it was judged etc when they return from Hastings next week. Winning Show Riding Horse of the Year was 'On Cloud Nine', ridden by Jordan Murray. Reserve was 'Volte' and Amanda Berridge.

I have also just read that 'Aranui Chablis' has won the Lead Rein title yet again, this time with Ashleigh Everton on board. That little pony is unstoppable!

Photos of HOYS classes can be seen over at NZEquine. They're uploading new ones every day so no need to wait for ages to browse through all those lovely pictures.

FAVOURITE EQUESTRIAN BLOGS- MARCH 2010

Now and again, I like to provide a list of other showing and equestrian related blogs. Sometimes, when we're not out riding or battling with a pony that won't stand still to be plaited, it's nice to settle down in front of a computer to read about somebody else's experiences!

Supreme Products Blog: Supreme Products is a UK based company which provides show ring products and garments. Their blog is an excellent source of information, showing tips etc and also contains a number of rider profiles and other articles. Definitely one to check out!

The Horse Show Kid is a lovely blog which follows a young girl and her pony through their showing career. You can tell from her posts that she's a truly dedicated show rider- very inspirational....

There are some excellent Badminton Horse Trials blogs being hosted on the Horse & Hound website at the moment, from such riders as Badminton debutant Sarah Stretton and Chinese eventer Alex Hua Tian. Both diaries are a great read and give you a good idea of the level of hard graft that goes into preparing for an event like this!

Does anyone know of any Kiwi horse related blogs that are worth checking out?

SHOW CIRCUIT MAGAZINE- ARTICLES NOW ONLINE

In case you weren't aware, a number of 'Show Circuit' articles are now available online over at http://www.showcircuit.co.nz/.

Quite a few of mine are now available, including interviews with Simone Simpson (great interviewee!), Alan Windle, Leigh Taylor and Louise Blair. My 'The Art of Ringcraft' piece is also up, as is 'Show Hunter: Striving for Success.' Make sure you check them out. I'm always open to feedback and comments. If you have anything to say just leave a comment here or flick me an email.

Keep an eye out for the April issue which will be out in a few weeks

TWEET, TWEET!

I have been using Twitter for business purposes for a little while now but haven't really done much personal 'tweeting.' I decided to change this today and have set up my own Twitter account, separate to the business ones, to talk about my two favourite topics- horses and showing!

You can follow me here: http://twitter.com/showringtips

I'll be posting interesting links, showing and equestrian news from around the world and will also be passing on any turnout, grooming and other showing preparation tips I come across along the way. Feel free to sign in and add your own advice as well. Happy tweeting!

GRAEMAR REPLIQUE'S FIRST SEASON

Well, I have been neglecting the Horse Tales blog these past few months. Partly because I went back to the UK for five weeks over Christmas and also because I've had a few other exciting things going on. However, I am now back in avengence and looking forward to posting regularly!

As far as my own personal showing activities go, I am very excited to have been showing yearling Park Hack filly 'Graemar Replique' (stable name Katie) for the first time this season. She has taken everything in her stride and I'm very proud of her. At her first show, Helensville A&P, we took things slowly and cautiously, ending up with a third place in the Junior Arab Derivative Filly class, Three Years and Under. My main objective was to get her used to the sights and smells of the showground and she excelled herself! A few neighs but that was all. At our next show, Kumeu A&P, we really went for it as she had proved at the previous show that she was perfectly laid back about the whole showing affair. We were rewarded with two firsts, in the Sporthorse Yearling class and the Junior Sporthorse Suitable for Show Hacking! I'm so pleased with this little horse and really looking forward to taking her out again.