BETA hat-trick at Your Horse Live

The British Equestrian Trade Association sponsored the main arena at Your Horse Live for a third consecutive year and provided free riding hat and body protector safety checks throughout the event at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, on 12 and 13 November.

“Your Horse Live is a great place for Christmas shopping and a fantastic opportunity for us to spread the word about what BETA and its members can do for horse riders,” said trade association executive director Claire Williams. “The weekend was spent engaging with enthusiastic owners, handing out handy BETA information booklets and raising the profile of rider safety. We were also pleased to carry out an official launch of the latest BETA feed assurance scheme, for products suitable for horses and ponies prone to, or at risk from, equine gastric ulcer syndrome, EGUS.”

Visitors to the BETA stand were given goody bags, invited to nominate their favourite equestrian retailer for the SEIB Retailer of the Year Award and automatically entered into a free prize draw for doing so. Many visitors who enjoyed displays in the BETA Arena were lucky enough to win one of the spot prizes kindly supplied by the trade association’s member companies. Its two mechanical horses, RoboCob and Trigger, were kept busy throughout raising money for The Brooke.

As part of its commitment to the trade, BETA held its Best Stand Awards – featuring a new format for 2016, with Lifestyle, Pet & Fashion, Equestrian & Saddlery and Food & Beverage categories. Stands were judged according to BETA's set criteria and awarded either a silver or gold standard.

In the Lifestyle, Pet & Fashion section, gold was won by Gray's Country Gifts, with silver going to the Cats Protection charity, Four Legs Good Fine Art Photography and Wendy Darker Art.

In Equestrian & Saddlery, gold was presented to retailer Ayr Equestrian, Feedmark – which also won Best in Show – and Wow Saddles, while silver went to The Animal Health Company, Whicker and Warwickshire College.

In the Food & Beverages category, silver was awarded to Cathy's Chocolates and Cakes.