Dear

Newark horse breeder, Penny Walster of Bathleyhills Stud earned at top score with a young horse she has bred at the recent British Equestrian Federation Futurity evaluations held at Vale View in Leicestershire.

Please find a report below and an attached image of the horse. Please credit the picture to Kevin Sparrow.

Please let me know if you need any further information.

Kind Regards  

Jenny  

Jenny Viner

HoldsworthPR

Public Relations and Marketing
The Old Nursery Office, Rock Road, Washington, West Sussex, RH20 3BH
Tel:  01903 892060 or 07917 886851
Fax:  01903 891637  Email:  jenny@holdsworthpr.co.uk

Website: www.rachaelholdsworth.co.uk

PRESS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

23^rdAugust 2017

LOCAL HORSE GAINS TOP PREMIUM AT THE BEF FUTURITY

Local horse breeder, Penny Walster of the Bathleyhills Stud in Newark gained an elite premium with her young horse at the Baileys Horse Feeds/ British Breeding/British Equestrian Federation (BEF) Futurity held on the 14^th August at Vale View Equestrian Centre, Leicestershire.

The two-year-old sports pony, Bathleyhills Swift Farouche bred and owned by Penny took home an elite premium of 9.05 in the dressage section. An elite premium indicates that the horse has the potential and outlook to perform at international level.

The BEF Futurity Evaluation series aims to identify British bred young potential sport horses and ponies destined for careers in dressage, eventing, showjumping or endurance. It may even find the stars of the future who will go on to compete at World Championships or become Olympic Champions.

Swift Farouche's dam is Penny's mare, Bathleyhills Sea Swift who is by her stud foundation mare, Loveden Sea Swallow. Penny said: "It is great for the stud for another youngster in Sea Swallows' family to get an elite Futurity premium. I am delighted."

Ponies bred by Penny from the damline of Loveden Sea Swallow have gone on to become top jumping and dressage ponies including the top 128cm jumping pony, Bathleyhills Sea Mist and British Dressage Nationals winner, Bathleyhills Sea Worzel. Penny continued: "Breeding ponies has become an outgrown hobby. I work at Burger King in the evenings to fit earning some money in with the ponies and my daughter, Millie. I am hoping that Millie will go on to ride Swift Farouche."

Bathleyhills Swift Farouche is by the stallion Woodlander Wild Child who was bred from top dressage mare and former World Young Horse Champion, Woodlander Farouche.

The BEF's Head of Equine Development Jan Rogers said, "We are increasingly noticing that breeders, buyers and riders of British bred horses are finding that a Futurity premium is a very useful aid in helping assess these horses. We are also seeing a marked improvement in the standard of youngsters entered in the futurity, which is very good news for the future of British breeding".

The 2017 Futurity evaluations run nationwide from the 14^th to the 30^th August.

Futurity scores are used by many breeders as a credible marketing tool for their young horses, adding value to a young horse whilst it is still too young to have achieved a performance record.

For more information, visit www.britishbreeding.org.

ENDS

For further press information, please call Jenny Viner on 01903 892060 or email jenny@holdsworthpr.co.uk

Picture: credit Kevin Sparrow.

Editor's Notes & FurtherInformation:

The BEF Futurity started in 2005 with 100 young horses to be evaluated and will see over 600 in 2017.

The Futurity is open to British bred horses and ponies, from foals through to three year olds. Each horse or pony is entered into the discipline it is bred to perform in and the four main disciplines of dressage, showjumping, eventing and endurance are covered. Each horse or pony undergoes a vet's assessment and is then evaluated in hand and loose in an indoor school. Three year olds entered into either the showjumping or eventing sections will be required to loose jump.

An evaluation process to identify talented equine athletes early and to provide a comprehensive set of results and other information for all breeders to make informed breeding decisions is called-for in the 2005 Strategy for the Horse Industry in England and Wales atwww.bhic.co.uk

Visitwww.britishbreeding.orgfor full details and results.

Futurity dates and venues 2017:

Monday 14th August Valeview EC, Leicestershire

Tuesday 15th August Richmond EC, North Yorkshire

Wednesday 16th August Myerscough College, Lancashire

Friday 18th August The College - Keysoe, Bedfordshire

Saturday 19th August Writtle College, Essex

Monday 21st August Tall Trees Arena, Cornwall

Tuesday 22nd August Hartpury College, Gloucestershire

Wednesday 23rd August Solihull RC, West Midlands

Wednesday 30th August Catherston Stud, Hampshire