Berry plays his part in keeping breed going

She is talking about the Cleveland Bay and why she is a fan of this endangered breed.

"The Cleveland Bay is described as a horseman's horse," says Jo. "They are very strong-minded which has earned them an unfair reputation for being stubborn.

"This is not the case. They are intelligent and businesslike. All they ask of their riders is that they explain clearly what they want them to do and they will do it. If not, they are renowned for digging their heels in until they are sure what is required."

Kirkmoor Elderberry Flower (Berry), a Cleveland Bay stallion that stands at West End Farm Stud which is run by Jo, was recently selected by the rare Breeds Trust for their gene bank project.

As part of this project, semen is taken from chosen stallions, frozen and stored for a permanent national archive and as part of a conservation breeding programme.

Berry was bred and is owned by Heather Ketley, from Sutton-on-the Forest, who also showed him successfully as a youngster.

He won at the Royal Show as a foal and as a yearling and was first and reserve champion at the Great Yorkshire Show as a yearling and as a three-year-old.

Berry is the full brother of Heather's prolific winner, Kirkmoor Primrose Flower, who has been champion and reserve champion at the Royal and the Great Yorkshire Show on a number of occasions.

Jo runs the West End Farm Stud at the family farm at Thornholme near Driffield, where, as well as breeding, they break and school young horses.

This year, she is looking forward to preparing Berry for the George V competition, a class specifically for stallions, which will be held at an event organised by the Cleveland Bay Horse Society in May.

"We will get him out doing dressage and show-jumping this summer and we may event him after that," said Jo.

"He's very well bred and athletic and moves lightly for a big horse."

The Cleveland Bay is Britain's oldest breed of horse. Clevelands make good competition horses because of their endurance and stamina and natural jumping abilities. They were in danger of dying out in the 1960s when numbers had become severely depleted.

The Queen helped to give the breed a boost when it needed it most. Her grandfather had bred Clevelands in the 1920s and she stepped in to buy a pure-bred Cleveland colt, Mulgrave Supreme, which she made available at stud.

The breed began to become more popular but numbers fell to a critical level again in the 1980s.

The Cleveland Bay Horse Society, of which the Queen is patron, is working to ensure the long-term survival of the breed with breeding programmes and by setting up the gene bank project.

The CBHS is based in Harrogate and there is more information on their website, www.clevelandbay.com.

VISITORS to Burghley Horse Trials this year will be able to have all the information they need at their fingertips thanks to the event's new iPhone app which will provide up to the minute coverage.

The app will be free to download before the event and will include news bulletins, a live scoreboard and podcasts.

Weather forecasts will

also be available plus information about what's on where around the showground. Anybody walking the course will be able to make use of a cross-country course option.

The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials run from September 1-4.

Magic moments in store for fans at the Arena

PAT PARELLI is bringing Magic, the horse he describes as his "super partner", over from America to take part in the two-day Parelli Celebration at the LG Arena in Birmingham in April.

Magic, 20, was a problem horse at one of the Parelli's events. She was considered to be untrainable but he thought there was something special about her and decided to buy and retrain her.

"She is a very high spirited, sensitive horse, an athlete and she can do it all – run, slide, spin, jump, piaffe, pirouette, cut a cow," says Linda Parelli. "She is Pat's 'super partner' and that's because he knows what makes her tick."

The Parelli Celebration is on April 9-10.

To book tickets go to www.theticketfactory.com and for more information go to www.parelli.com.

RIDERS under the age of 18 who would like to find out more about eventing, are welcome to go along to an information evening to be held at Richmond Equestrian Centre on February 4.

British Eventing is currently restructuring its Under-18 programme and instructors Sue Chadwick and Jane Graham have been appointed as coaches for the northern area, working alongside Lyn Cottingham, who is the area co-ordinator.

Sue and Jane will give a presentation about how to get involved in eventing and gold medallist Nicola Wilson will also be giving a talk. There will be a chance to ask questions and book for any of the forthcoming training sessions. The evening is free and more details can be found on the youth programmes page at www.britisheventing.com.

CW 22/1/11