Chance to make a date with Townend

POP stars and celebrity footballers do it. Charities have always done it. And now event rider Oliver Townend is doing it, too.

This week, he launched his first glossy calendar, a radical move in the equestrian world, which does not usually go in for this sort of thing.

The calendar shows the Huddersfield-born rider and his horses in and around his yard near Ellesmere in Shropshire.

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One of the country's top eventers, Oliver, 27, has built up quite a fan base and has more than 7,500 followers on facebook and Twitter.

"The photo-shoot was good fun and a chance for some of my horses to do something different," said Oliver. "People are always asking about how the new place is going and then I bumped into the photographer, Michael Blann, and we thought it might be a nice thing to do.

"The 2010 season has been eventful for many reasons and I am looking forward to a good winter and preparing for another exciting challenge in 2011.

"The messages I received on Facebook and Twitter after my fall in Kentucky helped me through a tough time."

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Oliver had a crashing fall from Ashdale Cruise Master on the cross-country course at the Rolex Kentucky event in April.

He was knocked unconscious and suffered a broken shoulder, collarbone, sternum and four broken ribs.

The fall put paid to his chances of winning the Rolex Grand Slam and a prize of 222,000.

Just five weeks later the pair were back in action to win at Tattersalls in Ireland and, in September, Oliver returned to Burghley to defend his title with Carousel Quest.

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It would have been a record if they had won the event twice in a row but a couple down in the show-jumping dropped them into fourth place.

Oliver and Ashdale Cruise Master were selected as the first reserve combination for the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky but he decided to withdraw from this as he wanted to concentrate on preparing his horses for London 2012.

Now he wants to put the memories of that fall in April behind him - "it was one of those things" - and says he is fully back on form again.

On Monday, he will be travelling to France with ODT Master Rose where they will be competing at Pau.

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Master Rose had gone clear in Kentucky before Oliver had his fall and he was very pleased with his performance there.

"It's been a long season and one in which Master Rose has progressed well," said Oliver.

"Pau is France's equivalent of Badminton or Burghley so we are hoping to end the year in the best possible way. The best I have finished there is eighth to I would like to do well. He went fantastically well in Kentucky so I hope he repeats his performance."

Master Rose belongs to Yorkshire businessman Stephen Hazeldine, who is a joint-master of the York and Ainsty Hunt.

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He is a long-time supporter of Oliver and will be travelling to Pau to see them in action.

When he returns from France, Oliver will go straight onto The Champions Tour where he teams up with show-jumper Geoff Billington.

The pair are good friends and the fun evening is being billed as an "entertaining lecture demonstration."

Says Oliver: "We have a good laugh. It's always going to be a bit wild with Geoff."

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This year, the bill also features the girls of Jive Pony – sort of disco dancing on horseback – and singer songwriter Dave Clough.

"He's a friend from Huddersfield and he's going to be very good in the future," says Oliver.

The Champions Tour runs from November 8-13 and from January 24-30.

It will be at Bishop Burton College on November 10. And, no doubt, Geoff Billington will have something to say during the evening about that calendar...

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The calendar costs 10 and can be ordered via the internet at www.townendonline.com.

Get in fast to grab the best seats in the house for new Sheffield Arena event

TICKETS are now on sale for the new Yorkshire International Showjumping Event at Sheffield Arena next Easter (April 22 to 24).

The three-star event is scheduled to take place for the next three years. The tickets are being sold strictly on a best seats sold first basis and each day ticket will include the afternoon and evening performances.

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The earlier tickets sold will also include the opportunity of joining behind the scenes tours and accompanied course walks.

The event is being held in association with Welcome to Yorkshire, the county's tourist agency. With 150,000 in prize money on offer, it will feature amateur championships through to international classes. For ticket information go to www.motorpointarena.co.uk.

THE West Yorkshire BHS annual meeting on November 11 at Woodkirk Valley Country Club, Dewsbury (7.0pm) includes a talk by Prof Derek Knottenbelt on winter feeding.

CW 30/10/10

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