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Good Friday Open Day - 2008
Ann's Review
Most people started with a visit to the colts barn
The weather forecast was, for once, correct. 'The coldest Easter on record for 25 years' would arrive with a vengeance. On Friday morning we managed to get out six lots in bright sunshine and although quite windy it was glorious. However by lunchtime it was a very different story, the wind got up and then the rain came quickly followed by snow showers and hail stone. It certainly kept some of the fair-weather folk away but the die-hards braved the great British weather and were as enthusiastic as ever. All things considered we were pleasantly surprised at the turnout.
There were a few changes to the way we managed the event this year. Firstly we arranged the shuttle bus service to bring people to the yard from Middleham and Leyburn and this ran throughout the afternoon. There were portable loos on site and the Coffee car was kept busy serving warming cappuccinos and hot chocolate drinks.
Yard sponsor Sims Suzuki
We were also treated a display of the Sims Suzuki range of cars, Sims Suzuki have been our yard sponsor since the inception of the owners vat scheme, but this was the first year that they had vehicles on show.
Spillers Horse Feed, THE experts in horse nutrition, was once again joint sponsors of our Open day. Spillers are leaders in the field of horse nutrition and their feed plays a vital part the race preparation of the horses.
Stars of the show (apart from the Sun Hill horses of course) were The Bedale Hounds. Master of Foxhounds Andrew Osbourne along with his professional huntsman bought eleven and a half couple of hounds and paraded them during the afternoon. They were very well received and allowed many people the opportunity of seeing them up close, both Mr Osbourne and Richard were busy answering questions most of the afternoon and adults as well as kids were able to stroke the hounds and hunt horses. At one point, when the weather was particularly severe they all came into the barn to keep dry. The hounds, who can be very mischievous, kept jumping up on to the table used by Middleham Park Racing scattering all their paperwork. The hounds provided another very amusing moment when three of them decided to try and rifle through the Coffee car’s contents almost bringing down the small tent attached to the car!
Bedale Hunt - Andrew Osbourne MFH
The Bedale Hunt is one of the oldest established hunts in England and they provide a vital service to the farmers and local community. Hunting is a pivotal and important part of rural life and one of Great Britain’s oldest traditions. But sadly the vast majority of people from the towns and cities never have the opportunity to see, experience or understand country life. Events such as this go some way to giving them that opportunity which, otherwise, might not exist at all.
Ann and George with the Bedale Hunt team
The horses, as usual loved the attention, although towards the end of the day one or two of them were ready for some peace and quiet! The majority of them really enjoy the Open Day, occasionally the odd one can get wound up, horses that I feel sure won’t appreciate the hustle and bustle are moved prior to the day, but happily that is a rare occurrence.
The detailed printouts on each of the horses and general yard information we always supply were again very well received. Middleham Park Racing were here as usual and, as is often the case, they sold a lot of shares in our horses to their existing owners and also did well attracting new owners; many of whom are making their first venture into racehorse ownership.
Ellie Louise enjoying the attention
It was a shame the two new horses bought recently at Kempton Park Breeze up sales were not here on show, they are still away in isolation, but will joining the yard in the next week or so. I am sure if they were here they would have nice new owners by now! Anyone interested can find further information here. (Ten Most Wanted Colt / Elnadim Filly)
Feedback on the day has so far has been excellent, we have received a host of messages from people who have clearly enjoyed their afternoon with us. Although too many to print them all a few of the messages are below:
Ex trainer Jack Berry and George enjoying the day
"My family and I really enjoyed our day, Middleham was great to see,
but Sun Hill stood out. If I can ever afford a racehorse, I want you
to train it for me"
John & Sandra Magill, Lincolnshire.
"Your horses and staff were all really friendly, the horses looked
great and I felt very welcome, have joined MPR and look forward to
seeing you all again racing this summer, thanks".
Steve from Doncaster.
"It is clear how much effort you, George & your staff put in, your
yard is a credit to you all, good luck for the forthcoming season."
Colin Smyth, York.
A packed barn
"I didn't expect to see a pack of foxhounds on the Open day so it was
a real treat. The hounds were amazing, much bigger than I thought,
I never really thought about them before and didn’t really understand
how they fit in to country life, having talked a lot with Mr
Osbourne I now know enough to realise how the general public has been
mislead in the past! Long live the hounds! Ps your horses looked
very good, I will follow you throughout the season."
John McKeniry, South Yorkshire.
"It was good to see Ann & George mingling all afternoon with the
public, The staff too were very friendly and the yard immaculately kept,
well done all at Sun Hill, thanks for a great day"
Andrea & Dave Middleton. London.
Former jockey Keith Dalgleish, apprentice Andrew Mullen & work rider Steve Parkin
Thank you for making our visit on friday very enjoyable.
We went to most of the yards in Middleham then on to you
By far you were the most welcoming. On the back of that and speaking
to Ian, I have just agreed to 5% in Dottys Brother. It is my first time
at joining a syndicate and hope it's the start of bigger things it's
a shame the kids were getting tired on Friday as we would of loved to stop longer.
Name withheld