Equine and nutrition specialist Harbro has launched its first ever Young Rider Competition, encouraging young Scottish riders brimming with talent to focus on the inspirations and aspirations that drive them. The competition is open to young riders aged 16-25 of any discipline who have a clear set of competitive goals for their year ahead. A shortlist from the entries will be selected by a panel of judges including equestrian expert and Olympic medallist Ian Stark, OBE, and Dr Vicki Glasgow, Harbro’s Equine Nutritionist, before a final public vote on social media to select two winners, one from the North and one from the South of Scotland. The deadline for entries is Sunday 28th May 2017 and the winners will be announced on 30th June 2017.
Dr Vicki Glasgow, Harbro’s Equine Nutritionist.
Keen entrants need to put together and upload a short five-minute film on YouTube with an introduction about themselves and what inspires them and what they aspire to do in the year ahead and beyond. They should also highlight where they are keen to progress in their chosen discipline, and include a clip of them riding their horse. A full application form and entry guidelines is available on the Harbro website.
Rebecca Ingram, Marketing Manager at Harbro, who initiated the competition said, “This is the first of its kind for Harbro and the aim is to encourage and support potential equestrian rising stars. We are not just looking for riding prowess, but for a real drive and determination to embrace the opportunities available and to be an ambassador for their sport and the Harbro brand.”
Four finalists will be selected by the judging panel, two from north of Scotland and two from the south. Their films will be put to the public vote on Facebook for the final decision on a winner for each region. The two winners will receive a year’s supply of Harbro feed, Harbro branded clothing and merchandise, two hospitality tickets to the Royal Highland Show, and one-to-one nutritional advice from Harbro’s Equine Nutritionist and Scottish Horse columnist, Dr Vicki Glasgow. The entrants also need to be keen to embrace PR and media opportunities, which will be an opportunity to raise their own profiles.
Talking about the rewards, Rebecca Ingram said, “The prize has been designed to give young riders who are brimming with talent some vital support, which is often not available when you are starting out. We are aware that keeping horses and competing can be expensive, so we have put together a prize to help with the cost of feed for the year, as well as giving access to exceptional nutritional advice from our Equine Nutritionist. Managing nutrition and care is a vital aspect of a horse’s performance and wellbeing, and this input will help establish an appropriate feeding regime.”
The Young Rider Competition also marks the launch of Harbro’s new range of affordable quality horse feeds, which has been created with nutritional benefit and performance in mind. With input from Harbro’s nutritional experts, including Dr Vicki Glasgow, the feed range, which encompasses haylage, pony nuts, vitamins and minerals, and conditioning cubes, has nutrition at the heart of it and considers the horse’s lifestyle, condition, temperament and expected performance, whether hacking or competing.
