The fourth Belsay Horse Trials were held on the weekend of 4 and 5 June 2016 in the picturesque setting of Belsay Hall/Gardens.
Ryecroft Glenton was delighted to support the event once again as Platinum Sponsor. The new course designer Adrian Ditcham, who designs courses all over the UK up to advanced level, made some key changes, including a new start and finish which ensured a smoother flowing track for all classes at Belsay this year. New fences included the Boat House as well as replicas of the famous Belsay Stallion Stables which were home to racehorses when Belsay was a stud and racing stable in the 18th Century. Belsay is a fantastic setting for this event.
Competing at the event and winning the Barbour Intermediate Section F was Ben Hobday. It was an emotional return for Ben who competed at Belsay in 2015 not feeling his best – ten days later he was diagnosed with Burkitts Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, which is a particularly aggressive type of cancer. Ben, who lives in Cheshire, subsequently underwent five months of intensive treatment at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. He was overwhelmed by the fantastic treatment, care and support he received in Newcastle and has been raising money and awareness for Bright Red, the cancer research charity based at the Freeman Hospital, over the last six months.
The organisers of the Belsay Horse Trials, Laura and Peter de Wesselow, have felt very involved in Ben’s fight for cancer and decided to raise money for this charity by holding a special raffle in the corporate hospitality tent on Sunday 5 June.
Competitors at the event included 2012 London Olympic Silver Medallist and Rio hopeful Nicola Wilson and rising Scottish star Wills Oakden, the winner of the Ryecroft Glenton sponsored Novice Regional Final Section A (pictured above receiving his award from Ryecroft Glenton Managing Partner Chris Robson). Wills is one of Scotland’s leading riders and a member of the British Team at the European Championships held at Blair Castle last September.