The Performance Masterclass

Arena UK played host to a unique Performance Masterclass in March, sponsored by Dodson & Horrell. The event featured demonstrations by brand ambassadors and international competitors like Richard Davison, Geoff Billington, Piggy French and Sophie Wells.

These top riders gave their tips and tricks to cover all disciplines, with four-time Olympian Richard Davison bring a wealth of knowledge in Dressage to kick off the event. Four-time medallist Sophie Wells also brought some key pointers in Dressage, and also gave a teaching demonstration to a rider competing at BE Novice.

One of Britain’s best-loved event riders, Piggy French, continued the day, demonstrating the art of competitive cross country riding including jumping extreme angles and skinnies.

Legendary crowd pleaser and entertainer Geoff Billington brought his unique style of show jumping to Arena UK to close off the demos by the riders. He brought two of his top horses along, and demonstrated the skills and training required to jump the large and technical fences met on the international circuit.

The event not only gave attendees a glimpse into the knowledge of riders, but also covered nutrition and sport psychology.

Sport and Exercise Psychologist Dr Karl Steptoe spoke about how to deal with competition nerves, developing self-belief and learning to cope with competition pressure, something all competitors have faced at one time.

Head of Nutrition at Dodson & Horrell, Catherine Rudenko talked about key areas of equine nutrition where top-level performance is concerned, including considering antioxidants, starch and fibre intake.

Catherine commented “The correct training and feeding regime for your horse is critical to ensure they are able to produce their best when competing.  We have created a new performance range with this in mind and the Masterclass will help to bring all these elements together; it should be very exciting to see it all come to life.”

The Performance Masterclass premieres on H&C on Tuesday 10 April at 8pm, and is then available to watch On Demand.