MATT CHARITY EVENING - WE SURVIVED THE MONSOON!
Well, we managed to pick the very worst weather of the summer (and, let's face it, it hasn't been that great at the best of times!) for the charity Open Evening at Matt and Marie Ryan's. It started damp, and deteriorated to near monsoon by the end, with sheets of rain and gale force winds! Even so, a hardy crowd braved the conditions and were treated to a fantastic evening. Our four competition winners throughly enjoyed their lesson, then Matt taught his stable jockey Owen Cooper on a Pre-Novice horse and Marie on an Intermediate horse (the striking Steeling Time). After he rode Advanced horse Slight of Hand to demonstrate some of the finer points, including how to jump a skinny with glasses of wine balanced on either end, there was a short break. Then came arguably the highlight of the evening, with Matt riding his Sydney Gold Medal partner, the 24 year old Kibah Sandstone, in a pas de deux with Jeanette Brakewell and her multiple medallist Over To You. Performing a light-hearted routine accompanied by Queen and "We Are The Champions" the two old horses were a joy to watch, and there was hardly a dry eye at the end - but then again, that could have been the weather!
The evening finished, like last year, with Celebrity Mounted Games, with Matt and Jeanette joined by Marie, Jeanette's partner Brook Staples and Bill andn Junny Levett. Irreverent commentary was provided by the BBC rugby commentator Eddie Butler. The theme, following on from the Pas de Deux, was Australia V Britain (which coincidentally equalled boys against girls) and the British girls scored a convincing victory!
Many thanks to everyone who braved the weather to come. We have raised a decent sum for the two charities involved: we will announce the amount once we have had time to finish the accounts.
MATT RYAN CHARITY OPEN EVENING
Matt and Marie Ryan are once again hosting an Open Evening at their yard near Abergavenny, Monmouthshire. It takes place on Thursday 26th June, in aid of the Mark Davies Injured Riders Fund and the Society for the Welfare of Horses and Ponies (SWHP).
The evening features celebrity guests including Jeanette Brakewell with her fabulous Olympic and World Championship silver medal-winning partner Over To You. Jeanette will be performing with Matt and his Sydney Gold medallist Kibah Sandstone, who is being brought out of retirement especially for the occasion. The hilarious Celebrity Mounted Games which proved such a hit last year will figure again, with the BBC's voice of rugby Eddie Butler once more giving his irreverent commentary on the proceedings.
There will be training demonstrations and a cross-country technique Masterclass, as well as a chance to tour the yard and meet the horses. There will also be tradestands, a barbecue and a licensed bar. After the main entertainment has finished, a post-event party with music and dancing will round off the evening.
"Marie and I are really looking forward to it" says Matt Ryan. "Last year's event was great fun despite the dodgy weather, and we have plans to make this year's evening even bigger and better. I just hope I don't have to put on women's underwear in the mounted games again because it's tricky to fasten – I'm better at undoing it!"
Tickets cost £15 in advance (£20 on the door), with under 16s free. Doors open at 5pm, with the entertainment starting around 6pm. Please note that shelter and seating are limited, so it might be worth bringing wet weather clothing and a chair.
Abergavenny is probably not as far from you as you think: Bristol is 40 minutes, Cheltenham 1 hour, Taunton 1 ¼ hours. Why not come along and join in the fun!
For tickets, please send a cheque, payable to SupaStuds Charity Event, with a SAE to:
Matt Ryan Charity Evening
c/o SupaStuds, The Ling Farm, Kidderminster Road, Bewdley, Worcs, DY12 1LN.
MATT RYAN WINS TSM RIDER AWARD
February 2008
SupaStuds nominated Matt for this prestigious award in recognition of the superb job he does as an ambassador for us, and his other sponsors. We were thrilled to hear he had won it, and Bruce, Annie and Katie from SupaStuds, along with Matt and Marie, attended a glitzy dinner at the NEC at which Matt collected his award.
Matt beat a star-studded shortlist which included Mary King, Oliver Townend and Ellen Whitaker.
WEATHERBEETA NOW DISTRIBUTING SUPASTUDS IN AUSTRALIA
November 2007
We are delighted to announce that Weatherbeeta are now distributing SupaStuds throughout Australia, both to the trade and directly to the public through their own outlets. We have many enquiries from Australia and are happy that our Australian customers should now find it easier to purchase SupaStuds whenever they need them.
SUPASTUDS TO SPONSOR XC PERFORMANCE WORKSHOPS
November 2007
We are delighted to announce our involvement with the new Cross Country Workshops which are being organised by the Eventing Coaching Development Team. This is an exciting new concept, comprising a series of ten events being held between January and March at venues all over the country. The Workshops include mounted and un-mounted sessions, with the focus on the technical aspects of cross-country riding.
Application Forms will be available shortly, but for more information, see our "Sponsored Events" section or log on to the Coaching Development Team's website at www.coachdg.com.
We are delighted to support this series, which complements our business strategy of equipping competition riders with the tools they need to do their sport as safely, successfully and enjoyably as possible.
NEW PRODUCT NEWS
November 2007
We are always looking to bring you new products and have introduced a couple for Christmas: firstly, SupaStuds Gift Vouchers which you can buy from us in units of £5, £10 and £25. They can be used to purchase any SupaStuds items, not just studs. Secondly, after customer requests, we are making our SupaStuds embroidered saddlepads available to buy on-line.
Exciting news: the SupaSpanner which has been under development for some time is now under production after extensive testing. It is a top quality product which will fit all the SupaStuds range and come with a Lifetime Guarantee.It should be available in the New Year, so watch this space!
PAUL BARKER WINS TWO GRAND PRIX IN SCOTLAND
July 7th 2007
Young show-jumper Paul Barker, sponsored by SupaStuds, had a great week in Scotland. He started by winning a competitive Grand Prix at Rowallan, and followed it up by winning the Grand Prix at the Royal Highland Show. Well done Paul - keep up the good work!
BRILLIANT OPEN EVENING AT THE RYANS
July 7th 2007
The Charity Open Evening at Matt and Marie Ryan's near Abergavenny was a great success. Over three hundred people made their way to they Ryan's yard near Abergavenny on the Welsh Borders, and the weather was fairly kind to us with the rain holding off until late in the evening.
Matt gave a clinic to a group of prize-winners from Welsh Rider and All Horse magazines, then there were two lecture/demonstrations: one on the flat and one over fences, using horses from Pre-Novice to Advanced level. Matt's Olympic Gold Medal-winning partner Kibah Sandstone was paraded, and the crowd had the chance to meet him and try on Matt's medals for size! The evening finished with wild gymkhana games on borrowed ponies, involving special guests Clayton and Lucinda Fredericks and Austin and Kathrin O'Connor as well as Matt and Marie. There were two teams, boys against the girls, and, needless to say, it became pretty competitive! Amidst chaos and cheating, not to mention water-throwing, the girls ran out worthy winners, putting their husbands in their place!
The evening was being held to raise funds for the Mark Davies Injured Riders Fund and the Society for the Welfare of Horses and Ponies, and, while we haven't done the final sums yet, well over two thousand pounds has been raised for these great causes.
ORCHARD SCURRY TEAM EXCELS AT MUDDY HICKSTEAD
July 7th 2007
We are delighted to report that the Orchard Scurry Team, sponsored by SupaStuds, did brilliantly at the Horse of the Year Show qualifier at Hickstead last week. In dreadful conditions, Touch and Go stormed round the course to win the class, while stablemates Rough and Tumble claimed 3rd place and the remaining qualification ticket (as the second prizewinners had already qualified).
"We are thrilled to qualify both pairs at once, especially so early on" said a delighted Chris. "Our SupaStuds were invaluable in the challenging conditions - the ponies didn't slip once, despite me pushing them to the limit!"
CHARITY OPEN EVENING AT MATT AND MARIE RYAN'S
SupaStuds are proud to sponsor the Charity Open Evening which takes place at Matt and Marie Ryan's yard at Little Llandeilo Farm, Llandewi Rhydderch, near Abergavenny on Thursday June 28th, in aid of the Mark Davies Injured Riders Fund and the Society for the Welfare of Horses and Ponies.
Attractions include
- A Lecture/Demonstration
- A "Celebrity Challenge" featuring the Ryans along with some eventing chums including Clayton and Lucinda Fredericks
- Chance to tour the yard and meet the team
- Tradestands
- Barbecue and licensed bar (charged separately)
Doors open at 5pm, with the lecture/demo. scheduled to start around 6.30pm. Tickets cost £12 in advance, £15 on the night, with children under 12 free.
To order tickets please send your cheque, payable to SupaStuds Charity Event, with a SAE to Matt Ryan Charity Evening, c/o SupaStuds, The Ling Farm, Kidderminster Road, Bewdley, Worcs. DY12 1LN
GREAT BADMINTON FOR SUPASTUDS RIDERS
May 10th 2007
Matt Ryan achieved one of his best ever Badminton results when he finished 4th on Bonza Katoomba. Matt was delighted with this result, which sees him qualified for next year's Hong Kong Olympics in plenty of time, and which will hopefully have caught the selectors' eye...
Vicky Tuffs completed her first ever Badminton on Tudor Romance in fine style with a clear round in the show-jumping. Vicky was unlucky to incur 20 penalties for crossing her tracks on the cross country at the Sunken Road, after Canny lost her backend and nearly came down, but still finished the event in 32nd place.
Both horses looked very smart in their brand new SupaStuds saddlepads - look out for them on the circuit!
STUDSTASHA WINS BETA INNOVATIONS AWARD 2007
(February 21st 2007)
SupaStuds launched their brand new product, the StudStasha, at the BETA Trade Fair 2007, and immediately landed the prestigious BETA Innovations Award for Safety and Security. SupaStuds won this Award with the studs themselves when they were launched two years ago, so the company has a 100% success rate in this competition.
Like all the best ideas, the StudStasha is incredibly simple but effective: it comprises an elasticated fabric wristband (similar in appearance to a tennis wristband) which contains a powerful magnet. This magnet will hold four or more studs securely while you are studding up, so that the studs are always in reach yet keeping both hands free. If you do lose a stud in long grass, the magnet can be used like a metal detector to find it again. The wristband is stretchy enough to fit a bare arm or over heavy clothing.
"The StudStasha is another brilliant idea from SupaStuds" says Matt Ryan, triple Olympic Gold Medallist. "I predict that, very soon, there will be one in every stud box in the country!"
SupaStuds were bowled over by the level of interest shown in the StudStasha at its launch at the BETA Trade Fair, both from retailers and from riders. "We expected to be busy, but not quite this busy!" said Bruce Jolly, Managing Director.
The StudStasha is currently available in hot pink or bottle green, with more colours coming soon, and has a RRP of £7.50. It can be purchased now from the SupaStuds on-line shop and will be available from SupaStuds stockists shortly.
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