HorseHage Extend Sponsorship to ‘Team Bleekman’ 29th October 2009
HorseHage, producer of the well-known bagged forage has extended its sponsorship of young event rider, Althea Bleekman, to support all three Bleekman sisters.

The company will now sponsor ‘Team Bleekman’ consisting of Althea, Katie and Janou, daughters of former world-class event riders, Clarissa and Edward Bleekman.

Based at the family home and business - Whorridge Farm Stud in Devon, the girls have all ridden from a very young age and are now beginning to make a name for themselves in eventing circles.

Althea is the eldest at 17 and 2009 was her first season on horses following a very successful career on ponies, which included being selected as reserve team member for the British Pony Team for the Europeans Championships in 2007 and then on to the 2008 Derby House Pony Squad with her pony, Nightgirl 002, for the Pony European three-day-event championships in Avenches, Switzerland. The team brought home a silver medal and Althea finished in 11th place individually.  One of her rides, the 14.2hh mare, Mayflower, became the first ever pony to compete at the British Championships at Gatcombe in 2007 where the pair achieved a double clear.

She has recently competed at Intermediate level with Billy’s Lad for the first time and so will have two intermediate rides for next season.

Said Althea; “I like HorseHage because it is so easy to use and take with us to competitions. It is brilliant to know we have really high quality forage that we can take anywhere.”

Sister Katie, age 16, brought home a silver medal this year from the Pony Europeans where she was placed 6th individually on the coloured mare, Cregaan Scenic, a pony she has carefully produced over the past five years. She was also 1st at Withington Manor Pony Trial and 4th at Weston Park Pony Trial.

Next season she will concentrate on bringing on Delphy May Gray, a homebred five-year-old currently competing at Pre-Novice level.

Said Katie: “I like the fact that feeding HorseHage means our horses are eating a good, healthy dust-free product.”

Janou is the youngest of the sisters at 13 years of age. In 2008 she was the youngest person to win a BE event at only 12 years old. This year she was selected on to the British Pony Team for Ballindenisk, Ireland with Saffy Superstar, where the pair finished 7th and she recently took over the ride of Cregaan Scenic from her sister, Katie, and already the pair have notched up wins in Junior Open Novice classes at Aldon International and Tweseldown. Along with her other ride, Lisnalea Grace, Janou hopes to compete the three ponies in Pony Trials in 2010.

Said Janou; “I like HorseHage because it is easy to carry but there is more than you think in a bale!”