The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club hosted the highly successful and popular 'International Day', attended by polo and equestrian fans, celebrity guests and royalty alike.

The world-class day incorporated the prestigious Westchester Cup. Created by Tiffany’s in 1876 and the iconic trophy is always played for by teams from the USA and England and has only been played for four times since the Second World War. 2018 saw a win for the Flannels England team.  Former World and European Eventing Champion and grand-daughter to Queen Elizabeth II, Zara Tindall MBE presented to the Cup to the victorious side in a star studded event. 

The day commenced with a new addition, a Dressage Masterclass by three times Olympic Gold Medalist, European and World Champion Charlotte Dujardin CBE. Dujardin gave a rare UK masterclass as she demonstrated the training techniques that catapulted her onto the world stage, with a range of different horses. Much to the crowd's delight this included her record breaking partner, Valegro, who relished the opportunity to perform in front of a rapturous audience once again. This move was part of a long-term strategy by the Club’s Chairman and former England Captain, Jamie Morrison, to bring the equestrian disciplines closer together and to encourage new audiences to immerse themselves in Polo.​  The 3-times Olympic gold medal winning horse also made a special appearance to award the prize of Best Performing Pony.

Renowned luxury retailer and official sponsor of the England Polo team, FLANNELS, hosted a VIP event for the Westchester Cup polo match. VIP attendance included talent from the worlds of music, fashion and modelling, with key guests including Serge Pizzorno from Kasabian, models Amber Le Bon, Abbey Clancy, Tali Lennox, Sam Rollinson, Ashton Gohil, Betty Bachz, Max Evans and Eliza Cummings, and influencers Doina Ciobanu and Sarah Mikaela.

The finale to the International Day was marked with a spectacular display of one million purple poppies being dropped from the sky over the Polo ground – launching the Warhorse Memorial Charity’sfirst national appeal to remember the service and sacrifice of horses during the First World War.

The International Day took place just two days after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited the club to host the annual Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup.

The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club was privileged to be the host venue for the annual Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup which was hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Over £1 million was raised to support the charities work with children and young people affected by HIV.
 
In a short turn around the world class venue prepares for The International Day polo which the club will be hosting for the first time after the Hurlingham Polo Association named the Club ‘the Home of English Polo’.
 
The International Day is the most prestigious annual polo spectacular and has always been one of the highest profile sporting events in the British summer calendar. This year’s world-class day promises to be one of the stand-out social events of the year, with the Flannels England team playing against the United States, to retain The Westchester Cup.
 
The Westchester Cup was created by Tiffany’s in 1876 and is always played for by teams from the USA and England. It has only been played four times since the Second World War and is currently held by England who won in 2013. Following on from last year, a Ladies International, featuring Flannels England Ladies will also be on the schedule, highlighting the importance of women's polo across the globe.
 
“We are delighted that this prestigious trophy will be competed for here at the new hub of English polo on our first International Day”, says Jamie Morrison, Chairman and CEO of the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club. “It is going to be a very exciting and truly an international day – we are thrilled to host these two World class matches”
 
The day will commence with a new addition, a Dressage Masterclass by Charlotte Dujardin CBE, three times Olympic Gold Medalist, European and World Champion in the sport of Dressage. Dujardin will be giving a rare UK masterclass as she demonstrates the training techniques that catapulted her onto the world stage, with a range of different horses. This move is part of a long-term strategy by the Club’s Chairman and former England Captain, Jamie Morrison, to bring the equestrian disciplines closer together and to encourage new audiences to immerse themselves in Polo.
 
The finale to the International Day will be marked with a spectacular display of one million poppies being dropped from the sky over the Polo ground – launching the Warhorse Memorial Charity’s first national appeal to remember the service and sacrifice of horses during the First World War. Acclaimed International Soprano Christina Johnston, singing A Million Tears, specially composed for the project, and the National Anthem will play as riders and horses dressed in uniforms of the Great War proudly ride through the spectacle, watched by thousands of spectators. 

The countryside community were out in force on Wednesday for Lycetts Festival of Hunting 2018, which this year marked the 130th anniversary of the prestigious Peterborough Royal Foxhound Show. In glorious summer sunshine, crowds in their thousands gathered at the East of England Showground for the most anticipated day of the summer social calendar.
 
East of England Agricultural Society CEO and Secretary of the Peterborough Royal Foxhound Show, Jeremy Staples said: “We are immensely proud of how this year’s Lycetts Festival of Hunting went. The showground was alive throughout the day with visitors, hounds and horses alike enjoying the festivities and the outstanding visitor numbers demonstrate that rural traditions and countryside pursuits remain current in today’s modern and bustling world.  2018 has been an outstanding year for the event as we marked the 130th anniversary of the Peterborough Royal Foxhound Show. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Lycetts Festival of Hunting’s great many partners and supporters who work tirelessly to bring the event together as well as our many visitors, without whom the event would not be possible.”
 
Both long-standing supporters and first-time attendees enjoyed the celebration of this unique and long-held tradition. Katie Tottenham of Addo Events, organisers of Lycetts Festival of Hunting, said: “It has once again been an immense pleasure to stage Lycetts Festival of Hunting, which is undoubtedly our stand out event of the summer season. We are proud to play a part in developing and supporting the ever-evolving festival, which has gone from strength to strength in recent years, whilst remaining true to its unique heritage. Plans are already firmly underway for next year’s show, which will take place on Wednesday 17th July 2019.”
 
Lycetts Festival of Hunting 2018 played host to a vibrant variety of showing classes with in-hand and ridden equine classes and qualifiers for the Horse of the Year Show in many categories, as well as the much-loved inter-hunt relay. The wonderful spectacle of hounds competing in the outdoor rings was as colourful as ever, with the attendance of Harriers, Beagles, Basset Hounds, Draghounds and Bloodhounds. For the first time, the Blencathra Fellhounds were invited to parade in the Foxhound Ring before the lunchtime break – a very proud moment for Barry Todhunter.  The Sealey Terriers, Coursing Dogs and The Fitzwilliam Eagle once again provided a wonderful sight for visitors.
 
Following the day’s events, Lycetts welcomed a strong guestlist to attend the afternoon’s drinks reception, which saw George Smith win the Horn Blowing Competition, taking home a much soughtafter hunting horn, engraved and donated by The Hunting Shop.
 
Lycetts returned as title sponsor, marking the third year of their extended five-year partnership agreement. Angus Keate, Deputy Chairman of Lycetts Insurance Brokers said: “We are proud to support what continues to be a thriving event. Our headline sponsorship sits at the heart of Lycetts philosophy to be the chosen insurance and financial services partner for the rural community. Furthermore, our presence at this year’s event allowed us to further cement Lycetts as the most trusted specialist advisor in this sector and allowed us to continue our unwavering commitment to the rural community. It was a joy to see both existing customers and potential new ones alike and we look forward to continuing to be their chosen insurance broking and financial advisor for many years to come.” 
 
Lycetts Festival of Hunting is organised by The East of England Agricultural Society, in association with Addo Events. Next year’s event will take place on Wednesday 17th July 2019 at the East of England Showground, Peterborough. For more information, visit: www.festivalofhunting.com

To mark the launch of ‘Radio Burghley’ at the 2018 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials and to support the next generation of equestrian journalists, the Event will be running a competition to identify the most talented young equestrian writers, broadcasters and photographers. This is the first competition of its type at Land Rover Burghley and is kindly being supported by personalised gift company Atlas and I.  

Launching on 4th July 2018 the competition is open to aspiring journalists aged 21 years and under, who are based in the UK and will include three disciplines:

•  Print journalism
•  Broadcast journalism 
•  Photo journalism

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 Entries will be divided into three age categories with one overall winner per discipline. Once three budding young journalists have been selected by our panel of expert judges, they will be invited behind the scenes at Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials on Thursday 30th August to shadow the event’s team of professional writers, broadcasters and photographers and will have the opportunity to have their own freshly produced content broadcast across Burghley’s various media channels.    

The three panels of guest judges including industry experts are as follows:

• Elizabeth Inman, Burghley Horse Trials Event Director and Sam Bell, host presenter of Radio Burghley will together judge the broadcast journalism submissions.
• Peter Morris, lecturer in journalism at The Royal Agricultural College Cirencester will join Andrew Baldock, Press Association’s Equestrian Correspondent and Chair of the British Equestrian Writers Association (BEWA) in judging the print journalism category.
• Trevor Meeks, longstanding Equestrian Photographer joins Sophie Kirkpatrick, founder of Atlas and I, to choose the winning entry of the photo journalism section of the competition. 

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 Andrew Baldock, who has been Chairman of the British Equestrian Writers’ Association since 2013, said of the competition:“The media landscape is ever-changing, especially in the digital age, but the quality of craftsmanship remains as important as ever in bringing equestrian events to life, so this competition embracing young talent is a fantastic idea, and something I and my fellow BEWA representatives wholeheartedly support.”

Event sponsor and founder of Atlas and I, Sophie Kirkpatrick added: “When we are growing up, we need to believe we are capable of doing anything, the only thing that can hold us back is ourselves. Journalism is a skill that needs to be nurtured and encouraged and this award celebrates a seed of talent that can grow into something great.”

Prizes
Each winner will receive two tickets to Burghley to enjoy all four days of the 2018 event plus a generous gift of personalised journals from the competition’s sponsors at Atlas and I.

How to take part
Full entry information plus Terms and Conditions of the competition can be found on the following webpage: www.burghley-horse.co.uk/young-equestrian-journalist-competition.

Anyone entering this competition must be able to attend Land Rover Burghley on Thursday 30th August 2018. Entries open on 4th July and close Wednesday 1st August. Winners will be notified on 17 August after second round judging has taken place.