Marlborough rider Chelsea Pearce gains a sponsor - and is climbing the eventing ladder
Chelsea Pearce with Kilnaboy Buffet and his Longcroft rugMarlborough eventer Chelsea Pearce has just gained her first financial sponsorship. Bristol company Longcroft Building Services Limited will be supporting her this season.
Longcroft Building Services specialises in refurbishing, maintaining and repairing residential and commercial properties. In particular they have a strong reputation for their work on period properties needing materials sympathetic to the age and style of the building.
Longcroft also sponsor the Stow-on-the-Wold National Hunt trainer Graeme Macpherson - he describes his sponsor as "an ardent National Hunt racing enthusiast".
No doubt he is referring to Longcroft director, company secretary and racehorse owner Mrs Laura Day who has first hand experience of the eventing world and has a promising hurdler, Kayf Blanco, at Macpherson's yard.
Chelsea has already had sponsorship in kind from the Pewsey firm Aqueos, which produces revolutionary brands of care products, from the well-known riding boots, equestrian clothing and accessory company Ariat, and from Haygain equine hay steamers.
Chelsea Pearce is seventeen and studying for her A Levels and also for an Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence with Hartpury College. After next year's exams she plans to take a gap year before going to university
Chelsea & Kilnaboy Buffet winning the Portman ONu18 eventThe 2016 eventing season has started well for her. Earlier this month she came first on Kilnaboy Buffet in the Open Novice under-18s competition at the Portman Horse Trials in Dorset.
And just last Sunday (April 24) she came fifth on Albert VI in the Hambleden International Open Intermediate under-21s competition: "I was delighted with this result as this was only our fourth Intermediate and a definite step up from our other Intermediates."
"I picked up a few more time penalties than I would have liked, but Hambleden is quite a testing track in the woods and Albert is a big horse and the constant twisting and turning back on yourself made it difficult for us to get into a good rhythm. It’s the equivalent of guiding a juggernaut through the trees rather than a nippy BMW!"
At the very start of the season she had a nasty fall at the Aldon International event when Djakota EB somersaulted at an obstacle during the cross country. Despite a very sore shoulder she then rode Albert VI to take ninth place in the Open Intermediate under-21 class.
Eight-year-old Djakota EB was evidently none the worse for the fall, as two weeks later Chelsea brought him in at fourth place in the Goring Heath Open Novice under-18s event - out of 39 entries. She is now close to stepping up to intermediate level eventing competitions.
Last month she was asked to ride former Grand National winner Comply or Die in the champions parade at the Cheltenham Festival: "It was a great experience - I was really honoured to ride him." Perhaps that's what gave her start to the new eventing season such a distinctive boost.
Next weekend she will be going to Withington Manor Horse Trials - nearly to Cheltenham again - aiming to take another step up the eventing ladder.