Equestrian: Met police will be an arresting sight at show

Local Heroes

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

The 2007 Northern Ireland International Horse Show has announced that the Metropolitan Police Service Mounted Training Unit will be one of the major attractions at the Odyssey Arena event in Belfast, taking place between October 25 and 28.

This is the first time this unit will attend a horse show in Ireland and is a major coup for the event organisers.

Jon Doney, Show Director of the Northern Ireland International Horse Show, comments: " We are honoured to host such a prestigious act. They are guaranteed to entertain and impress all who take the opportunity to attend this year's show. We announced their attendance at our recent sponsor's event and the reception was exceptional, this really is excellent news for the 2007 Northern Ireland International Horse Show."

Speaking at the sponsor's event, Inspector Alan Hiscox said: "We are pleased to be involved in the 2007 Northern Ireland International Horse Show, having heard excellent reviews about the 2006 event, we hope our performance will add a bit of exhilaration and excitement to the entertainment already on offer.

"We will perform a fast moving display demonstrating a high level of skill and agility from both horse and officer, of perfect timing, total commitment and professionalism as the horses jump through fire, a solid paper wall and complete crossovers.

" All the police officers and horses involved in the performance are operational - on duty full-time except for two weeks during the year when they train for shows, further proving the confidence our horses have in the riders.

"This display has been the highlight of horse shows since the 1950's and we are delighted to be bringing it to Belfast."

The Irish Showjumping team manager, Robert Splaine added: "The show is fast becoming one of the key events in the European showjumping calendar and is an excellent opportunity to showcase our sport and bring it to a whole new level.

"In addition to the world class showjumping we are also looking forward to the family entertainment which will include high profile acts such as the Metropolitan Police Service Mounted Training Unit and the Irish Defence Force Equitation School."

Joe Sloan, president and chairman of the Northern Ireland International Horse Show management committee, concluded: "The 2006 Show established the Odyssey Arena in Belfast as a premiere venue for show jumping - all our sponsors were delighted at last year's Event and we are currently in discussions with sponsors old and new about the Event this year.

" The anticipation for the 2007 Northern Ireland International Horse Show is building, the sponsorship schedule is gathering pace and we are already responding to requests for corporate entertainment packages.

" Our team is in place and we are confident we can build on the success of 2006 and champion the event's success into the future."

For further information please visit www.nihorseshow.com. For details on sponsorship opportunities and corporate entertainment packages contact Heather Coyle on 028 9073 4763 or 07920 428079, or email heather-coyle@tiscali.co.uk