Woodhouse Launch Stable Barns at 2008 RIHS Hickstead
What a difference a year made at the 2008 RIHS Hickstead - as spectators and competitors alike basked in the mid 20°c sunshine, happy to leave behind the wellingtons, mud and rain of 2007.
Competition was strong in the Hickstead International Arena, with Germany taking its third successive win in the sixth round of the 2008 Super League Nations Cup and Britain and Sweden sharing second place. Charlotte Platt, riding Paulien, made her debut for the British team and produced two clear rounds, much to the delight of the excited Hickstead spectators.
Behind
the scenes, five new Woodhouse Temporary Stabling Barns were entering
service for the international competitors for the first time. These
hard-wall (plastic) stable barns comprise two single rows of spacious 12m²
Quickstables, separated by a generous 4m gangway and roofed with a stunning
curved Clearspan® roof. The operational result is a well-ventilated
temporary stabling environment for the horses with bright and spacious
working conditions for the grooms and competitors.
On the Tuesday Hickstead temperatures peaked at 29°C. However, the temporary stabling barns maintained a cool breeze, which ensured calm horses. An American groom remarked she had been travelling with large fans to keep her horses cool and this was the first temporary stabling facility where she didn’t need them at all.
Security personnel at the International Stabling Area were bemused at the constant stream of interested people who hiked across from the Hickstead International Arena to view the five impressive temporary stabling barns. Two visiting FEI officials were overheard saying these were the best temporary stabling facilities they had seen so far this year.
Woodhouse has set a new standard with their temporary stabling barns and there is no doubt that the horses, grooms and competitors are the ultimate winners! See for yourself at this year’s Showman’s Show.