CROWDS braved the cold last Saturday night at Portmore Equestrian Centre, Aghalee Co. Antrim, for the Geoff Billington Masterclass in the Bluegrass Horse Feeds arena.

Olympic show jumper Geoff Billington did not disappoint, hosting a highly informative evening, featuring fantastic riding and also full of entertainment.

The evening started with three demonstration riders, Jessica McIntyre, Makenzie Healy and Vickie Anderson. As the riders and their horses settled in front of the big crowd, Billington took the time to find out a little more about each horse and what they could do, “to Iron out the creases”.

Part two welcomed back demo rider Vickie Anderson on Zack, Kenneth Graham on Blue and Billington on Freddie. “The louder the crowd is, the higher the jumps,” Geoff quoted during the evening. The crowd held on to their seats as all riders took on the course of fences with ease.

Throughout the evening, the crowd got the opportunity to see the difference in riders’ techniques and horse experience. Despite being the youngest horse on the night, Vickie Anderson’s six-year-old Ivor didn’t take long to settle down and flourish in front of the crowd.

Amending strides was one of the elements Billington looked at and this was put to the test for all the riders as they took on the course of fences.

MAESTRO AT WORK

Conor Sheridan from Bluegrass Horse Feeds said afterwards that it was “an absolute honour to see a maestro at work. Plenty of tips and tricks to be taken away and used at home.”

Billington kept the crowd entertained throughout the whole night, with his witty humour and commentary on each rider.

The masterclass finished with a prize draw for the Bluegrass Horse Feeds competition held throughout the evening and the opportunity for keen fans to take pictures with the Olympic star.