Going bananas on cross country at the Saracen Horse Feeeds Houghton International in 2019
The Saracen Horse Feeds Houghton International is a highlight in the British Eventing calendar, attracting top British and European riders to the scenic backdrop of Houghton Hall in Norfolk every May. Saracen Horse Feeds are in their third year of sponsoring this fantastic event, however, as with many other events planned for this year, Houghton International has been cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a disappointment for all the Saracen Horse Feeds team as well as British Eventing enthusiasts.
“The Saracen Horse Feeds Houghton International is a real highlight of the year for the Saracen team. We have the majority of our staff working there, so it’s like an annual pilgrimage where we all enjoy fantastic sport, support and meet riders and provide nutrition advice to attendees of the event,” says Claire Allmett, Marketing Manager of Saracen Horse Feeds “We are so disappointed that the event has been cancelled, although we completely understand and stand by the decision of the event organisers”
This is the first major eventing competition that Saracen has supported, with much of their success stemming from the dressage arena, a particular highlight being the Rio Olympics in 2016, where the British gold medal team horses were all fed Saracen.
“Following on from the success of the British dressage team in Rio, our profile for feeding the dressage horse was really high. We wanted to also make people aware that our feeds are multipurpose and multidisciplinary. Whilst we have feed which supports the gymnastic demands of dressage, we also have other feeds in the Sports Horse and Leisure Range, created with the eventing horse in mind. Sponsoring an event like Houghton International was the perfect stage to showcase our feeds and support our riders,” says Claire.
Sam Griffiths on course at Houghton 2019
Whilst their focus may have been on dressage, the Saracen Supported Riders for eventing also boast many household names, including Sam Griffiths, Izzy Taylor and Francis Whittington to name but a few.
The Saracen team work closely with riders and their horses, assessing their diets and changing where appropriate to support optimum performance. Being able to communicate with riders and horse owners at Houghton International has been pivotal to the success of the Saracen team, allowing them to understand each horse’s and owner’s needs with regards to feeding the performance horse.
Their support of Houghton International goes beyond just the tradestand too. From the moment competitors arrive, the Saracen team are ready to greet them in the stable area where they receive a Saracen bucket of goodies as well as being on hand to give any advice or assist with the horses’ well-being and recovery for the duration of the event.
So where does Bananas in Pyjamas come in? Last year, Saracen Horse Feeds launched the innovative Re-Covery Mash, a unique feed designed to support recovery and rehydration after intensive work, at Houghton International. To highlight and communicate the encapsulated banana flavour of Re-Covery Mash, which entices even the fussiest of eaters, the Saracen marketing team saw two Bananas in Pyjamas costumes as the obvious choice! Watch their course walk video from last year (below) and you will know exactly what we mean!
The Saracen Horse Feeds Houghton International may be off the cards for 2020, but we’re sure the event will be back next year with the promise of fantastic eventing sport and nutritional expertise and support from Saracen Horse Feeds.
