Fun evening with Geoff Billington
Doors Open 6.00 pm
Geoff will be joined by Dancing with the stars champion jockey Davy Russell as he learns the skill of show jumping in 20 minutes.
Geoff Billington is a Double Olympian, competed in 50 nations cups, and a European and World Championships Medalist.
Geoff Billington has showjumped at two Olympic Games, competed in more than 50 Nations Cups for Britain and has been on the world’s top ten list for years. He has also won various medals at World and European Championships.
He is perhaps best known for riding the wonderful It’s Otto, whom Geoff describes as being one of the best horses in the world and credits with changing his life.
Otto arrived at Geoff’s yard as a novice six-year-old in 1992. Four years later, they finished sixth individually at the Atlanta Olympics.
Geoff and Otto went on to win European team bronze in 1997 and team bronze at the 1998 World Equestrian Games in Manheim.
They won another bronze the following year in Rome before heading to the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
Geoff credits Otto with keeping him in the top 10 riders in the world for more than two years.
Geoff’s parents weren’t horsey. He started riding when he was nine after following a group of pretty girls to the local riding stables.
He got his first pony after 10 children — his nine sisters and Geoff — announced in the local newspaper that they were saving up to buy a pony.
That same day, a local man rang up and said his children were not interested in the four-year-old pony he’d bought as a surprise and if they gave £10 to charity they could have the pony.
That was only £1 each and within a few weeks the girls had either got boyfriends or lost interest — so Geoff got his first pony!
Geoff still competes and produces horses today. He also coaches up-and-coming riders and runs clinics around the UK.
Geoff has a brilliant way of being entertaining and passing on his horsey wisdom at the same time. So be prepared to laugh a lot and learn even more!
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