Top riders and trainers, including Olympic show-jumper Ben Maher, dressage star Emile Faurie, and leading trainer, columnist and coach to the US eventing team, Captain Mark Phillips, will be among the panel of experts at a unique, ground-breaking seminar on the construction of arenas and benefits of synthetic riding surfaces to be held at Addington Equestrian Centre in Buckinghamshire on Sunday, November 9, 2008.

Choosing the right surface is key to the success of an all-weather arena and among the main themes of the day’s programme, which runs from 10.30am to 3.30pm, will be the effect of different types of surfaces on the movement and musculature of the horse.

In the morning, Dr J Burn, B. Eng.Ph.D, a leading biomechanics expert from Bristol University, will present the mechanics of the hoof-to-ground interaction. This will be followed by a presentation from Nicole Rossa, an authority on McTimoney animal manipulation, who will paint a horse with its musculoskeletal system to provide an enlightening demonstration of equine movement.

To conclude the morning session, experts from Martin Collins Enterprises, the manufacturers and installers of the renowned waxed surfaces Polytrack and Ecotrack, will provide advice on arena construction and how to sift through the variety of products in the marketplace. This will include a practical maintenance demonstration.

After lunch, Emile Faurie and Ben Maher will demonstrate the interaction of the synthetic surface with their horses. Dr. Rachel Murray, MA VetMB, MS Ph.D. MRCVS, from the Animal Health Trust, will then explain how some synthetic surfaces can help to avoid injuries.

The day will conclude with questions to an expert panel including leading eventing trainer and cross country course designer Capt Mark Phillips, Tim Price, proprietor of Addington Equestrian Centre, Dr Rachel Murray, Ben Maher, remedial farrier and equianalyst Haydn Price and Kirsty Davis ITECDip., chairman of the Equine Massage Association (ESMA).

Emile Faurie commented: “You hear of many disasters from people who spend their hard-earned cash on building an arena only to see it fail within a short period. Sometimes they cannot get the constructor to return to put it right, or lose out completely when they cannot afford to start again from scratch. I am delighted to be involved with this initiative, which will help everyone who may previously have been overawed by the size and complexity of an arena project.”

The seminar is jointly organised by Addington Equestrian Centre and Martin Collins Enterprises and proceeds go to the Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance Trust and the Emile Faurie Foundation, which helps inner city children learn to ride.

Tickets cost £5 and are available from www.mceltd.com or by calling 01488 71100.