Dear 

Please see below for a press release about Lancashire show groom, Leanne Pickford who has been nominated as a finalist for a national award.

Please also find attached an image of Leanne. I hope you will be able to use this story and please do let me know if you would like any further information or images.

Kind Regards

Jenny

Jenny Viner

HoldsworthPR

Public Relations and Marketing
The Old Nursery Office, Rock Road, Washington, West Sussex, RH20 3BH
Tel:  01903 892060 or 07917 886851
Fax:  01903 891637
Email:  jenny@holdsworthpr.co.uk

Website: www.rachaelholdsworth.co.uk

Press Release - For immediate release

2017 Absorbine Grooms of the Year Award

22nd June 2017

Southport showing enthusiast nominated for national award

Leanne Pickford (30) from Lancashire has been nominated as a finalist in the Absorbine Amateur Groom of the Year Awards. Voting for the finalists is now open, and the winner will be announced at the end of season Showing World/ Showing Council Personality of the Year Awards Gala dinner on the 21st October at the East of England Showground, Peterborough.

To get into the finals of the Absorbine Groom of the Year Award, grooms have to be nominated and then a selection panel decides on the four amateur finalists. Leanne said: "I think my sister, Michelle Pickford nominated me for the award and I am delighted to be a finalist. I now have to hope that plenty of people will vote for me!"

Leanne continued: "We have three coloured ponies and two of them are shown by our family team. They are produced at home and ridden mainly by my sister, Michelle. I do the grooming, and my parents, Martin and Carol provide a lot of support. The third pony we own, Star of Michleane, is now retired. He was our first ever pony and gave us ataste of success in qualifying for Horse of the Year Show, the Royal International Horse Show and Olympia on numerous occasions. The highlight was a 2^ndplace at HOYS in 2004. He now takes a lot of looking after following a colic operation in 2008."

Grooming is fitted in around a busy job working as a control room supervisor for the local police force for Leanne, who continued: "Depending on what shift I am working, I sometimes have to meet the others at a show. It is a very full-on way of life, but I love it. On a show day I generally do everything for the ponies bar riding them. The two that we have at the moment are all hairy and it is very time consuming washing all their feathers."

The Pickfords have qualified ponies for the Horse of the Year Show for several years in a row now. Leanne continued: "Horse of the Year Show 2016 is our biggest success to date. Michelle took second place with our pony, Delfyw Caradog and I rode our other pony that had qualified, Stardust, to tenth place. We were all absolutely thrilled."

To vote for Leanne in the Absorbine Grooms Award visitwww.showingworldawards.co.uk.

Leading horse care products company Absorbine has sponsored the Showing Council / Showing World for several years. European marketing manager Rachael Holdsworth said, "It is great for Absorbine to be associated with providing recognition for all the hard work put in by showing grooms throughout the season. Our finalists this year are of an exceptional standard".

For further information please visitwww.absorbine.co.ukor find us on facebookwww.facebook.com/AbsorbineUK. To follow the Absorbine Groom of the Year award use hashtag, #GroomoftheYear17 or #ShowPersonality17.

ENDS

Leanne's top grooming tip: "When preparing a horse or pony that has feathers for the show ring, don't bandage their legs overnight. I rewash and dry the feathers in the morning. This way they will be beautifully clean, silky and straight. It is definitely worth getting up an hour early to do this."

PICTURE: Leanne Pickford.

For more press information, contact Holdsworth PR on 01903 892060 or emailjenny@holdsworthpr.co.uk.