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H Factor

No doubt you will be familiar with the TV show X Factor, but are you ready for the H Factor?

Four acts will battle it out at the inaugural British Open H Factor Competition next April at the Birmingham NEC, with the winning ‘H’orse act set to follow in the equestrian footsteps of the Household Cavalry, Jean Francois Pignon and The Metropolitan Police.

In a bid to find the next big thing in equestrian entertainment, Grandstand Group, the company behind the British Open Show Jumping Championships and Horse of the Year Show, hosted an H Factor qualifier at Addington Equestrian Centre earlier this year. The acts auditioning wowed the judging panel who were extremely impressed with the calibre of all the displays that were selected to perform at the qualifier and it was a tough decision to whittle them down to four finalists.

The four acts taking part in the H Factor Final are:

1.  Equestrienne – Here come the girls! An all action stunt show featuring solely female riders from Surrey.

2.    Saffron Walden Musical Ride – Strictly come Dressage! The team from Essex will be performing dressage to music.

3.    Knights of Middle England - Knights in shining armour! Medieval jousting and stunt riding with a twist from the Warwick based Knights.

4.    Rockin’ Horse – Rock & Roll with Lincolnshire based Rockin’ Horse! The eccentric, fast paced stunt show that will keep you rockin’.

The four qualified acts will perform each day at the British Open, with the aim to impress the audience who will be able to vote for their favourite act by text. Saturday’s Final will feature all of the acts consecutively before live feedback and a verdict is given by Grandstand’s judging panel. The first ever H Factor winner will then be invited to showcase their talent at Horse of the Year Show.

The H Factor competition will take place throughout the week at the British Open 2010 (Wednesday 7th – Saturday 10th April at Birmingham’s NEC) with the final judging taking place during Saturday’s performance when the winner will be announced.

The judging panel of performing experts and YOU, the audience, will have the tough decision on who to crown the H Factor winner from four outstanding finalists. The first ever H Factor winner will then be invited to showcase their talent at Horse of the Year Show in front of over 60,000 visitors.

Helena Pettit, Managing Director of Grandstand Group, commented: “We are extremely excited to be hosting the H Factor Final at the British Open. The competition was devised to seek out new equestrian talent and we were very excited with the response having received innovative entries from across the country. The four finalists really impressed us during the early stages of the competition and we can’t wait to see what they have in store for the final.”

The British Open Show Jumping Championships takes place at the NEC, Birmingham from Wednesday 7th – Saturday 10th April 2010.

For further information visit the official website at www.britishopenshowjumping.com