Dogs of all shapes and sizes, ducks, sheep, ponies and falcons will join the equestrian line up at the Dodson & Horrell Chatsworth International Horse Trials this weekend for animal magic to delight all the family.

One of the country’s leading dog display teams will put on an entertaining display encouraging the crowd to get involved with tricks and games. Run by former police dog handler Stuart Brace, The Paws for Thought Dog Display Team has appeared at Crufts; Britain’s got Talent and the CBBC show, Who Let the Dogs Out?

Dog owners can get involved in the action and put their pups through their paces with ‘Have a Go Agility’ classes. An expert team will be on hand to help entrants learn how to fly over jumps; race through tunnels; up and over A frames and in and out of weave poles.

For something less energetic, visitors can enter their canine into the Family Fun Dog Show to find the Most Handsome Dog; Best Rescue and Best Child Handler to name a few of the show classes available to enter throughout Saturday and Sunday.

Sam Horrell, CEO at Dodson & Horrell said:

“We are delighted to be back at the Dodson & Horrell Chatsworth International Horse Trials for a fourth year as title sponsor and to have the opportunity to see some of the world’s best riders compete in such a fantastic setting. It is always great fun to watch the variety of family entertainment staged over the weekend including gun dog displays, have-a-go dog agility, the dog show and the hound parade alongside the array of other activities for all the family to enjoy.”

For those with a less than perfectly behaved dog, The Dog and Duck Show is a must see. Stuart Barnes and his team use trained and untrained sheep dogs to herd ducks, using the show to educate visitors about common dog behaviour issues and how these can be resolved. The show demonstrates how untrained and poorly behaved dogs still have a programmed natural instinct, giving the audience a new understanding of the ‘Way of the Dog’.

For more canine insight, the Mullensote Gun Dog Display will provide an educational yet fun show which incorporates various training methods, human and dog psychology and will demonstrate with dogs of varying breeds and ages from a puppy to fully trained dogs.

There will be plenty of opportunities to meet the ‘Rescue Bears’ – a very special group of canine lifesavers, from the National Newfoundland Display Team. Children can have a photo taken with them, a quick bear hug or a cart ride.

Watch miniature ponies take on large cob ponies in the British Scurry and Trials Driving as their drivers tackle an obstacle course which is made from cones, temporary barriers, flags, arches and ramps all against the clock. The competitions are family friendly and the rules are easy to follow.

Appearing at over 120 shows a year in front of an estimated 2.5 million people, the Sheep Show run by New Zealander Richard Savory has captured the hearts of many with it amazing sheep. Nobby, the Norfolk Horn stands centre stage while others are introduced to their podiums, all to their own theme tunes. The shearing demonstration will have the audience captivated while the ‘Sheep Show Hustle’ or dancing sheep will surely be a crowd pleaser.

Ye Old Red Tail Falconry brings the ancient art of Falconry into the modern age with a fast and exciting display that is guaranteed to thrill audiences of all ages. Ray and Wendy Alliker take the wonderful world of nature and, expertly, deliver it into the arena – giving the audience a chance to see the natural abilities of the birds, how they live, fly and hunt in the wild, combined with atmospheric music, costumes and a captivating commentary.

Away from the arena, children can also meet the Chatsworth Farmyard animals, have their face painted, drive a mini Land Rover and let off steam in a giant bouncy castle.

Adult day tickets on the gate for the Dodson & Horrell Chatsworth International Horse Trials are £12 Friday; £16 Saturday and £18 Sunday. Children under five get in free; children aged five to 14 inclusive are £5 each day. Discounted advance tickets can be purchased up until 10 May on the Chatsworth website.

Chatsworth has announced the return of its annual festival Art Out Loud, which will see leading lights of the art world talk about their work, inspirations, and current discussions around art this September.

The first five speakers confirmed for a second stimulating programme include:-

• Director of Manchester’s recently refurbished Whitworth Art Gallery Maria Balshaw, who will challenge pre-conceptions about running a northern cultural powerhouse in her talk, ‘Not so Grim Up North’;
• Dan Pearson, who will discuss the art of landscape and garden design in his session, entitled ‘Painting with Plants’;
• Author Peter Frankopan, who will talk about his book The Silk Roads: A New History of the World, examining how the East has influenced Western art and culture over the centuries;
• Julia Peyton-Jones, who will soon be stepping down as director of the Serpentine Gallery and she will provide a retrospective of her 25 years in charge of the cultural institution;
• Artist and author Edmund de Waal, who will share an account of his pilgrimage to the three most important sites in the history of porcelain – China, Dresden and Cornwall – as detailed in his book The White Road.

This year’s festival features new educational elements with local schools being invited to join a design workshop at Chatsworth and to attend a talk hosted by a top British artist and one of the country’s leading museum directors. Other family friendly events are planned for the weekend.

Local collective Peak District Artisans will also hold a selling exhibition as part of the festival, with 30 members selected to exhibit work that complements the themes discussed at Art Out Loud. The eye-catching pieces and live artisanal demonstrations will cover a range of disciplines from watercolours to wrought iron, and pencil drawings to porcelain. The exhibition at Chatsworth marks a fitting way for Peak District Artisans to celebrate its 25th anniversary this year, having been established by Deborah Devonshire in 1991.

Tickets for Art Out Loud will be available from early June when the full programme will also be announced. Day Passes will be introduced for Saturday and Sunday, allowing visitors to attend multiple talks of their choice each day with the advance purchase of just one ticket.

All Art Out Loud ticket holders will have access to the Chatsworth garden, Sotheby’s Beyond Limits monumental sculpture exhibition and the Peak District Artisans exhibition.

Other arts-related exhibitions running in conjunction with Art Out Loud at Chatsworth are the photographic exhibition ‘Never a Bore: Deborah Devonshire and Her Set by Cecil Beaton’, and the ‘Grand Tour’ exhibition, part of a celebration of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire’s cultural history and landscape, in conjunction with Nottingham Contemporary, the Harley Gallery and Derby Museums.

(Image: Clockwise from top left: Speaker Edmund de Waal; Chatsworth, the stunning venue for the Art Out Loud Festival;
Speakers Maria Balshaw; Peter Frankopan; Dan Pearson; Julia Peyton-Jones.)