NAB continues support of Boneo Classic with two year renewal

Boneo Park are delighted to announce today that major sponsor National Australia Bank have signed on to support their marquee event for a further two years.

Held annually each January, The Boneo Classic supported by NAB has quickly established itself as a highlight on the Australian equestrian calendar.

Boneo Park’s competition manager Alissa Schirmer says the continued support from NAB is vital to encouraging new audiences to experience the wonder and excitement of equestrian sport.

“With NAB’s support we’ve been able to provide a European-style event of the highest calibre with all levels of competition catered for and a wide range of entertainment options for the whole family,” Schirmer said.

NAB’s Business Banking Executive Melissa Cannon from the Mornington Business Banking Centre said they were delighted to renew their commitment to the event, following a successful partnership in 2015.

“As the largest business bank in Australia, we’re excited to renew our sponsorship for the next two years. Boneo delivers a number of events to the Mornington Peninsula throughout the year and the Boneo Classic is certainly an exciting one to be a part of. We recognise that the Mornington Peninsula is rich with equestrian sport and we’re proud to be part of this event,” she said.

“We’ve been able to assist many customers as a result of this partnership and we hope to help many more.”

In true collaborative fashion, NAB’s contribution to the event runs much deeper than just monetary support, with 17 staff from the organisation volunteering their time to assist the 2015 event. They performed all manner of tasks from helping in the office or the VIP area to acting as car parking officials.

“The partnership was so well received by our staff that I’ve had personal requests about how people can be a part of this vibrant event in 2016,” Cannon said.

Cannon says one of the reasons they agreed to renew their sponsorship was the commitment by the organising committee to provide value to their existing customer base and volunteers during the event.

“Our customers particularly enjoyed the stable tours, where they had the unique opportunity to meet the stars of the show - both the horse and the rider. This unique experience gave participants a feel for behind the scenes and how much hard work it is to prepare a horse for competition at that level,” Cannon said.

In addition to this, NAB said they feel Boneo is a perfect fit for the type of event they want to support.

“The team at Boneo are professional and easy to work with,” Cannon said. “At the 2015 event, they were welcoming to both our volunteers and customers. It’s great to be supporting such a well-liked community event such as the Boneo Classic.”

Once again the event will host a CDI*** with International Small and Big Tour classes for Australia’s elite dressage riders, and as one of the final chances for Australian-based riders to impress selectors ahead of the Rio Olympic Games, competition is sure to be hotly contested.

The future generation of equestrians will also be showcased with the well-supported CDI-Y competition for the young riders and a CDI U-25 if there is demand (please email Boneo Park if you would like to express interest in the U-25 tour).

The Boneo Classic supported by NAB will also run a Young Horse Championships for 4, 5 and 6 year old horses and ponies, a HRCAV championship for competitors and the CPEDI event will be one of the final selection events for our para-dressage riders in their bid for Rio selection.

Complementing the precision and grace of the dressage schedule, the event will once again host the popular Show Jumping program with the feature class being the World Cup Qualifier, which in 2016 will double as the final leg of the Australian leg of the FEI World Cup Show Jumping Series.

German Heiko Wahlers will once again return to the Mornington Peninsula to reprise his role as course builder following his fantastic tracks at the 2015 event.

Event: Boneo Classic supported by NAB

Date: 20-24 January 2016

Schedule: Available online from October 2015

Website: boneopark.com.au