Almond Riding Club Newsletter October 2013
Hi Everybody !!
Almond riders competed at 3 of BRCs National Championships this year!
Congratulations!! to all our riders who have represented the club at this level.
Our Intermediate SJ jumping team - Nikki Taylor, Nikki Robb, Laura Halil, and Elizabeth Dow - returned from the National Championships down in Lincoln determined to get back there again next year! The team had mixed fortunes in the arena. Nikki Robb got everybody off to a flying start with a confident and stylish clear round. Then unlucky poles dropping around the big course, a dispute with the starting beam and an unplanned dismount demolishing a fence ! Ouch!! :0/ dropped the team down the order after the first round. It just wasn’t our day!
Nikki Robb kept Almond’s flag flying and helped lift team spirits as she was one of only 15 double clears. Jumping another wonderful clear round put them into the lead in the individual jump off. However Nikki’s time was the target for the remaining riders and the competition deteriorated into a scurry to beat her! Thankfully finally Nikki held on to 8th individual place which was a brilliant result and well deserved prize after riding 3 stylish clear rounds. :0))
Last weekend Shirley Melling was on her travels south to Melton Mowbry for the National finals of the BRC BE80T Horse Trials. After scoring 34 dressage, 1 down SJ and clear XC over a challenging course, Shirley was placed 15th. Congratulations – another great result!!
And finally . .. Elspeth McDonald and Morag O’Mara are way down in Buckinghamshire at Bury Farm this weekend for the BRC Dressage to music Novice and Elementary finals. We are awaiting news on their return!
September Club Day
This was a busy one! It was good to see the SJ numbers going up. We had our own new course building team in action.Building on the Saturday evening fresh from their recent Mark McGowan training course - Vanessa Smith, Suzie McHattie and Catriona Samuel. Great job ladies your course jumped well.
Dressage lessons were busy and had a huge range of horses from walking around the Intro test plan up to Intermediare I. Lovely to see Tracey Barton out riding Zebulun playing with his tempi changes and piaffe. There definitely is something for everyone at all levels on Club Day. Thankyou to Tracey for also staying on to help with some dressage judging in the afternoon.
Congratulations to Katy Richardson and Bob – first solo flight and intro test completed !!! and also to Isabel Welsh on Corrie for not only completing their first test without sat nav failure but also winning the class!!
This was a day of many more firsts - for Suzie MacH - officially joining first aid crew for the day. This was a baptism of fire as we had a serious fall in the dressage competition when Irene Whitelaw and her horse Amor parted company.
Update from Irene – she has broken her upper arm and is recovering at home but is already sick of daytime TV !! Irene also Thanks everybody who helped look after her on the day and organised her prompt dispatch to hospital.
I am glad to hear Irene is in good spirits and we all wish her a speedy recovery !!
Some happier firsts at the Club Day – It was the first Almond outing for 2 week old Charlotte Mather with her proud parents Eiza and Bob. More congratulations guys she is absolutely beautiful.
It was also first club day out for Alison our secretary,on her sticks just 3 weeks after her knee replacement op! Lovely to see you out and about again. Ps your walk has really improved, much straighter and worth at least an 8!!
Thank you to everybody who helped make the day happen. Full results attached.
BS SJ course building with Mark McGowan
Kenny and Catriona Samuel, Lynn Taylor, Helen Woollven, Suzi McHattie, Vanessa Smith have all recently attended the Mark McGowan course building courses organised by BS Scotland. Very worthwhile courses even for riders who want an insight into the subtle questions the course builder can use to filter out the better horses / riders in a class.
Next up –
October Club Day - Sunday 27th October 2013
Schedule attached. Usual selection of lessons and members competitions.
( DR Teams peeps – this will be last chance to run through the team qualifier tests before 2nd November competition )
** Reminder to members about the club day dress code **
**Club Day Dress Code– Informal but smart dress for all training sessions and members competitions.
i.e. No show jackets required and horses do not need to be plaited up. However cream jods if you have them, short or long sleeve Tshirts and or sweat shirts, waistcoats please. No vest tops.
Riding boots please Not yard or country boots.
** Hair in hairnet if shoulder length or longer - even if also in ponytail or plait you still need a hairnet please and gloves (any colour) are required for dressage and recommended for SJ !!
** Hard hats with 3 point harness and marked to current safety standards must be worn at all times when riding.**
Table Top Tack Sale
This is proving to be very popular and tables are being snapped up very quickly. There will be 20 tables max and we already have 16 booked. Contact Margaret for more details or book online. Flyer attached – please advertise at your yards as the more buyers we have come along to the evening the better. This event is also open to non-members. See you on the 16th at the Arran Room. Oatridge College.
Sale of Club Jumps
The decision has been made by the committee to sell off the club jumps as we have not used them for over 2 years. They were left standing out side and at a stock take earlier this year we found that some items had gone missing - worth £700!! :0( Our options were to spend an additional £3-5 thousand pounds to buy a large enough box trailer to securely house and be able to transport the jumps if we wanted to use them in the future or to sell them.
Kenny Samuel has very kindly power washed them all. They have been stored inside all summer and they look like new.
There is a full selection of wings, jump stands, poles, fillers and keyhole cups. All items are still currently for sale by SafetySystems and will be sold at greatly reduced prices.
Vouchers for jumps will be for sale at the Tack Sale and arrangements will be made to pick them up.
New Club Gilets
These have been very popular and Alison has ordered more stock which will be ready in the next week.
Order online now or club merchadise will also be for sale at the Tack Sale on the 16th October.
Enquiries contact Alison re sizing etc
Helper Stints - Thank you so much!
Thankyou to everybody who has been helping regularly as none of the events could run without you.
You make all the Club Days and the club the overall successes that they are. (Especially now turning out on a Saturday evening to help set up means sacrificing Strictly and X Factor!! )
Helper Reminder
It is a membership requirement that ALL members help at a club event in the membership year.
We currently have 90 people on our waiting list for new memberships for 2014, some have been on the waiting list since last January and more applications come in every week.
Due to this high demand for memberships - Existing members who have not helped at any club events this year may not be automatically renewed.
If you haven’t yet already helped this year here is a chance to tick that box.
**Helpers Required on 2nd November at Snec**
for the Area1 Dressage Team Qualifierwhich Almond RC are hosting. This us a very busy day with approx 20 teams!
If you can spare half a day to help please get in touch with Margaret as we need a lot of helpers to man this event.
Winter Teams Teams Teams !!
Area Winter Dressage Qualifier 2nd November at Snec
Area Winter Novice Indoor SJ Qualifier 23rd November at Kingbarn
We have had a good response for the qualifier teams.
Team Training for DR and SJ has been arranged at Snec on Thursday evenings 10th Oct , 24th Oct and 14th Nov.
Team Wannabes - Training Squad –
Anna Drummond, Caroline Dougal, Charlotte Nevison, Eilidh Cameron, Gill Thomson, Laura Halil, Sarah Johnsen, Sarah Locke, Shirley Melling, Ali Chaffe, Elspeth McDonald, Morag O’Mara, Sarah McLean, Catherine Parkinson, Lesley Higgins, Elizabeth Dow, Helen Woollven, Elaine Humphries, Laura Chaffe, Heather Steel, Kenny Samuel, Martha Gordon, Pamela Ligget, Sarah Wright, Vanessa Smith.
Teams peeps can enter all SJ and DR training sessions online. £15 per session.
Other members - can put names on waiting list online for these training sessions as occasionally there will be some spaces. Cost will be £20 per session but no payment needed until spaces allocated. Join waiting list online see teams training event.
Horses to be comfortably jumping 80-90cm for SJ sessions and will be working with team tests Prelim 7 or Novice 30 for dressage training.
Stop press !!! Stop press !!! Stop press!!
10th October ( next Thursday evening! ) – 6pm to 7pm
Clear Round / Schooling round and DR test riding practise available to all members before Team Training.
Full SJ course in the main arena at Snecwill be available for Clear Round jumping / schooling rounds - jumps any heightfrom 6pm to 7pm £10 per round. Enter online now. Limited to first 15 horses for SJ.
Addition rounds may be entered on the night if time allows.
Dressage Test Practise – dressage arena will be laid out, test will be judged and then go over feedback with judge. £15
Limited spaces.
Almond Dates for the Diary - all at Snec or other venue listed.
October 10th Team Training Sessions
Oct 10th – Clear Round / Dr test Happy Hour 6pm-7pm
October 16th Table Top Tack Sale at the Arran Room , Oatridge College
October 24th Team Training Sessions
Oct 24th – Clear Round / Dr test Happy Hour 6pm -7pm
October 27th – Club Day
Nov 2nd Area1 Team Dressage Qualifier at Snec
November 14th Team Training Sessions
Nov 14th – Clear Round / Dr test Happy Hour 6pm -7pm
November 23rd – Club Day
Nov 23rd Area1 Team SJ Qualifier at Kingsbarn EC
AGM – date tbc at the Arran Room, Oatridge College
December 15th – Xmas Party
There’s lots going on to keep everybody busy over the next few months.
Linda Penman
Chairman Almond RC
07803 927 975