NOVEMBER 2014

Well, that’s another year nearly over – and a good time to look back over the events of last summer.

It was certainly a busy year. The committee decided to bring in even more events to an already packed summer schedule with the introduction of an extra Charity Dressage Show in the spring ; the Dressage League programme was extended, the Showing Show was beefed up, the Balfour Trophy was given a night all to itself and the season rounded off with an all-new Mini One Day Event .All this on top of the busiest winter season ever held at the Club Field with fortnightly Dressage and Showjumping Leagues, plus , of course, we had all the “usual” FRC summer meetings between April and September. Luckily, all this coincided with the best summer weather in years, so for once, we had very few cancellations. The Craigie Hunter Trials and clinics continue to be well supported and the Mini Cross Countries are hugely popular. A big thank you to all our riders for making our shows and competitions such good fun.

The committee are always on the lookout for new things to do and currently thinking about next year’s syllabus – so if any of you members have any suggestions for shows or competitions, please let us know – contact the Secretary, Liz on 01592 754809 or send a message via the FRC website.

The Annual General Meeting was held on 9th October at Freuchie with the usual good attendance.

Ailleen Walker and Lisa Derby decided to “hang up their boots” and give committee a rest for a while. Ailleen has served on committee for twelve years and has been a hard working supporter, mainly behind the scenes where she was busy organising jump judges, helping judge the showjumping or jump judging at Craigie (usually with Alastair). Lisa has been a star jump judge organiser at Craigie for a number of years – an invaluable member of the team – as well as entries secretary for the mini xc among other jobs. We thank them both for their hard work on behalf of the club. We also lost the services of Sheila McCann earlier in the year. Sheila too had been heavily involved in helping with shows and has been missed although she promises to help out again when she can.

As for the rest of committee, this year we had eight vacancies. Five members of the outgoing committee were prepared to stand for re-election and were duly re-appointed. Two members – Elsie Pollock-Smith and Linda Wood – were interested in joining committee and were elected. Linda has been on committee before, having previously served as Vice-Chair; this is Elsie’s first time. We are delighted to welcome them “on board” and are confident both will make a positive contribution to the organisation.

SUBSCRIPTIONS DUE NOW

Annual subscriptions become due for payment at the close of the AGM. The last day for payment is 30 November. Non-payers should by now have received a reminder letter from Secretary Liz Glasgow. The rates are unchanged at £40 for Riding Members, £30 for Associates and £15 for Non-Riding. Remember that the club facilities can only be used by paid up members after 1st December.

MINI HORSE TRIALS REPORT

One of the things we tried out for the first time this year was the Mini Horse Trials held on 28 September at the Club Field. The format was similar to Mini Cross Country with knock-down fences but with the added elements of dressage and showjumping as well. Entries, to be honest, were not great but it was an excuse to “give it a go” and just see if it was a feasible format. It was a very relaxed day and the fact that our caterer (not GeeDees) failed to turn up was a great excuse to fire up the old barbeque and resort to good, old fashioned DIY cooking. Special thanks to Alastair Walker for taking charge of the burgers. Frankly, the organisers could have done without that particular problem but everyone mucked in with good humour. The day went pretty smoothly and we could comfortably have run with twice as many and still finished around the same time so the “experiment” was a success. For riders, there were rosettes galore so well worth the trip. Thanks to everyone who helped set up and run this day and, of course, to the “guinea pigs”. Mandy Law (Innes), Fiona Deans (Colonial Rule) and Ferne Fairfull (Amoureva Z) were overall class winners. All in all, a nice way to round off the summer season.

CROSS COUNTRY REFRESHER DAY – SUNDAY 30 NOVEMBER 2014

Don't forget about our FREE Refresher Day which is being run in conjunction with British Eventing at Balcormo on Sunday 30th November. This will be of interest to anyone who enjoys competing, helping or just spectating at cross country events. With "guinea pigs" supplied by Balcormo, this will be a chance to improve your understanding of latest rules and regulations, in a practical format. It sounds like it could be entertaining! Refreshments available. As HorseScotland are funding this meeting, the training is completely FREE and open to all.

LOOKING AHEAD

News is just coming in of an extra WINTER DRESSAGE SHOW to be run over the Festive period, on 28 December in fact, at the field. Classes to include BD Intro B, Prelim 12 & 13, Novice 28 & 34 and E42/M63. All classes will be qualifiers for Scottish Veterans Championships. Entries close just before Christmas – more info on FRC Website. Might be some mince pies on offer?

NEW SCOTTISH RIDING CLUBS CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR 2015.

Some of us have fond memories of the old Caledonia Championships which ran annually at Scone Palace for around twelve years or so but which sadly “died” many moons ago. This was a massive event held over two days with several hundred competitors from riding clubs all over Scotland and Ireland; an event so massive, in fact, that the organisers felt obliged to abandon it when no one else was prepared to take over when they felt they needed a break – such is life. However the good news is that – after a long enough break to allow people to forget just how much work is involved – there are now some new volunteers prepared to have a go at running the successor to the Caley Champs. So the all new Scottish Riding Clubs Championships are to be run over the weekend of 3rd & 4th October 2015 at Auchlishie. Dressage and Showjumping will be on the Saturday with Horse Trials on the Sunday. That’s all we know for now but we will keep you posted as soon as we know ourselves – but at least you can mark your calendars now.

FINALLY

Next year will be a special year for Fife Riding Club, as it marks our 50th anniversary – a tremendous milestone for any club. Committee will be looking at ways to mark the occasion but would very much welcome input from the members. If you have any suggestions, please contact Secretary, Liz Glasgow or send us a message through the club website. Also if any of our longer serving members have any photos, stories or other souvenirs of the club, particularly from the early years, we would love to hear from you. Let’s make it a year to remember!

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According to some experts, we are heading into one of the coldest winters ever…so you may be doing a little less riding and a bit more horse pampering than usual. At this time of year it’s good to take a little time out and reflect on how lucky we are to enjoy the company of horses. The relationship between horse and rider is very special, and we are the better for it. Some people have put their thoughts on horses into words like

“There is nothing so good or the inside of a man as the outside of a horse”; or

“No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle”; or

“The essential joy of being with horses is that it brings us in contact with the rare elements of grace, beauty, spirit & fire”; or, more mundanely

“All I pay my psychiatrist is the cost of feed and hay and he’ll listen to me any day”; or a personal favourite

“I’d rather have a goddam horse. A horse is at least human, for God’s sake”

On this cheery note, this Christmas time, let each of us raise a glass and let the toast be “The Horse”.

Best wishes from everyone at Fife Riding Club. Have a great Christmas and a successful 2015