Evenlode Riding Club

               MIRANDA LOFFET/BALDUNGAN                                              LUCY GRAHAM/TRAVIS

WHAT A FANTASTIC EFFORT & VERY WELL DONE TO OUR 3 TEAMS WHO WENT TO THE CHAMPIONSHIPS & GAVE IT THEIR ALL IN THE MOST TESTING OF CONDITIONS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Do take a few moments to read the very entertaining reports about their experiences of the event. 

From Sue Smith  -  Junior Team Manager : -  Oh the glorious British summer weather!!!  I think we all felt when we walked the cross country course on Thursday evening that it would not run. The surface water infront of some of the jumps was dangerous and sure enough when we arrived on Friday morning at 8am the xc had been cancelled. To say the team was disappointed is an understatement!!  When we heard of the proposed change to a combined training event we nearly all went home.But the girls rallied and all performed excellent dressage tests (in what became a dressage competition) and all went double clear in the show jumping!!! Having fielded the youngest of all 28 teams our team of Camille Smith, Harriet Gloag, Victoria Smith and Izzy Bainbridge finished overall FOURTH!!!! With Victoria Smith winning her section!!!  As chef d'equipe I would like to say how well the girls performed and what maturity and humour they showed despite the disappointment of the change to the event. The last thing Harriet said to me before we left at 5pm was "Sue, please please may we do it all again next year? and do you think we should go intermediate?"

From Debbie, Penny & Pippa - Novice Team : -  Unfortunately I don’t have any photos, but did have a really good time despite not doing a very good dressage test and completely messing up my roads and tracks.  This was the first time I had ever attempted anything like this and I have to say that the support I received from my team members was great.  I really was getting my knickers in a twist before the event as the roads and tracks were really worrying me, and although I had many assurances that it was nothing  to worry about, I still managed to!   I enjoyed every part of it even though I travelled the two days I felt that this was better for jack, however my hubby said that he would of quite enjoyed staying the night, (this from a man who calls jack a donkey and has only ever attended a couple events in the time I have been competing!) even he was getting into the spirit of the event.   I really we hope we manage to qualify next year and looking forward to many other team events, it really is a good way to get to know people and help each other with the ups and downs of competing. Thanks. Debbie 

Imagine Glastonbury but with horses and without the music, that was the scene that greeted us on our arrival at Aston le Walls for the Championships.  Lorries being towed onto the site let alone off it, the rain had just hit at the wrong time.  Sadly the Junior’s cross country on the first day had to be abandoned while the Seniors lost Phase B & C of the speed and endurance and a few fences on the cross country but otherwise the three days went ahead very successfully.  Speaking on behalf of the Novice team, we all thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience even if we didn’t do quite so well as our other teams!  We had varying marks for our dressage, some of us were perhaps not on our best form that day.  Libby’s horse was upset by the watching crowds while Pippa’s horse decided that the cross country should start a little earlier!  Luckily nothing worried Matte and we produced a very good mark.   Because of the ground the Show jumping was on a surface rather than in the grass arena.  All four horses jumped good rounds with Libby and Pippa just touching a pole each, while Debbie and I went clear. On the second day things were made a little easier by the removal of Phase B & C but still the Cross Country course raised a few questions with a particularly big bank to a narrow skinny.  In fact it rode better than it looked and did not worry any of us.  However both Pippa and I had a stop at different fences on the course.  Although we weren’t placed we all very pleased with our individual performances, all on Novice horses – so the completion had better look out next year!   PENNY.

I was over the moon to qualify at Novice level to compete at the Riding Club Horse Trails Championships this year.  I only bought my little horse (5 years old then) at this time last year.  She was imported from Ireland by Jonty Evans and did not start competing until the beginning of this year.

Arriving at the Championships I realised how lucky we were to be competing.  The whole place was under water!  However I was parked (in my little borrowed two horse lorry) near the main entrance on comparatively good going.  My husband, Colin, and our caravan were sent to the main lorry park, where by some miracle he found some grass (rather than mud) to park on.  It took a while to find each other and then even longer to get Duffy into her stable as the juniors were running very late.  Eventually we settled down to good nights sleep.  Miracle number one, we were far enough from the stables not to hear unsettled horse kicking their stables all night.  I am afraid to say my dressage on Saturday was a disaster, inspite of intensive schooling from Jonty Evans.  All went well until my first transition to canter, when Duffy exploded and then from then on I had several middle aged moments and Duffy did every pace except the one she was meant to be doing!  Show Jumping went quite well.  Because of the conditions it was in an outdoor school.  Tension got to Duffy once more when warming up with a quite extravagant bucking session!  I think I may have benefited from some company at this stage to help calm the nerves but Colin was out on the XC Course fence judging the intermediate and open contenders as our official team helper.  Any way apart from a bad start and rolling a pole at fence one for 4 faults Duffy went well. We had a lovely party at our caravan that evening with Libby (from my team) and Tamzin, her husband and Lucy from the intermediate team joing us for supper in glorious sunshine.    Due to the weather we lost the Steeplechase  and Phase D from our second day's competition, plus the XC course was shortened by a few fences.  I again ended up with a very fit and quite fresh horse!  Phase A went well and to time in spite of lots of spooks and cantering on the spot etc.  Away we went on the XC with Duffy jumping out of her skin and loving it.  A fantastic feeling.  However we did suffer one unexpected stop (resulting in 20 penalties) when Duffy, looking into the distance towards home failed to take stock of a fence directly in front of her (my bad riding again - I should have taken a little check).  We re-presented again quickly, let off the hand brake and jumped the remaining fences in fine style and still finished without any time penalties, which was quite an achievement.     General feeling from our team (Libby Jacks, Debbie Mason and Penny Chivers being the other members) was that we were all pleased to complete and delighted with our horses overall performance even if we did not cover ourselves with glory!  it was a privilege to represent Evenlode Riding Club and I can't wait for the opportunity to represent the club another time."   PIPPA.

 

From Miranda for the Intermediate team : -  The Intermediate Team all arrived within about an hour of each other on the First day Friday. 1st trot up for me was at 9.10. Lucy and I who were in Lorries were both towed in and by pure chance ended up only a few yards apart. Tamzin and Kate were a bit more independent in their trailers and again by chance ended up being quite close to us. It was a serious quagmire! There was no point in getting dressed up for the trot up as by the time we go there we were plastered in mud. Text messages were quickly sent to the Novice team to bring waders! News soon filtered through that the Juniors would not be running XC and a decision about the senior classes would be made later in the day. I must say that at 9 am it did not seem possible that we would be doing any thing but going home again!  We walked the XC after the trot up and before the Dressage, as that did not start until mid afternoon. I was only allowed to walk it with Lucy who kept on pointing out the correct fences to me and did not allow me to look at the other classes fences or gossip to anybody else!   My dressage went ok and I was reasonably happy with it. Of course there is always room for improvement. None of us did amazing tests but were all in the top half's of our sections. The dressage field was perfect with no mud!   The announcement was then given that we would be able to go XC the next day. We had to do Phase A 3400meters of roads and tracks and then quick vet check in the 10mins box before going XC. No Steeple chase or phase B. This was to be the same for the Novice team on the Sunday.  Tamzin and Kate went off home to their beds and Lucy and I waited until about 7.30pm to eventually get our stables. I of course fell out with the occupants who did not seem to think that the rule of freeing up their stable by 5.00pm applied to them!   Lucy and I then watched every junior lorry being towed out until we could find one that had a clean patch of grass under it that we could pitch her tent! We found one and had the guard it so her tent did not get run over by a tractor.  Carrying water was the next nightmare as the pressure was poor and we had a long walk in the deep mud.  We were up early the next morning, to lovely sunshine and still mud mud mud. Bally arrived at phase A from the stables with more mud on him, than he did on finishing the XC.!   We all had fab XC rounds and the team were lying in 8th place by the end of the day. The Xc course held up extremely well all day. They had taken out only two jumps, which made the course a little shorter. It was a good course, mainly up to height with the options of a couple of quicker routes.  We awoke the next day Sunday again to lovely sunshine and still the mud, but getting sticky now!   Horses all seemed fine and we all sailed through the trot up.  Show jumping was defiantly up to height as we had helped to build it with the course builder the night before. He would not be bribed into making it smaller with the £3.20 I had in my pocket!  Lucy was the only one who managed a beautiful clear. The rest of us had one or two down between us!   This sadly dropped us to 10th place in the teams, but with 27 teams I think we did really well.  Lucy and I were both 10th in our sections as well, with Tamzin 11th and Kate 13th.  We had a great time and hope to qualify again next year!!  Miranda

 

 

WHAT A GRAND DAY OUT - GREAT WEATHER - GREAT COURSE - GREAT VENUE - GREAT ORGANISATION !!!!!!

Below are a couple of photos of our very successful teams plus reports : -

  

This is the very happy junior novice orange team                This is the very happy senior novice pink team also

qualifying for the championships – right to left                    qualifying for the championships - left to right
Harriet Gloag riding Finn;                                                 Pippa Heaney riding Reabeg Tang;
Camille Smith riding Cashman ;                                         Debbie Mason riding Jumpin Jack Flash;
Tor Smith riding Chit Chat;  &                                          Libby Jack riding Ark at That; &
Issy Bainbridge riding Penny;                                           Penny Chivers riding Shirwell Fern;
they all had a lovely day & the event was very                   also had a fabulous day - lots of smiley faces - well done.

well organised so many thanks to all involved                      Great photo from your phone Penny !!!!
Sophie (Issy's Mum)

As Junior Team Manager I thought I should write something for the website so here goes :  -    For the Area 18 ODE at Broadway, Evenlode put forward 2 very strong Junior teams. We all managed to see one another during the day & there was lots of support and cheering especially at the start & finish of the cross country. The Purple team Matthew Izod, Kismet & Duvessa Bandeen and Laura Smith finished 5th. They put up great performances, it was Matthews first event on his youngster Apache & Duvessa and Laura competed on the smallest ponies at the event!!!   The orange team, Camille Smith, Harriet Gloag,Victoria Smith & Izzy Bainbridge won the team event and so qualify for the Championships at Offchurch in August!!!  Individually Victoria won the section & Harriet was second. A great day was had by all, and the girls can't wait for August.  Sue Smith.