Northern Region News. All the dressage news from the north! Newsletters 2010 kindly sponsored by. Summer Do you have any news?

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1 Northern Region News Summer 2010 All the dressage news from the north! Newsletters 2010 kindly sponsored by Hi! Welcome to the Summer Newsletter! It s even bigger and better so happy reading! There should be something in it for everyone! If you have any ideas for inclusion in the next newsletter please let me know! Thank you to all for the contributions to this newsletter! The deadline for adverts in the Autumn newsletter is 3rd September We now have over addresses on our circulation list. We don t advertise horses or trainers, as we would be swamped with enquiries and this is already available on the website! Adverts are 25 Cheques payable to BD. Please contact Chrissie if interested. chrissiehavis@britishdressage.co.uk Keep checking the BD Northern page for all updates as this is regularly updated. Do you have any news? Reports? From competitions? Training days? Photos? Anything unusual or funny happened to you? If you ve got something to share at any time please let us know. We have several places for our Northern news stories: our regional newsletters, special one off reports, BD magazine regional round up pages and several other magazines in the region are also interested in what we do. In time we may even have county news! Feel free to send articles at any time though! Contact Chrissie or Maxine Crowson maxinecrowson@btinternet.com Northern Region Committee Vacancy BYRDS Representative Sought This post is a voluntary one, the post may be split. Working with existing BYRDS riders/ parents (under 25s) and promoting new members. The role involves: Ongoing throughout the year: fielding phone calls, s etc from prospective members and current ones who need advice about BYRDS and Northern activities/ teams. Attending BYRDS Rep meetings - attending 2 national meetings at Stoneleigh and 2/3 Northern Committee meetings per year. Contributing to the newsletter and website/ facebook. Organising the annual plan. This includes camps and training days, competitions and selection process. There are magazine deadlines to adhere to - working with the RDO. Finances - ensuring that all finances go through BD via the RDO. Additional organisation (with volunteeer assistance) of Northern BYRDS Ball, Team Trainers for our competitions, risk assessments... Suitable applicants need to have excellent communication skills, patience and very good organisational skills! They must be computer literate and have good regular access to . Please Chrissie for an application form. Applications close 30th June

2 Pony Europeans July - 1 Aug Bishop Burton College will host FEI Pony European Championships in Come along and see some brilliant ponies in action and enjoy this prestigious event being held in our region! College principal Jeanette Dawson is delighted to host the championships. She said: Playing host to these fantastic events gives the College the chance to show off its magnificent facilities, and further improve the standard of our own competitions All info can be found on Seniors (over 18s) A REPORT ON THE SENIOR INTER REGIONAL COMPETITION (MAY) AND RESULTS WILL BE IN THE NEXT NEWSLETTER! WELL DONE TO ALL RID- ERS AND THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSOR FREEDOM DRESSAGE. How do I get involved in teams and team selection? The 2 competitions for senior team selection are the Senior Inter Regionals in May each year at Prelim - Medium level and the Senior Home International in October each year at Prelim- PSG. The Senior Inter Regionals reside at the College, Keysoe and the Home International Competition moves around the regions between countries. We are specifically selecting now for the Senior Home International Teams to be held at The College, Keysoe, Beds in October Please see details attached to this newsletter and on the BD website. To be considered for teams you need to do the following: Register on the NRTDP (Northern Region Team Development Programme). It s free to register - you receive special info and offers when available and all team info and a progress chart to use to monitor your progress. Contact Chrissie to fill in your details via . You need to be achieving consistent results. Currently around 65% at the level to be selected at. You also need to attend 3 regional training sessions in 12 months (as per BD selection policy). A camp counts as 2 sessions and one session can be on foot. The days that count are highlighted on the northern regional page on the BD website as HI. Everyone has fun and everyone is made to feel very welcome so have a go! SENIOR CAMPS (THERE ARE 3 PER YEAR OPEN TO MEMBERS AND NON MEMBERS, HELD AT WILLERBY HILL COMPETI- TION YARD, EAST YORKS AND THESE COUNT TOWARDS TEAM SELECTION)

3 THIS IS WHAT RIDERS FROM THE FIRST 2 CAMPS HAVE SAID. (FINAL CAMP FOR AUG APPLICATION FORMS WILL BE ON BD NORTHERN PAGE VERY SOON) A big thank you for an enjoyable weekend, the format was excellent. It was a perfect 1st outing for our young horse, the atmosphere was calm and Jess felt she had gained a lot from the sessions, so many thanks for all the organisation. Regards Sophie and Jess Strawson I just wanted to say thank you for a fab weekend. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire weekend and will most definitely be attending again! If I could be included in any mailing lists for future info that would be most appreciated, I would also like to register my interest to be included in the NRTDP and would be grateful if you could forward relevant info and progress charts. Thank you all again for a brilliant weekend! Best wishes, Rosanna Branton Thanks very much for organising another good fun Camp. The tuition was great and the lectures very informative and creative (in the case of David Collins talk!) Willerby as always looked immaculate and is a great venue. Many thanks, Jeanne Anderson Txs for a superb training camp last weekend. Really enjoyed the event and have gained much from the training, theory/practise sessions and also having horses away from home. Met lots of lovely like minded people so all in all a fab weekend.txs very much for all your hard work in getting this organised. I know only too well how much these sorts of event take to run. Txs again and look forward to future events. I intend to send Debbie from Willerby a txs also as she made us all so welcome. Best regards, Alison Young I have heard so much about the northern region camps at Willerby Hill from my friend Joanna Brooke and always wanted to join in but been too busy with work or unable to travel etc. This last year all that changed, I have wheels and a new job so the only thing stopping me was nerves of stabling my horse away from home and not knowing what to expect. I didn t take too much persuading by Joanna and I decided I would give it a go, sent the forms in and started to worry about what to expect, what to take and what my horse would do. The whole weekend was great fun, my horse fears were soon gone when Fenn walked straight in his stable, staled the bed and munched his hay net, I was expecting eyes on stalks and the wall of death!. My lessons with Jane Bartle Wilson really showed improvement in both Fenn and I and Jane was really upbeat and explained things fantastically. The theory sessions covered vet problems in dressage horses, learning about positivity from David Collins and discussing judging with Andrea Smith. They were all really informative and I thoroughly enjoyed the discussions within each session, hearing how a judge decides each mark and having a go at judging the collectives of a test on DVD, not as easy as it sounds. On the Saturday we had an entertaining evening watching a fashion show of clothing from sponsors Freedom Dressage and a quiz, in which I have to say our team Alcoholics Anonymous came a close second. Everyone had a chance to mingle and get to know each other and chat about their lessons and horses. I enjoyed the weekend so much that I have already posted the forms for the next one and I m looking forward to it, although I don t think I will be able to persuade my mum to come along and sleep in the wagon again. I m not sure that was quite the mother s day present she was expecting this year. SARAH SHAW

4 Senior Camp report By Alison Frost This was the third senior camp I have been on with my horse since finishing in BYRDS and I was looking forward to an action packed weekend of riding and lectures in my quest to improve! I started to prepare my horse, Tyson, a Shire X TB the week before camp. This included all the usual trimming and washing, and covering up with a snuggy hood to stop dirt, although this didn t stop Tyson from rolling with glee when I went to bring him in from the field the day before camp. I m sure he took one look at my eyes, as David Collins said in the lecture, and knew we were going to boot camp! Tyson was stabled in Pauline s stable block which was a lovely cosy block indoors. Sarah Huntridge was already there busy sorting her horses out and a horse in the corner was already causing havoc helping to sweep up by throwing brushes across the floor. Everyone was very friendly and Tyson seemed to settle in well. My first lesson of the weekend began and after identifying with Jo Graham our main problems; off we went practicing some neck bend then adding in traver and beginning some half passes. Luckily I had been paired with Joanna Brooke and the lovely Moroc whom I have known for a few years now. We were able to work on similar issues and I was able to see from them how much neck bend I need in that work, so I learnt a lot! Next was the Vet Talk which was very informative and interactive, looking at x-rays of feet, and discussing the common injuries and conditions of the dressage horse and ways of preventing them. At night David Collins came to give us a Positive minds talk which was brilliant and we all laughed lots jumping up and down on pieces of paper on the floor then throwing them away to throw away negative thoughts. I stayed for tea which was lovely and then the hilarious fashion show starring Chrissie, Lara and Sarah in clothes from Freedom dressage, our Northern Region Sponsors. Cue lots of catwalk-like walks and poses with some dubious can I feel the fabric requests from one husband of a rider! Joanna spoke well about attending the Home International in 2009 at Rowallan in Scotland, then came the quiz I am quite competitive so was more than a little disappointed when I didn t win, but I will definitely be revising for next time. On Sunday I had my second lesson with Jo and worked on consolidating the work from Saturday culminating in changes within the pace which Tyson enjoyed greatly. In the afternoon we had a judge s talk with Andrea Smith which was very interesting and revealed those of us who read our test sheets in detail. It also highlighted how harsh we all were with our marks on the rider in the video! Overall I enjoyed a brilliant camp this year, it was tiring but I learnt lots and can t wait for the next one! Area Festivals We have 4 Area Festivals in our region this year to choose from! REC events North Yorks 3-5 Sept Willerby Hill Farm, East Yorks Sept Hargate EC, Derbys Sept Sheepgate EC Lincolnshire 2-4 Oct Left to right; Tyson and I, Joanna on Maroc and Sarah on Fenn

5 BRITISH DRESSAGE NORTHERN FORUM We are as ever extremely grateful to all of our sponsors. Equissage kindly sponsored our fantastic Northern Forum event with Pammy Hutton and her team in April this year at Arena UK. Thank you very much to Equissage. Please read the information below for your FREE booklet! As a member of British Dressage we are pleased to offer you access to a FREE copy of an exciting new dressage booklet, courtesy of Equissage. The Experts Guide to Dressage with Lee Pearson and Maria Eilberg is packed full of exclusive advice, training top tips, insider secrets and rider biographies, providing an insight into the lives of two of Britain s most talented dressage riders. To get your FREE copy now please visit the following link. htm?id=bd1109 NORTHERN FORUM report by Maxine Crowson Arena UK Grantham April 14th 2010 Arena UK was a fabulous venue for the BD Northern Forum this year. Hospitality was good with plenty of parking-always a bonus! Sponsored by JUDGES There are lots of judge training sessions planned as ever, please check out the BD Northern page for details. 2 judges have recently upgraded: Claire Marie Senior to List 4 and Alice Elliott to List 3a. CONGRATULATIONS! Para Judge Training dates are as follows: Pammy Hutton was both informative and entertaining as she talked the audience through the background of each horse and rider, and the various warm-up activities. It was encouraging for many of us I am sure, to see such prestigious riders really having to work with their horse, and not coming out to show us a clockwork production where the horses performed without putting a foot wrong! Pammy talked us through each movement and when it didn t quite work, what was required from the rider to perfect it. Standards were very exacting! Pammy herself then went on to ride a test to music which was truly stunning, and gave an insight to the accuracy required to perform such a breathtaking test, heightened only by the atmospheric pulse of the chosen music genre. As well as the immediate family we were also introduced to a young Australian, in this country to train with Pammy. She had, quite literally just turned 14 years, but despite her slight frame, gave a display on a large chestnut with fluency and determination. The evening came to an end all too soon and it was, I am sure, an inspired audience who returned home full of renewed enthusiasm! FEI Judges course, Hartpury, 14-16th July National Judges Course (with exam) Hickstead, 23rd -24th June There will be judge training at each of the KBIS qualifiers; VENUE COUNTY DATE Patchetts Herts 5 July Myerscough Lancs 7 July Vale View Leics 1 Aug There will also be the Para Practical examination held at the Nationals at Stoneleigh. Please contact Amy Cullen on

6 FREE 3 Month Trial Subscription Offer to farm n equine magazine Exclusive to BD members in the Northern region Do you like to know what s going on in the equine world, learn about the latest thoughts on feeding from expert nutritionists, have access to the best healthcare advice from leading vets, keep up with competitions and venues in the region and find out what leading riders and trainers think about the best new products? Well you should be reading farm n equine each month! There s also an informative farming section written by specialist technical contributors working in the modern agricultural industry, plus a growing country living and rural property section. A glossy, monthly magazine costing 1.60, farm n equine was launched in 2004 and is now mailed to over 6000 individual subscribers each month. If you aren t yet one of them and don t want to miss out any longer, farm n equine is offering British Dressage Northern Region members a FREE 3 month Trial Subscription Offer no strings, no commitment just your full postal address to suzanne.splinter@farmnequine.co.uk with BD NORTHERN REGION as the subject and look forward to the first of three completely free issues dropping through your letterbox. It couldn t be easier, so click now, before you forget! This offer is only available by ing using the above address before July 31st How did the Senior Teams at the Inter Regional Competition get their names? So what s in a name? By Berenice Brant Conversations overheard at the Senior Inter Regional competition at Keysoe. Freedom Grandgester? What s that? Well I m a Freedom Favorit so what does that make me? It s simple really. Freedom Dressage is the sponsor of the Northern Region Training programme. We were asked to name four teams for the competition at Keysoe. The first part of the name is easy; Freedom the name of our company. So to differentiate the teams what do we do? Freedom 1, Freedom 2 etc; a little boring I think. As a specialist equestrian clothing retailer to the dressage market we stock a large range of products from various manufacturers; but we have developed a specialism in one product, Konig riding boots. Freedom Dressage is probably one of the leading suppliers of Konig boots in the Northern Region. Our range comprises the Konig Grandgester, Konig Komet, Konig Prince and the Konig Favorit. Replace the Konig with Freedom and we have the team names! So that s why you were a Favorit or a Grandgester. Why not take a look at the boots on our web site at or book an appointment to visit our showroom at The Stables, Newby Hall, Ripon. Phone or info@freedomdressage.co.uk Please note the following when booking clinics, courses and workshops: For cancellation on the day or part way through a course no refund will be paid. Bookings cancelled prior to the start of a course may not be eligible for a refund unless the space on the course can be filled.

7 Our focus on a Northern Rider Deborah Carr Davison How/when did you start riding? When I was seven I went pony trekking on holiday & asked my parents if I could start riding lessons at our local riding school on our return home. What have been your high points so far? When Foxholm Rhapsody was joint third in the Petplan Finals at The Winter Championships, at Medium level in Also when my homebred mare Foxholm Valhalla was Reserve Champion at the Trailblazers Prelim Championships, when she was only four years old. And low points? My talented young dressage horse, Foxholm Serenade, injured her tendon in the field when she was only five years old and was unable to return to dressage. What do you like the most about riding/horses? The satisfaction of feeling your horse improve. Dislike? I can t think of anything that I dislike about riding. Except falling off!!! Name your favourite horse to date. and why? That is a hard question. I like them all in different ways, but I suppose it would be my first competition horse Solitaire, who I bought as a four year old and had to be put down when he was eight, due to a kick on the stifle. He was a real character and he had become a good all rounder, we had a very close bond and we learnt a lot together. He started my interest in dressage. If you could ride any horse which one would it be? Moorlands Totilas. Who wouldn t want to sit on such a talented horse? Deborah Carr Davison with Foxholm Rhapsody and Foxholm Valhalla - Copyright permission from A&J Equine Photography Who would you most like to have a lesson with? Edward Gal. I would love to know his secret of controlling such power and yet having the horse so relaxed at the end of his test. What future plans with horses have you got? I just want to enjoy training and competing my horses, as I am not Olympic team potential. But I would like to move my Medium horse, Foxholm Rhapsody, up the grades, so I can eventually ride in top hat and tails. I also want to continue moving up the levels with my younger horse, Foxholm Valhalla, who has just competed in her first Elementary, to see how far we can go. Our immediate goals are to qualify for the Area Festival Finals and music freestyle Regional Finals. I also have two young horses, which I hope to be competing next year. Finally, share a funny moment with us.something that made you laugh! My husband, Colin, says that I am obsessed with dressage. (Obsession being somewhere between love and madness!) After I had my diary published on the Look4horses website and in the Equestrian Plus Magazine, it was also printed in the local newspaper that I had been selected for a National training bursary. Friends started to comment to us that they had read about my diary and bursary. After answering the telephone one day, my husband said that it was just Hello Magazine, but he had told them that I was too busy going round in circles to talk to them!

8 TEST RIDING CLINICS THESE ARE EXTREMELY POPULAR SO BOOK EARLY AS WE HAVE WAITING LISTS ON MANY OF THESE DAYS! YOU RIDE A CHOSEN TEST FOR THE JUDGE THEN HAVE FEEDBACK ON YOUR TEST AND TIPS/A LESSON ON HOW TO IMPROVE IT. THIS IS WHAT SOME PEOPLE HAVE SAID ABOUT TEST RIDING DAYS SO FAR IN 2010 I just wanted to say thank you for the Jane Peberdy clinic I attended with Harvey yesterday. She was lovely and what she said made a lot of sense! It was also a much needed confidence boost, the move up to Elementary hasn t been an easy one! Thanks again for fitting me in around work, Tracey. As a grass roots rider I gave it a lot of thought before enrolling on the Jane Peberdy Test Training Day at Riseholme just outside Lincoln. After all it was a British Dressage organised event with a well known List 1 Judge, and I have only completed a couple of affiliated dressage competitions at preliminary level, with my very low budget horse. But as I had grumbled about everything happening further north, since joining BD I felt obliged to support one of the first organised training days so near to home-and as soon as I posted my cheque I regretted it, and started to think of ways to get out of it!! I needn t have bothered!! It was BRILLIANT and Jane could not have made it less imposing or more user friendly if she tried! After warming up outside I was invited into the indoor school, and introductions made. I was asked what I would like to do? Test then lesson? Lesson then test? The session was mine it was up to me. I opted for test then lesson, and was warmly reassured I could start in my own time and not to rush! I was pleased with how Ed went, in that I felt we hadn t disgraced ourselves too badly! Jane asked me what I felt went well and what I felt we might need to work on! I hate questions like these-too near the old style classroom public humiliation! But again, I had nothing to worry about as Jane was very positive in all her comments to my responses, even when my brain had seized up and I knew I was gabbling!! She suggested an area that would be helpful for me to work on with Ed and promptly clipped on a wireless earphoneno public humiliation here! She kept the lesson very simple but with some great ideas for self-evaluation-her numbers game has nothing to do with dreaded maths lessons! It was a great training session and one I would not hesitate to return to, and would recommend to anyone! I drove home with my belief reaffirmed that whatever level you work your horse at, and whether you compete or not, those who truly know what they are doing, however important or famous they have become because of what they know, really are there to help! Maxine Crowson, Riseholme College, Lincs 8 May COACHES/TRAINERS Things are looking up with regards to coaching in the North! Thank you to Vikki for getting things moving! See some dates below that may be of interest to you? Jane Peberdy / DVD training for judges (and BD members if spaces) N-M level / Richmond EC, North Yorks / 12 / Contact Chrissie 7pm start time Jane Peberdy / DVD training for riders / Doncaster Holiday Inn Express- contact Chrissie for directions and further details 2-5pm / 10 / OPEN TO ALL / Contact Chrissie Stephen Clarke training day, Doncaster tbc contact Sarah Huntridge sarahhuntridge2@hotmail.com BEF Coaching Convention at Chesford Grange Hotel, Warwickshire. Key note speakers and workshop sessions, delegate pack and copy of the presentation, breakfast on arrival, refreshments and lunch, market place. Download an entry form from cost Lindsay Wilcox-Reid and Vikki Hayton Sitting Trot and Spinal Alignment Workshop at College Farm Equestrian Training Centre, West Markham Tuxford, Nr Newark, Notts. NG22 0GT. Entry forms on the BD Northern web page. Ring Vikki for further information on Certificates of Attendance given for CPD and UKCC requirements Gillian Higgins and Vikki Hayton Dressage from an Anatomical Perspective an evening workshop at College Farm Equestrian Training Centre, West Markham Tuxford, Nr Newark, Notts. NG22 0GT. Entry forms on the BD Northern web page or on Or ring Vikki for further information on Certificates of attendance given for CPD and UKCC requirements.

9 STEPHEN CLARKE WRITE UP (MARCH 2010 by PETER CRAFTS LIST 4 JUDGE) Getting the basics in place first, the movements will then come into place was the clear message as British Dressage Northern Region hosted a training clinic with Stephen Clarke at Moorhouse Equestrian Centre, Doncaster. A large enthusiastic group of spectators watched from the gallery with plenty of questions and interaction followed each session, on topics of training, riding and judging the dressage horse. A wide range of levels attended, 4yo s starting in Prelim through to those reaching PSG.Riders were in pairs and worked in, before Stephen concentrated on making sure the basics were corrected established. With all combinations, straightness and impulsion were very much to the forefront of Stephen s training regime. With the basics well in place the more established combinations moved on to lateral work and collected work with the start of canter pirouettes shown The day was very well received by both riders and spectators and I am surely not alone in hoping more clinics will be held by Stephen in the Northern region as motivation and inspiration levels were high for all involved in the sport and luckily enough to be at Moorhouse to see this icon of British Dressage at work. JESSICA GLASOW DRESSAGE FITNESS CLINIC by Maxine Crowson 15th and 16th May 2010 The weather was good as riders and their horses turned up with some in trepidation for Jess Glasow s two day horse and rider training and fitness clinic this weekend. The first day was horse training. Frances Gannon (a client of the more mature years!) said: I hadn t a clue what to expect! Its years since I ve done any training with Holly and I know we have let some bad habits get established. Jess worked with each horse and rider, taking the time to assess the horse and the effect of the rider. The aim of these sessions was to help the rider improve their fitness and work more effectively with their horse. The second day got off to a ripping start as the seam of a younger clients trousers parted company with the first exercise!!! The exercises were put together to support individual rider weaknesses. It was clear that one rider had poor shoulder blade mobility which was making a significant difference to the way her horse went in his lateral work. It was a great two days and I know those who went are already looking forward to the next one! Watch out for more Jess Glasow training dates coming soon! Web: Facebook: Twitter: Stay in touch and share online members and growing - join in and share Northern news, photos and chat! The Northern region is live on Twitter. We are called BDNorthern! Follow us!

10 Gayle Bloomfield at Vale View EC Northern Para Activity Gayle Bloomfield (above) finished the day in tears after her debut in para riding competition saw her win one class and clinch second place in another at the Vale View Para Dressage Hickstead Qualifiers. Former air hostess Gayle, 39, had made the long trip to compete at Vale View, Melton Mowbray, in Leicestershire, from her home in Seahouses, Northumberland, hoping for little more than a fun day out. Using Remember Me IV, the 17-year-old retired advanced eventer from John Hill s yard near Bowsden, Berwick upon Tweed, Northumberland, Gayle won the Novice Test Grade 2 with per cent and second spot in the Team Test Grade 2 with a mark of per cent. Mother of two Gayle, diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis five years ago, said: It was real team effort to get to Vale View, I can t thank my pal Rachel Callaghan, groom Kate Hodgson and two drivers Gordon Frew and Hazel Hudson enough. I got very emotional, in fact we all did, because after my illness was diagnosed I never thought I d ride again, let alone win something like this. Des, as Remember Me IV is known at his stable, is a lovely horse, but I d never sat on him in a competition until we got to Vale View. I couldn t believe it when I saw the marks we were awarded. Please contact Cathy Burrell for all of the dates listed on page8.html or If you might be interested in training Para riders please contact Cathy for a chat.

11 BYRDS Northern BYRDS Ball ANNUAL AWARDS EVENING 2010 Saturday 27th February Holiday Inn, Barnsley Would the weather be kind after the harsh winter we ve all been through? BYRDS from Northern region and their families and friends were hoping so. Travelling from Morpeth in the north and Nottingham in the south with posh frocks and lounge suits, no-one wanted to get the last minute call they d received the week before when our Spring competition was called off due to heavy snow. This was only the second time we d held an awards ceremony but following the success of last year s event we just had to do it again. We chose the same hotel, and though it has changed hands since then we were assured it was not as a result of our celebrations last year when we managed to keep going despite a total power cut lasting well over an hour. We didn t realise our talented riders could also sing!! There were many familiar faces from last year who d decided to come again and lots of new faces some we probably just didn t recognise out of their riding gear and thermals! Drinks in the lounge then through to the ballroom where helium filled horse balloons decorated every table with others bobbing around on their weighted legs doing half-pass between the revellers! Awards for representing our region were presented by our sponsors David and Jane Baxter and many special awards too ranging from National A Squad Champion Emma Gallagher to Youngest Water Bucket Carrier Harriet Walker-Smith. As you might have guessed by now we had a ball!!

12 BD - Young professionals Final 2009/10 by Laura Jarvis All 6 riders attending the Final had been successful at one of 3 qualification days, held by Jennie Loriston- Clarke, Richard Davison and Gareth Hughes. They were all held towards the end of 2009 and included all riders having a lesson on their own horse and also an interview talking about their hopes and plans for the future. The Final was held at Talland School of Equitation and I think everyone would agree that the facilities were absolutely fantastic and all the horses we rode were beautifully turned out. We arrived about half past 9 and were given name tags and a little bit of information about how the day would run. We then gathered in the warm cafe (one of the few warm places that day!!) for an introduction to the judges (Carl Hester and Nicola Jourdain) and all of the British Dressage representatives who had kindly given their time to be there, including Karen Ryder, Ann Morton and many more. We were divided into 2 groups; one group who went off to ride and the other 3 who took it in turns to have their interview with Rachel Hillier and Janet Horswill. Although I was a little nervous for the interview, Rachel and Janet soon made me feel very comfortable and we had a good discussion about my future plans, including competition, training, finance etc. The horses provided for us to ride were all fantastic. 12 horses were brought out during the morning, with us riding two young/problem horses each and then 2 advanced horses. After both groups had ridden and we d all had our interviews, all the riders, judges and BD representatives went over to Pammy and Brian Hutton s home where there was a fantastic lunch put on for everyone, including lovely warming soup! We also got to hear some brilliant stories from Jennie Loriston-Clarke about her riding days and she made us realise that we have it very easy nowadays in our luxury transport etc! After lunch each rider spent 15 minutes with both judges discussing riders in the school and how we might go about improving the horse/rider etc and Carl even had us teaching them for a while on issues we had picked up on. Both judges were really easy to talk to and I learnt a lot from them. I didn t feel nervous at all about asking questions and giving them confident answers, which is surprising as I thought I d have been a bit awestruck. They just made us feel so comfortable. All in all the day had a lovely relaxed feel to it considering the circumstances and I feel I made some good friends on the day. The horses given to us to ride were brilliant, the judges, interviewers and BD representatives were all fantastically supportive and helped the day run really smoothly. I would just like to say a massive Thank You to everyone involved, Carl and Nicola who were fantastic, Pammy and Brian Hutton for the fantastic facilities and horses, all at British Dressage for the organisation and Rachel Hillier and Janet Horswill for not making the interview feel too much like Dragon s Den!!! Also special thanks to Islay Auty, whose idea this all was in the first place and who was a fantastic support during the whole process and of course Penny and David Manning who sponsored the very generous prizes. I had a truly fantastic time, learnt a lot and came home not only with more experience, but with a desire to go back and have another go next year! Big congratulations to all the other riders who were all great competitors and lovely to work with and especially to Theresa Smyth who I wish all the best for the next year in enjoying her success. You can read more about it at: National Information BD National Championships at Stoneleigh Park have moved to 9th - 12th September BDSC World Equestrian Festival CHIO - Achen 13th - 19th July 2010 Further details from Debi Woods: Debi@BDSC.uk.com

13 Northern Rider and BD Northern Region Members Representative, Lara Dyson, has just accepted sponsorship from saddle company, Quantum Saddles Lara Dyson of Healing, Grimsby is delighted to have been offered sponsorship from saddle company, Quantum Saddles ( Their different approach to saddle design has really attracted a lot of the top event riders and they have just launched their dressage saddle. Lara is delighted to be their first sponsored dressage rider. I really can t believe it, I am still am amateur rider working Full time as Sales Manager for Cyden Homes. Getting up at 5.30am before work to ride the horses and often back on board at 6pm, is slowly starting to really pay off! I had a very good year last year and hoping 2010 is going to be even better. I am over the moon to accept this sponsorship from Quantum Saddles, they have clearly put a lot of time and technology into designing a 21st century saddle. Horses over the years have changed so much in their way of going and what we expect of them, yet we still ride in traditional heavy, usually restricting saddles, well Quantum have come up with something completely different. I honestly couldn t believe the difference in the horses way of going, both my horses (Cyden Perplex and Cyden Debonair) were loose in their shoulders and wanting to come more over their backs pushing stronger from their hind legs with the engineered flexibility within the chassis section of the saddle the horses are never restricted from using themselves. For more information please do not hesitate to contact Lara Dyson or anyone at Quantum. Lara will be attending senior camp in August at Willerby and will be at the Regionals if you want to see or chat to her. If you would like more details please visit