BDSC SPRING NEWSLETTER 2013

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1 1 BDSC SPRING NEWSLETTER Dates for your Diary Trip to European Championships: 20th. - 26th. August 2013 The BDSC marquees will be at Hickstead in August and the Nationals in September - do come and visit us! Hickstead : 1st. - 4th. August 2013 National Championships: 19th. - 22nd. September Spring 2013 Inside this issue 1. Changes to newsletter distribution 2. Chairman s letter 3. Ball pictures 4. Golden Celebration Ball 5. Betty Donkin trophy 6. My Life with Horses by Jane Boothroyd 7. Judges Seminar 8. BDSC committee members Subscription reminder CHANGES TO NEWSLETTER DISTRIBUTION Increased postal charges and printing costs means that the Committee has had to review the method by which the newsletter is distributed. Many members have elected to receive it on line only although others appreciate a hard copy also. It is intended to continue with this system, but in order to cut costs only one full size newsletter will be produced annually. Additionally, information leaflets will be sent out to members online only, as and when appropriate, to your addresses. IF ANYONE HAS DIFFICULTY ACCESSING INFORMATION ON LINE PLEASE LET Jane or Gill know: jane@bdsc.uk.com or gill@bdsc.uk.com Phone numbers on page: 8 If you have not done so will you please let Jane have your address

2 2 BDSC Newsletter CHAIRMAN S LETTER Dear Members A big welcome to our first newsletter of Hopefully you are beginning to enjoy the late spring sunshine after such a nasty cold winter. Once again the committee has worked very hard on your behalf to create a very successful programme of events. Already this year BDSC has sponsored the Para Talent Spotting finals and the Judges Convention, about which more later in this newsletter. Highlight of the year so far has been the BDSC & BD Golden Celebration Ball held as usual at the Radisson Blu Portman Hotel in January. Although the number of attendees was lower than in previous years a great night was had by all, and thanks to their generosity and that of the sponsors, our raffle and auction succeeded in raising over 4000 for the club. We are grateful to Keith & Karen Leutchford for sponsoring the champagne reception, to Tony & Sarah Pidgley for the certificates awarded by Emile Faurie & Nicky Barrett. Her husband, Richard, was the night s Master of Ceremonies and he did a fantastic job making the evening go with a swing. The food and wine were excellent, Penny Goring organised the ever-popular games and the evening culminated in serious bopping with the band The Beavers. Looking ahead Lorrie is organising a trip in August to the Europeans in Denmark and we hope there we will be celebrating fresh medal success. More about the trip appears later, whilst in August we will have our marquee at Hickstead International Dressage, and in September at the Nationals in Stoneleigh. Do visit us at both events, and bring your friends to watch top class dressage. I hope to catch up with many of you in the coming months. Meantime many thanks for your support of BDSC and please continue to enjoy what we have to offer. Very best wishes Penny Smith Chairman

3 The Beavers 3 BDSC Newsletter THE GOLDEN CELEBRATION BALL 2013 Triple gold medallist, Sophie Christiansen, top. Emile Faurie with certificate winners, middle. Right Amanda Bond. Bottom left, Nikki and Richard Barrett. Far right Penny Goring with Paul and Sherry Belton.

4 4 BALL We were delighted to welcome some of our medal winning Paralympic riders to the ball this year who, together with other riders of all ages who had represented Great Britain in 2012, were presented with their certificates by Emile Faurie and Nicky Barrett. This got the evening off to a great start. After an excellent meal, great fun was had playing the Hoofpick & String game, Heads & Tails, and the Caption Competition. This was followed by the raffle and auction, which helped to boost club funds. The evening finished with brilliant music from the live band The Beavers (their second consecutive year playing for us at the Ball). The club would like to thank British Dressage, our co-sponsors, for once again arranging the beautiful black and gold table decorations. The room looked magnificent. Special thanks also go to everyone who generously donated prizes for the raffle and auction. The Ball is the main fundraising event of the year for BDSC and this year raised over 4000 for us to put back into supporting dressage. Thank you to Kevin Sparrow and Cathy and Mathew Wright for providing photographs of the Ball. The Betty Donkin Trophy The Betty Donkin Trophy was awarded to Erin Williams, aged 15, riding Fleurie at the CDI-YR-J-P & senior CDI*** at Addington. It was awarded to the highest placed British rider in the Junior section. Erin scored 70% in every class she rode in. Lorrie Sisson represented BDSC and presented the trophy. In the past this trophy was awarded at the Talent Spotting. This is the first time the trophy has been awarded in this context.

5 5 BDSC Newsletter My Life with Horses By Jane Boothroyd, winner of BDSC Para Talent Spotting training grant I was lucky enough to come from a horsey background, and it all started for me when my grandmother bought me a pony when I was two. I was in the Middleton East pony club until I got too old, being in most teams and achieving my pony club H test. The first photo is taken at Bishop Burton 40 years ago on my second pony, an ex beach pony, in the 10 and under class!! You will see the significance of this later. At 12 years old I had my first horse, an ex racehorse who won team chases and hunt gallops and of course hunter trials. But dressage was not our strength, I don t think we ever went on the bit in nearly 20 years as a partnership. As soon as I was able to have a horse living with me in Derbyshire, and not at home with my parents, I started eventing on a homebred little ID cross. After he was sold I started dressage and soon got hooked. My 3/4TB mare took me to the Nationals three times at prelim, novice and elementary with minor placings. At this point I realised I would not be able to afford to buy a top dressage horse so would have to breed one for myself. This coincided with being diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis 10 years ago when I was 40. This painful and debilitating disease meant changes had to be made in my life as I could no longer play tennis, ride or carry on my work teaching science in Derby. So I became a trainee dressage judge, horse breeder and started a bed and breakfast business to fund my horses, being so determined horses were still going to be part of my life and a reason for getting out of bed every day. On a social occasion with friends at the Brightwells performance horse sales, I put my hand up for the last lot of the evening, a little dark bay mare in foal to Johnson (by Jazz) - she was terrified and I felt so sorry for her. I quickly worked out that the breeding was good, she would be company for my mare over winter, and the foals could be together. This exercise cost me 3000, a real bargain but a near-divorce. Two healthy foals were born in the spring and after they were weaned we worked on the newlyacquired mare. My arthritis had stabilised by the time we were able to ride her and as she was so forward thinking and light in the hand we really got on together. After 7 years of love and careful training she is now starting some advanced work. Unfortunately I have not had enough time to compete her as much as I would have liked but she has been to the Winter Regionals to do her music for the last 3 years with placings in the top six. However her beautiful son Johnson Jazz (JJ) is very special and has been brought on slowly. He was only affiliated last year but is already out-performing his mother. This year I qualified mother and son for the Elementary restricted music at Bishop Burton Winter Regionals and forty years after the original photo came 4 th and 5th scoring 66.9% and 67.5%. One of my trainers suggested I apply for a para classification and I am now a grade III para rider. Vale View was our first para competition and we scored 83.3 % in the talent spotting and finished 3 rd overall enabling us to receive the BDSC training grant for which I am very grateful. None of these achievements would have been possible without key people helping and supporting me. Brian my long suffering partner of over 20

6 6 years; Kate Harvey my great friend, who is so talented with all my youngsters, setting us on the right tracks; various trainers who have helped along the way, all offering something to improve the horses way of going. Andrew Murphy from the TTT based in Kent has been a real inspiration but only visits us once every 6 weeks. He has taught me how important body position is and what can be achieved without a lot of core strength. Jane Peberdy has been a very encouraging and a strong support throughout my judging and riding careers, and now comes to my yard monthly to teach in our clinics. This spring I started training with Henry Boswell. I am so impressed with his enthusiasm and eye for the horses way of going. His help is invaluable, particularly as I have such restricted movement in my joints and back. Both horses are now ready to learn the tricks so exciting times are ahead. I am representing BD Northern Region team next month at Keysoe and hope to do the same for the paras in June at Vale View. We have qualified for Hickstead para summer championships in two outings and nearly made the summer Regionals. The training grant will be spent on lessons with Henry and I really hope both my horses will make it to advanced level. My two ambitions are to ride for my country for the paras and to be able to compete in a top hat and tails in able-bodied classes. In reality I am just so grateful to be able to ride at all and to have the right horses for my disability, as this enables me to do a lot of the day to day care and exercising for myself. The horses are small - 16hh-ish, well mannered, forward thinking and light in the hand, and of course very kind to me. I still judge locally when time allows and would like to upgrade this year. The breeding programme has stopped due to the recession but I still have two lovely youngsters by Master. Above Private Dancer and Master Dancer, homebreds by Master Hope. Right Johnson Jazz. Previous page: bay mare - Salsa Dancer and Johnson Jazz - Chestnut gelding. Photos by Kevin Sparrow

7 7 JUDGES SEMINAR Wednesday 20 March Held at Bury Farm Hosted by Isobel Wessels and Andrew Gardner Another highly successful judges seminar was again held at Bury Farm this year, hosted by Isobel Wessels and Andrew Gardner. Both Isobel and Andrew wanted to encourage judges to consider the way that, through the Scales of Training, judges came to decisions. Judges were encouraged to look at each movement in a very positive but realistic way, for example, what level is the horse working at novice horses cannot yet be straight but they must be trained on the right lines to find straightness through contact and rhythm; look at the whole picture before giving a mark medium walk, though free walk and back to medium look for the strengths in a movement and reward it don t see rhythm, balance and overtracking and then give a 6 because the horse didn t stretch enough. It was especially encouraging for those more inexperienced of us starting our judging careers because they both made it user friendly. Judging is not rocket science, however, it does require effort to study the tests and keep up with training and it requires knowledge, concentration and integrity. Most judges have these skills and take their judging seriously - they are to be applauded. Both Isobel and Andrew have these skills in abundance it was greatly appreciated that they gave their time and knowledge in such a clear and concise way to promote further the good judging that we have in the UK. These days are so helpful and the organisers, the BDSC for their sponsorship and the willingness and openness of the riders and their horses owners can all be given a huge thank you. Jane Watkins SPONSORED BY THE BDSC Right: Isobel Wessels, Linda Whetstone Andrew Gardner Photographs courtesy of Kevin Sparrow

8 8 Chairman Penny Smith Flat 4, 160 Sutherland Ave, London W9 1HP Tel Mob Vice chairman Ann Dugdale 1 Manor Farm Cottages, Manor Farm Road, Waresley SG19 3BZ Tel Mob ann@bdsc.uk.com Hospitality & newsletter Gill Gallagher Leyfield, Chalky Road, Great Abington, Cambridge CB21 6AT Tel gill@bdsc.uk.com Treasurer Denise Hulse Thatched Cottage, Marsh Lane, New Buckenham. NR16 2BE Tel denise@bdsc.uk.com Pony Club & Trips Lorrie Sisson The Hawthorns, Vicarage Lane, North Weald CM16 6AL Tel lorrie@bdsc.uk.com Membership Jane Kendall Pilstye Farmhouse, Rowhill Lane, Balcombe RH17 6JN Tel jane@bdsc.uk.com Northern Representative Debi Woods 4 The Stables, Dunkeswick, Nr Leeds LS17 9LP Tel debi@bdsc.uk.com Other members Cathy Wright Willow Barn, Hall Farm, Shelton, Newark, Notts NG23 5JG Mob cathy@bdsc.uk.com Karen Luetchford karen@bdsc.uk.com Subscription Reminder! Individual 20 Life 200 Family/company 50 Please change your standing order if you have not already done so! The BDSC committee and friends! BDSC Stock is available from Gill Gallagher - address above. Examples of our gifts are on the web site. We also provide gift vouchers to any value