South Wiltshire Riding Club Newsletter Goodbye summer hello autumn. It always feels a bit sad to say goodbye to the summer and dread the winter but hopefully it won t be too wet this year and so far so good! We have a lot of events planned for the coming months to keep you and your horse busy all winter! So, if you haven t managed to attend anything this year take a look at what is coming up next and put it on your calendar. You can start earning points to go towards an award for 2017! Talking of points and this year isn t finished yet, Donna our Chairwoman has been busy keeping a very careful tally on everyone over the year and will reveal all (not literally!) at our AGM on November 25 th. The AGM is always a fun night, a celebration of the year just gone and looking forward to the next and a chance to meet members old and new. This newsletter has been hijacked (in a good way) by members who have been out and about competing for SWRC and wanted to write a report on their experience. These reports will hopefully inspire you to help, take part or just to come along and see what happens in any of the riding club activities. AGM Friday November 25 th This is a fabulous social evening and always well attended, especially as we hold it at Bird and Carter Farm shop which seems pretty central for most people. It is a chance to catch up with members and celebrate the success of 2016 and look forward to 2017. The committee have been busy planning for winter and 2017, so please come along and support your club. We would love you to bring along new ideas and feedback from anything you have done this year. What can we do better? What would you like to see or do? The AGM is free to attend but if you would like to eat a meal a wonderful buffet supper is available. Supper tickets are 12 in advance from Alice Stone Mob: 07803000057 Email: alice.stone6@icloud.com Time: 6.45 10pm Where: Bird and Carter Farm Shop. Tel 01722 744177 Just off the A36, SP20 between Wilton and South Newton A big thank you to all our sponsors for your support throughout the year. Nadder Valley Equine, Keith Markillie photography, Imagine Dressage and Toby Crocker Ltd, Equi n Ice, Wiltshire Life, Equine Health, Foxy Tweed A very special thank you to Jayne Parsons who is not actually a sponsor but supports SWRC by providing the most excellent food and cakes at many of our events.
Reflection on SWRC Dressage Championship Day By Daisy Weir During a routine meeting, the SWRC committee decided that after all the fabulous hard work people had been putting in with their horses throughout the year (and getting some equally fabulous results), that there should be a dressage championships. As someone who considers themselves a nervous rider and not one who suits the discipline of dressage, but who had been doing surprisingly well on the lovely It s Without Prejudice (aka Sam) with the help of Sarah Mitchell-Sheppard, I can tell you that as lovely an idea as this was, it wasn t great for nerves. Sam and I had had some interesting moments over the year but somehow managed to keep cool in the ring and get some pretty consistent results so already I was feeling the pressure. To qualify for the event, the horse/rider combination had to have been placed 1 st 6 th at any of the SWRC dressage events and they then received an email invitation. The class they were entered into for the championship was dictated by whichever class you qualified in, so Sam and I were taking on the Prelim 19. The 18 th of September is the date we were given in the invitation email and the day was comprised of three classes an Intro, a Prelim and a Novice (each consisting of between 7 and 18 competitors). This was a glorious event, complete with good weather, delicious refreshments and a mounted prize giving after each class. We were lucky enough to have the event held at Teffont Manor Farm, with warm up being in the outdoor arena and tests being judged in the indoor, each surrounded by stunning countryside. The day was a huge success, with Sarah Mitchell-Sheppard managing to juggle collecting test sheets and adding up scores, giving riders their 5 minute calls, and preparing herself for motherhood as I constantly asked her if I was in the right place, if I was doing the right thing, and if it was ok to feel so nervous as I doubted the use of my legs she coped very well. After qualifying for the dressage championships, I had no other goal other than to get round the test with as few mistakes as possible under no circumstances did I ever expect to be given the title of Prelim Champion 2016. I would love to dedicate my win to Sarah as a massive thank you for all she has done for me this past year as without her, none of what I had achieved would have been possible. Daisy Weir and Sam Prelim Champions SWRC Dressage Championships 2016
Well, what a fantastic time we had! NAF National Championships Lincoln2016 By Martine Kemmish We arrived at the showground after a long drive and our nerves were working overtime, so we had a bottle of Prosecco and a gentle hack around the showground to settle down, not actually in that order! Horses and riders settled into the overnight accommodation although neither got much sleep, what with the torrential rain and the wind trying its hardest to remove the stable roofs! COMPETITION DAY The rain still pouring we checked out the course which was up to height and had a few questions (well it was the championships) team spirit was high. The horses and riders all did a great job, Jessie Gibbons on Twiggy a borrowed horse thanks to Sarah Mitchell Sheppard, Sheri Start on her own Billy, Sally Williams on her own Lulu and me, Martine Kemmish on my own Tilly. We had a few poles down so sadly out of the ribbons but we all had a fantastic time and what an achievement just to get there! The team support was amazing, we had a lot of fun and laughter and took home some great memories and lots of wet clothes! I want to thank SWRC for giving me the opportunity to compete and to my team mates for making it such a fantastic experience thanks ladies here s to next year??!! I also want to say a special thank you to Gary Gibbons for being our team helper for the day, sitting in the rain of the main SJ arena picking up poles! Without Gary volunteering to be our helper the team would not have been able to go to the Championships. So, thanks again Gary from us all.
Blenheim Riding Club Eventers 90cm Challenge SWRC were lucky enough to put in a team for the RC Eventers Challenge in September. The team consisted of Donna Boyd on Freddy, Shuna Cameron on Huggy, Alice Stone on Pippa and Zoe Denham on Fleur, accompanied by our Team Manager Sarah Mitchell-Sheppard. It was a challenging course as you would expect for the Championships and the team had a few unlucky poles down which meant they were out of the ribbons but 20 th out of 45 teams was still a good result. This wasn t all bad because it then meant they could then go and have a look around the main XC course and go shopping! All agreed it was a fabulous experience and they were very proud to be there representing their club. New Members A warm welcome to all our new members who have joined us recently, in fact I know some of you have represented SWRC in teams already! So please enjoy everything that the club has to offer. Clem Martin, Virginia Neal, Emma Wills, Alyson Diggle-Perry and Jemma Maunders. New Jumping and Flatwork Instructors Julia Cory BHSII -We now offer group lessons with Julia Cory for Flatwork at Fonthill Outdoor School 16 pp. Julia is a very experienced Instructor and enjoys teaching Flat work and dressage. Fred Scala -Fred is an International Event Rider and Coach based in Stratford Tony and specialises in Show Jumping and producing Sports Horses. Individual lesson 35 group 25 at Stratford Tony Tallulah and Alice enjoying a lesson with Fred Scala
Thank You to Sarah Mitchell-Sheppard By Shuna Cameron. Well, another great flatwork lesson with Sarah Mitchell Shepherd last week and away to gridwork and jumping work with Sarah again today. We are a lucky Riding Club to have Sarah as our coach/teacher. When I realised Huggy (my horse) was going to be quite a project and that I mayneed some extra help with his training I re-joined the South Wilts Riding Club. I had previously been a member but had been away from it for some years due to work and family commitments. Sarah is always very patient and encouraging as I spent most of the early lessons apologising for near misses as Huggy spooked and bucked about the place. And so the years marched on (!) as Huggy eventually strengthened up from a croup high, sunken backed exuberant and spooky character to a more focussed and able enthusiast who just loves riding club gatherings. He loves all lessons and especially enjoys the Christmas party with all the music and happy atmosphere and I think it is because of this happy, friendly atmosphere that Huggy has blossomed at Riding Club. Sarahs coaching is of a modern standard which is considerably higher than when I started out! The creativity of the lessons is always refreshing and her cross country teaching is progressive and sensible, so no one gets a fright but comes away having achieved something. Sarah is also happy to support us at events and provide ponies and horses for her own clients. So aren't we lucky! Also I would love to say a big thank you to Donna for being such a fab chairwoman and such a professional rider in her own right. Thank you Shuna, I am sure Sarah will be delighted with your praise. We have regular Instruction from Sarah MS and Di Burgess as well as guest instructors, so we hope the club provides a variety of instruction and times for all levels of ability. Points Update Don t forget that Donna is keeping a very detailed spreadsheet of all the points that members have been awarded throughout the year. The points are given for taking part in competitions but also for helping, so everyone has an opportunity to gain points and you don t have to actually ride.
DATES for your Diary 2016/2017 Here are dates for your diary but please keep an eye on our Face Book page and website for full details. October Saturday 29 th : Winter league Show Jumping. Downlands Friday 25 th : AGM at Bird and Carter November Saturday 27 th : Winter League Show Jumping. Downlands Saturday 10 th : Christmas Show. Teffont December January 2017 Saturday 14 th : Winter League Show Jumping. Downlands February Sunday 5 th : Winter League Show Jumping Championship Show. Tidworth Equestrian Centre Please see the Website and our Face Book page for details of all our regular events and instruction Committee Members 2016 Chairman Donna Boyd 01380 488255 donnaboyd1@sky.com Treasurer Janice Mitchell 01722 714342 jembobuk@aol.com Secretary/Team Entries Janice Mitchell Training/Membership Sarah Mitchell-Sheppard 07843603147 sarahmitch66@aol.com First Aider/CPO Sarah Mitchell-Sheppard Publicity Laura Roberts 01747871367 deadtreeuk@aol.com Newsletter/Website Sheri Start 07986604564 sheristart@hotmail.co.uk Lesson Admin Alice Stone 07803000057 alice.stone6@icloud.com