The closing date for the Hunter Trials this Sunday (16th) is tomorrow ! Tuesday 11th !
The weather is looking good but as time goes on that could change, last year we had to cancel some events in October due to weather – so get your entry in today !
To enter this event just <Click Here>.
Times for the Ossie Ward One Day Event are now available on the website – <Click Here> and scroll down.
Weather look good !
If you’re not competing, why not drop in and spectate ? First dressage rider starts at 10:30 and last cross country rider should be starting at about 13:30.
Last day for entries to the Ossie Ward Show !
The forecast is still good….
Some rain will move eastwards across the UK on Wednesday, but from Thursday into the weekend it will probably become more settled,…….Though there may be some chilly nights, there will still be some warmer days…… Through the rest of the period there are signals for dry, bright and warm weather to become more widely established (Met Office)
…..and the number of entries has been building steadily over the last couple of weeks.
It’s a fun, relaxed, event and everybody is welcome as are family, friends, and picnics. Mix and match from dressage, show jumping, and/or cross country.
Go on…….get your entry in today ! Just <Click Here>.
The Ossie Ward One Day Event is on September 1st (a week this Saturday) but because of the more complex organization the entries close tomorrow (Friday 24th) !
The weather is looking good :-
“Some rain is possible on Wednesday across the UK, but the end of the week looks like becoming dry and bright away from the far northwest. Though nights may be chilly, it will become warm during the day. At the start of September there are signals for dry, bright and warm weather to become more widely established,” (Met Office)
….and we’re all ready to host what looks like being a really enjoyable day.
The event caters for all levels and we’ll make sure there’s a photographer around to capture those “moments” for you all !
Bring your friends, bring your family, bring a picnic, it’s a great day out for everyone !
If you want to have a look at the event <Click Here>. You can enter on this page too.
Well what a cracker of a Summer, for some of us it has been a little too much, but we really mustn’t grumble, winter will be soon around the corner!
We have had a very busy Summer so far, and lots more planned for the rest of this month & September giving riders the opportunity to enjoy all three disciplines.
Social
We held our second social of the year, for members and their guests, in early July – a Pud & Quiz evening, hosted by Clive and Rita West – although we would have liked to have seen more members, 20 attended, we had great fun, the puds were scrummy, the quiz produced a barrel of laughs, Heidi Ford entertained us with her SJ prowess and we welcomed some new members to the club, Inge and her partner Craig, who grabbed the opportunity to make new friends and if that wasn’t good enough, the club bolstered its funds by £90.
Evening Dressage
Later in July the club ran another evening dressage – gosh, we were bowled over by the increase in entries, when compared to those held in previous years, so much so, that we declared the event FULL, 20 tests were ridden, incl 4 to music, the latter seems to be growing in popularity and we shall indeed run some more FSM, especially now that the integral arena sound system has now been repaired. We also saw some new riders taking part, which is always a delight, thanks to Jo Lees for judging and Bridget Howse for writing.
Dressage Clinic
Just a couple of days after the evening dressage, we ran our first dressage clinic, at Little Park with Katerina Cox, the indoor arena is fabulous, plenty of room and those that attended thoroughly enjoyed themselves and Mike, who oversees the venue took great pleasure in welcoming us there and telling all about the major works going on to improve the facilities, which will include two new outdoor arenas, all at reasonable cost, so we do hope to arrange further clinics there later in the year.
Le Trec
Nic & Mark Lambourne ran another popular Le Trec clinic for the club at the end July, with different obstacles, to test the partnership of horse and rider, I do recall seeing Bugs Bunny at some point!
Evening Dressage
This coming Friday 10th Aug sees another full house at our evening dressage, with yet some more new faces joining us, our thanks go to Kathryn Tudor, show secretary and to Alyce King ( judge ) & Rhiannen for writing.
Future Events for your diary: see website for full details
12th & 25th Aug – XC clinic with Katie Withers.
1st Sept – ODE / CT at Ravensbrook ( Pick & Mix Classes)
16th Sept – Hunter Trial, Ravensbrook
22nd Sept – Pleasure Ride at Bibury – members and their guest only, full details on website and fb page.
7th Oct – Hunter Trial, Ravensbrook
13th Oct – our first ever Riding Dressage Test clinic, Ravensbrook, with Jo Lees, if successful, shall run some more with other judges & trainers.
So come and join us and have some fun with your horse 😊
Rita – Chair
and finally…….
Q: Did you hear about the horse with the negative altitude?
A: She always said Neigh
(I think we’ve all been there ! Ed.)
Hi all,
Well we are still in the midst of a heatwave – who would have thought it after the winter that we had! We have had some successful events so far this summer with good support, and it has been good to see members out and doing things.
All club information is available on our website North Wiltshire Saddle Club and our Facebook Group.
Our summer / autumn programme is as follows. Entries can be made online via our website, or just click on the links below !
August
Sun 5 – All Weather Canter Track Afternoon
Fri 10 – Evening Dressage
Sun 12 – Cross Country Schooling with Katie Withers
Sat 25 – Cross Country Schooling with Katie Withers
September
Sat 1 – Ossie Ward One Day Event
Sun 16 – Hunter Trial
Sat 22 – Members Pleasure Ride at Bibury
October
Sun 7 – Hunter Trial
Sat 13 – Dressage Test Clinic with Jo Lees
Look forward to seeing you soon !
Kathryn – Event Secretary
Good news or the bad news first?
Let’s get the bad news out of the way, sadly due to a lack of any entries, the club had to cancel one event scheduled in June, at Rectory Farm ( 2nd June SJ Practice).
Charity Pleasure Ride
But on the flip side, 17th June saw our very popular charity pleasure ride, held on the Charlton Park Estate, we enjoyed larger than usual pre-entries and a super turnout of riders on the day, in total more than 100 took part.
The weather was kind, think a lack of sun kept those pesky horse-flies at bay, and all who rode around the course thoroughly enjoyed themselves, special thanks must go to those who organised the ride, notably Angie, assisted by Ann, Janet & Julie and of course the helpers / stewards around the course, without whom no-one would be able to participate.
Although we still need to settle one bill, we believe the club & riders will have raised the magnificent sum of £1500 for charity, which will be donated as soon as possible, to;
– Watershed RDA group £500
– Wilts Air Ambulance £700
– Charlton PCC £300
We look forward to seeing you all again in 2019.
Dressage Competition
This was followed by our dressage competition, held at Rookery Farm, Hankerton ( 24th June , long arena dressage, incl FSM ). Despite initially very low entries, (we considered cancelling it !) we decided to press ahead, due to the generosity of Mark Greenhill, who was extremely accommodating regarding the venue hire fee.
With a flurry of entries, it became our best supported dressage competition this season ! so many thanks to all those who took part, including some travelling from Chepstow & Frome.
We were able to host riders, who enjoyed the opportunity to practice 60m tests, including four who opted to ride prelim, novice or elementary freestyle to music. For one rider, Dawn, this was a momentous and emotional occasion, riding her very first dressage competition, despite having ridden for more than 40 years!
Thanks go to our judge, Niki Compton and helpers, Kathryn Tudor, Kim Lewis, Clive & Hannah West & Margaret Howell.
The club is trying to be a little more adventurous in what we offer to riders, ie. events and location, but whether we continue to do so is wholly dependent on support from you, so your feedback is most welcome.
Dates for your diary
All events are open to non-members, unless otherwise specified. You can see that even though our club, run by volunteers, has limited resources (human and financial) we still try to offer as many fun activities for riders to enjoy.
All event details, can be viewed on our website / FB page.
6th July – Pud & Quiz night, at Oaklea Stables, off Queen St, nr Minety, for members and guest only. £5 per head. Closing date 29th June.
20th July – Evening Dressage Judge Jo Lees. Ravensbrook Farm
22nd July – Dressage Clinic at Little Park ( Wootton Bassett ) with Katerina Cox.
28th July – Arena Trec workshop. Ravensbrook, with Mark & Nicky Lambourne.
10th Aug – Evening Dressage, Ravensbrook, judge Alyce King, details to follow shortly.
1st Sept – One Day Event / Combined Training at Ravensbrook ( Pick & Mix Classes)
16th Sept – Hunter Trial, Ravensbrook
30th Sept – Pleasure Ride at Bibury. members and guest only, details to follow shortly.
7th Oct – Hunter Trial, Ravensbrook
13th Oct – our first ever Riding Dressage Test clinic, Ravensbrook, with Jo Lees, if successful, shall run some more with other judges & trainers.
So come and join us and have some fun with your horse 😊
and finally…….
Q: What’s a horse’s favourite TV show ?
A: Neighbours !
Dressage at Rookery Farm on Sunday 24th June
Ever wanted to know what it’s like to compete in a long arena, now is your chance! Choice of tests from Prelim – Elementary.
Closing date is 8pm Monday 18th June. <Click Here> for more information.
Charlton Park Pleasure Ride 2018
It’s the Charlton Park Pleasure Ride next week ! Sunday 17th June. If you want to pre book at the lower price then <Click Here>.
This is always a very enjoyable and well attended event ! The forecast is looking good and the final preparations are in place for the course. Stewards have been organised although Angie would still be delighted to hear from anyone that could offer some help (angie.ponting@btinternet.com).
Dressage Competition at Rookery Farm
There is still time to prepare and enter the dressage competition at Rookery Farm, Hankerton on Sunday 24th June. It’s a lovely arena and there are different classes on offer including a dressage to music class – So get your dancing shoes out, and have some fun with music – you can make it up as you go along if you like – the judge may never know, as long as you include all the essential movements! It is held on a long arena, and if music is not your thing, there are also straight dressage tests. Come along and have a go….<Click Here> for details.
Other Stuff
If you want to see the full saddle club programme of events <Click Here>.
Don’t forget to check out our Facebook page.
and finally……
Q: What is the best type of story to tell a runaway horse?
A: A tale of WHOA!
See you all at Charlton Park !
North Wiltshire Saddle Club 