British Riding Clubs

West Midland Riding Clubs

Shrewsbury and District Riding Club

Shropshire South Riding Club

Worcester & District Riding Club

Mercia TREC Club

Bromsgrove District Riding Club

Competitions for all

British Riding Clubs (BRC) has teamed up with Interdressage to offer every BRC member an opportunity to compete internationally and win fabulous prizes for themselves and their riding club or riding club centre – no matter where they ride.

• ·     Do you want to compete for excellent prizes, prize money and fabulous rosettes?
• ·      Do you have limited funds?
• ·      Are you without transport or have no-one to drive you to a competition?
• ·      Do you need encouragement and positive feedback?
• ·      Do you own a bad-to-load horse or pony?
• ·      Do you have a young or unpredictable horse or pony?
• ·      Do you suffer from competition nerves?
• ·      Are you limited for time?
• ·      Do you think you are not ready to travel to a competition?

Then British Riding Clubs and Interdressage could have the answer!

BRC and Interdressage have formed a new BRC League which will be available online at www.interdressage.com and will run from May 2010 to April 2011. The contest is designed to encourage more riding club and riding club centre members to ‘give dressage a go’ by making it possible for them to ride their tests in a relaxed manner in the comfort of familiar surroundings.

The tests just need to be videoed and submitted to Interdressage for judging. All that is required is a level surface with markers.

The new league will be divided into two sections – one for BRC members and one for BRC Riding Club Centre members, with the leading point scorer from both divisions receiving a jump package from Quality Show Jumps for their club or centre. The winning combinations in each category will also receive £125 of Ride-Away Vouchers. In addition, in recognition of all their hard work, the instructors from both sections will also be awarded £125 of Ride-Away Vouchers.

Competitors in both sections are automatically entered into Interdressage’s monthly competitions, giving riders a chance to compete internationally for:

• ·      Fantastic prizes/rosettes
• ·      Generous prize money
• ·      Superb achievement
• ·      Certificates
• ·      Positive/constructively marked score sheets
  Entering is easy!
  All you need is:

• ·      A digital camera to video your test
• ·      Access to a computer
• ·      A level area to ride on
• ·      Someone to video your test

Riders from all over the world already compete each month via video for rosettes, prize money and points. The Interdressage website was launched in 2007 by freelance riding instructor Karina Hawkridge and has developed into a successful medium for providing a competition format for riders who may otherwise be unable to compete at a ‘live’ event.

Competitors visit the site and choose from a comprehensive list of classes from that month’s schedule. All the dressage tests have been specifically written for Interdressage with movements and transitions placed at the optimum point for the judge to score via video. The dressage tests range from Walk and Trot through to Advanced, with Riders Tests and Style and Performance Tests which include up to five jumps.

All the tests are adjudicated by listed BD judge and rider Glynis Mills, with help and feedback from Karina Hawkridge. She says: “We remain positive and upbeat with all our comments and advice. Both Glynis and I have competed for many years and one recurring bugbear among fellow competitors is sometimes the lack of constructive comments on your score sheet.

“We always put a comprehensive and helpful comment in every box. Our aim is to encourage more people to have fun with their horse, to help them adopt correct training methods and to offer our help and support”.

Riders can compete in as many classes as they like for just £10 per class. Entry is direct via Interdressage. All classes will be run under Interdressage rules (see www.interdressage.com).

For further information, contact Annette Falkingham at British Riding Clubs on 01926 707861.
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RIDING CLUBS REPORT – JANUARY 2010

Since our last meeting BRC has lost its Chairman, Laurie Punnett, who died last Autumn following a lengthy battle against cancer, he will be sorely missed. Our new Chairman is Peter Buist

On a happier note once gain the Midlands clubs did very well at the BRC National Championships.

• The Atherstone Junior Teams were National Champions at the Winter Dressage Championships in April, with Beatrice Payne again individual Champion which meant that in one competition year she was National Dressage Champion in all the possible championships - Summer, Winter, Pairs and Dressage to Music.

• A Buckingham rider, Joanna Eeley (Romeo Elm) became the National Senior Open Champion at the Festival of the Hunter at Aston le Walls in May

• Rugby’s, Jodie Stokes and Tinkerman, and Stoneleigh’s Helen Forster and Naphtalia De Layne, were the National Combined Competition Champions (Riding Test & Style Jumping) Junior and Senior respectively also at the Festival of the Hunter at Aston le Walls in May

• A Stoneleigh rider, Clare Boardman (Nautical Lass) became the National Senior Novice Horse Trails Champion at Aston le Walls in August.

• At the National Championships at Lincoln in September Atherstone’s Jordan Sinclair and Pepsi were the National Junior Open Show Jumping Champions

We also had a new series of Competitions in 2009 culminating in a Championships at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in May.  The various competitions were Junior and Senior Riding Test Junior and Senior Novice Top Score and Junior and Senior Intermediate Top Score. Two Stoneleigh riders were placed, Susan Bullock (Zenaca) was 4th in the Senior Riding Test and Rachel Horton Barr was the Senior Intermediate Top Score Champion. In 2010 the six winners of the RWHS Championships will all win an all expenses paid 5 day trip to the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky

In the Summer we had two Midlands Riding Club members in the GB Team at the European CIC** Championships (the old Rural Riders) in Hungary where we gained the Team and Individual Bronze Medals, out best result ever. We have been asked to host the 2011 European CIC** Championships and this is being actively investigated currently.

In 2009 we moved our Horse Trials Championships from Offchurch to Aston le Walls, in 2010 we will be moving the Dressage to Music Championships from Addington to Aintree Equestrian Centre.

In 2010 we have re-named the Festival of the Hunter the Festival of the Horse and have included more showing classes.

In 2010 we will also be trialling a new Regional Hunter Trails Championships in the North, if successful we will be holding three Regional Championships in 2011, North South and Central.
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