Appledore and District Newsletter August 2007

							       Appledore and District Newsletter August 2007




        Coming up very soon - floods and FMD permitting:

      25th August our fun show at Oakhouse Farm
       Get your entries in early for a £2.00 reduction if you enter 3 or more
       classes!

      Tuesday 14th August, 6pm Jumping Rally with Midge Carey,
       Oakhouse Farm
       Come and try out the new club jumps with the help of a top local
       instructor.      Contact Katie for details and to book ASAP!!.
       lillyput1180@hotmail.com or ring Katie before 8pm on 758408.


      22nd September Combined Training Oakhouse Farm

      6th October Eventer’s Challenge Oakhouse Farm

      13th October session with instruction over Eventer’s Challenge
       course.



Other Club News
The committee are hoping to go on a riding focused First Aid Course. The
cost will be about £50.00 per head and it will take place at Kerry’s Farm
near Stone. All club members are welcome ring Kerry if you are interested
758416. Date to be arranged.

Check out the up to date web site. Thanks to Georgina and Katie for giving
it a great facelift! To have a look go to www.freewebs.com/adra

Out and about
Members have been getting out and about despite the floods and other
trials and tribulations:

Katie and Louisa, Sue and Siobhan flew the flag for Appledore at the
Chilham Trec competition. Competitors come from far and wide to compete
in these competitions which are run under BHS rules. Katie and Louisa with
Fenn and Ed came 2nd in the level 2 section, which is a splendid achievement.

Katie and Fenn were in the ribbons again at the Rother Riding Club One Day
Event, where they came 1st.

Our gallant treccies were all set to go to Uckfield for the Trec on 4/5
August but sadly this was cancelled due to F&M. This would have been a Trec
debut for Georgina and Stacey. Georgina went off to do some jumping at
Ingleden instead and won the 2’9” with Xenia and 3’ with Artemis!

More news on the exploits of Georgina, Xenia and Artemis below:
      In mid-July ‘Team Hayselden’ - Anne, myself, Hayselden Artemis and
      Hayselden Xenia (both full sisters to Brenda’s Bella) set forth for the British
      Connemara Pony Society’s Annual Breed Show which was being held at
      Moreton Morrell Agricultural College.

      The Breed Show is traditionally a complete and utter disaster for me so I went
      with absolutely no expectations at all. It was a very busy three days as Anne
      is Chairman of the Society which was also celebrating its Diamond Jubilee
      year so there were two dinners to attend as well as the In-hand show on the
      Friday where I was stewarding.

      We stay in the college accommodation (where I always feel like I should be
      back writing assignments!) and the ponies stay in the college stables which
      are very nice and comfortable. It is a great show with a really lovely friendly
      feel to it and always nice to see some of the best Connemara ponies in the
      country gather in one place to compete against each other, as well as
      catching up with friends and seeing many of Artemis and Xenia’s relatives.

      On the Saturday I crawled out of bed and got Xenia ready for our first class -
      the Performance Pony qualifier (you do a set show of walk, trot, medium trot,
      canter, gallop, halt for 3 seconds and then go straight into jumping a course
      of jumps). She went really nicely and popped round clear so I was very
      pleased. Rushed back and got Artemis who was also doing the same class.
      She went beautifully and did some fabulous medium trot in her show then
      jumped a really fluent round. There were 22 entered so I wasn't expecting
      anything. I rushed back to take her studs out and change her saddle for
      dressage and then meandered back up to see who had won.

      I nearly fell off with shock when Anne appeared to tell me that Artemis, yes
      Artemis, had won it beating several professionals who traditionally win it!!!!! I
      have never won a red rosette at the Breed Show so was completely
      overcome. She was also the best British Bred pony in the class so I got a nice
      rosette for that too. And to top it all off Xenia was fourth. Anyway this meant
      I had to go in the Performance Pony Final so quick tack change again to
      compete against those who had qualified at other shows around the country
      during the year. She went very nicely again and I was thrilled to finish third!

      I finally made it to do my dressage (Novice 27) and Artemis did a super test.
      Not the most flamboyant she has ever done but very correct and accurate
      and she finished 2nd in that! Plus she was Best British Bred again!

      Rushed off to put Art away for a bit and change for Xenia's ‘National Pony
      Society Follywood Intermediate WHP’. I shot up to the ring to find I was the
      last one to jump and I hadn't walked the course! She pinged round; not
      looking at any of the fillers and making nothing of the extreme dog leg
      between fences which saw several of the prime contenders come to grief, and
      then did a lovely show with an amazing gallop (which was helped by the cows
      in the next door field running around!). I couldn't believe it when I was called
      out second! The judges were very complimentary about her which is always
      particularly nice as this was only her second attempt at an Intermediate.

      Then I whizzed her off to do her dressage. She did an ok test - Novice 27 is a
      bit advanced for her, but she finished 8th out of 19 so not too bad!

      Next class was the ‘NPS Intermediate ridden’ which Artemis was doing. She
      was very tired by now and rather flat and although she was correct, she
      lacked sparkle and obviously didn't catch the judge’s eye at all so we didn't
      come anywhere.

      To finish it all off I took Xenia in the WHP championship. We didn't get
      anywhere but it was the first time I have ever been in a championship at the
      Breed Show so it meant a lot to me just to be there with her, particularly, as
      some of you know, she was reputed not to jump when she first came back to
      Anne!

      There was a Championship for the Best British Bred winners as well but poor
      Artemis was far too tired to do that.

      We packed up and were just about to leave when we were told that Xenia had
      also come 2nd in the Open Combined Training which was her dressage and
      WHP class combined together.

      What a day! We drove home on a high and finally got back at 11.30pm with
      two incredibly tired ponies, one half-dead but elated rider and a very tired but
      happy owner/breeder! It also transpired after the show that Penny and Anne
      had won the trophy for the breeders of the ponies gaining most points at the
      show as each placing counts for a number of points, and we were all over the
      moon to see both girls names appear in the write up in Horse & Hound.


Well done George and Anne, the ponies always look beautiful when they come
to club events and their achievements are a credit to you both!
Team ADRA
Our riders and ponies were on show again at Blue Barn for the Collette’s
Horse Shows Team Jumping. Sadly there were only 2 teams but our team
did us proud and won in fine style. Our ponies and riders were beautifully
turned out and did a wonderful job.

Bella has been on her hols but has been too lazy to write about it. Brenda
will try and coax her into putting hoof to key shortly.