Our team won the NAF Riding Club Inter-Branch Team Challenge for the second consecutive year on April 11th, the final day of the BD Winter Championships at Hartpury. Our score of 1170 points put us 9 points ahead of the Malvern Hills Riding Club, with the Frampton Family Riding Club third on 1149 points in a competition which was of higher standard than last year, with the result in doubt until almost the very end.
Tammie Norton and Ballymax, looking better than ever, were the only combination from last year's winning team competing again, though Tiggi Bentley, who rode last year on Daniel Manning's Wizard E, this year borrowed Claire Matheson's stunning Bon Garcon for the second highest score of the competition - not bad, on a horse she had ridden only twice before the big day! (Incidentally, this chestnut 7-year-old Hanoverian, who looks likely to excel at dressage, but also jumps well, is for sale.) Claire herself, riding on an Isis team for the first time, rode a super test on her event horse Billy, scoring just two more points than lead rider Catarina Eriksson with the reliable Braveheart. This was a real solid team effort and all four riders did a great job.
As Isis times were all early, and there had been no official presentation of prizes last year, contrary to information in the schedule, it seemed sensible to get horses home rather than hang about till the competition finally ended. Consequently, I was the only official Isis connection left at 6pm when over the speaker system came the announcement that the team prizes would be presented on foot in the International Arena just before the Medium Open prizegiving...Whoops! And of course I was in jeans, not proper riding dress.
Panic stations...irate stewards demanding that someone correctly clad collected the loot. In desperation I asked Damian Hallam, who was waiting for his prizegiving, to help us out, and he gallantly leapt off his horse, only to be ordered back on by the now apoplectic steward. A friend who had very kindly stayed till the end, then rushed off to find anyone in riding clothes and came back with a bemused middle-aged lady, name unknown, in riding dress but no hat, who was sent in to collect a rosette and goody bag. She scurried out, and then the other two teams, correctly attired, went in for prizes and photos. Finally I crept in and retrieved our other team prizes.... Hala Bentley
Despite being reduced to three riders, our team performed magnificently yesterday to win the team dressage (25 teams competing), and to place second in the riding test team competition. This is the first time Isis has won the novice qualifier - let's hope that the weather at Lincoln is better than it was last year!
Sue Newman and the amazing 20-year-old Jacob were first to go, producing a super test for a score of 160 and 3rd place in her arena. Jill Smith and her lovely Dutch warmblood x Andalusian, Miss Marple, continued the good work with a flowing, accurate test, scoring 159 for 4th place in Arena 2. Finally, Janine Allen Robertson produced the test of the day with Millie-B-Magic to win her arena on 181. This combination recently won the Area 18 ODE qualifier for the second year running - what a versatile mare Millie is!
In the riding tests, Sue scored 110 (11th) and Jill 129 (5th) in Riding Test 6, while Janine won Riding Test 8 for the second year on 147. The winners, West Oxfordshire, contained an Isis member!
The weather was Mediterranean, the going was reasonable, and a great day was had by all!
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REPORT BY SHEENA GRIERSON ON KINGS LEAZE DRESSAGE FESTIVAL AT BURROW COURT, GLOS ON MONDAY 25TH MAY, 2009
On Monday, 25th May a strong contingent of Isis Members went to the Kings Leaze Riding Club Dressage Festival held at Burrows Court, Gloucestershire. We fielded two teams : The Isis Babes – Janine Allen Robertson, Vicki Randell and Jill Smith and The Isis Belles – Lindsey Stribling, Jo White and Jenny Lithgow.
I started the day as Chauffeur and Trainer for the riders from our yard (Jo, Lindsey and Vicki) and soon had to add another ‘hat’, taking over for Hala Bentley as Chef d’Equipe as she was unable to attend with a very sick dog at home.
Janine was a last minute substitute for Catarina Eriksson whose horse was lame. Janine and her horse Milly had already had an extremely long day on the Sunday at the Area 18 Show Jumping near Malvern – being out a total of 11 hours! Her Novice 26 test was calm and fairly obedient and scored well with 65.51% finishing 5th in that class. Jenny also did that class and, having realised just before she went in that she was doing her Novice test before the Prelim and therefore was not sure she knew it property, I read her test for her, and she produced an accurate, well ridden test for 64.44% and finished 8th. Jill was just behind on 63.33%.
Lindsey and Jo contested the Prelim 12 as a warm up test, with Lindsey scoring 62.00% with an even test and Jo having a few problems with her mare’s tension and inattentiveness, scoring 51.00%
For the main team test Janine went first and produced an excellent test scoring 74.5%, getting the Isis Babes off to a good start. Lindsey had a few problems with Jackaroo, as he had spotted the sheep in a nearby paddock after the first test; this produced a less flowing test with some nice moments, but also some tension, for 57.08%. Vicki rode a very accurate test which flowed well for 67.5%, keeping the Babes score up on her first team outing. Then Jo produced a much improved test for 61.25% for the Isis Belles, also her first team ride.
With the last riders to go, Jill rode an accurate test for 65.83% and Jenny a super test for 70%, bring the Belles score right up.
So the Isis Babes won by a margin of 20 points (with a final score of 499) over the KLRC Red team and the Isis Belles were 4th with a final score of 452.
It was a great day with a friendly atmosphere and nice weather, not too wet or too hot! It was also a great result for both our teams, giving some valuable experience for riders and horses.
After a brief panic at the Junior Qualifier, where one parent had forgotten to bring the pony’s vaccination certificate, and the copy with the Area 18 data base was not deemed sufficient, it may be worth reminding competitors that they should always carry their horse’s passport while travelling. If you don’t like to leave the original in your vehicle, why not keep a copy on board? But don’t forget to update it each year, if you are competing with BRC!
If you want to compete in BRC teams, these are the vaccination requirements: the first two injections between 21 and 92 days apart (horses may compete after receiving these two vaccinations) followed by a third between 150 and 215 days later. Then annual boosters not more than 365 days apart, but no injection must have been given within 7 days of a competition. If you send a copy to the team manager, she will do the checking for you!
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