Rallies & Programme

Rallies with Anita Freter will start at 10.30am.

Rallies at Dyfed Riding Centre will start at 10.00am unless otherwise stated.

Please contact Muriel Gill on 07940 488301 for rallies at Dyfed Riding Centre and with Anita Freter at least 48 hours in advance. Anyone failing to notify Muriel of a cancellation will be expected to pay the full rally fee £18 per lesson.

 Please contact  Petra on her mobile to book in for the show jumping and pole work rallies at Bailey Farm. (Evening rallies)

These dates will  also be posted on Facebook - Mobile: 07977 210660

TIVYSIDE RIDING CLUB NEWSLETTER

www.tivysiderc.co.uk & Facebook group

November 2023

Next committee meeting  Tuesday 9^th January 2024

 Diary Dates 2024

Sunday 31^st December TRC Christmas Show at Starlight Riding Centre

Sunday 7^th January TRC Members Show Jumping at Bailey Farm

Saturday 20^th January 2024 Intro Area Qualifier at Amman Valley Pony Club

Sunday 18^th February 2024 – Members Dressage st Starlight Riding Centre

Intermediate Show Jumping  - before end of March 24 – Carmarthen Show Ground

5^th October 2024 - Bailey Farm Area Novice Show Jumping

19th/20th October 2024  - Area Intermediate Dressage  Pibwrlwyd Carmarthen

9th/10th November 2024 - Area Novice Dressage

Presentation of Awards 2023

Dressage – Kerry  Anne Knight

Show Jumping – Belinda Price

Rally  Shield – Michaela Just (Horse and Rider who have benefited most from rally attendance)

Night Cap trophy – Leanne Best

Lincoln trophy – Kerry  Anne Knight

Wenroc trophy – Wendy Roberts (achievements in Show Jumping)

Mary Watkins-Davies trophy  – Jo Collins

Appreciation trophy – Karen Jones

Dressage:

1^st        Kerry Anne Knight

2^nd        Leanne Best

3^rd        Jo Collins

4^th        Netty Jukes

Show Jumping:

1^st        Belinda Price

2^nd       Jim Fox

3^rd        Jo Collins

4^th        Sarah Morgan

Treasurer’s Report

Thank you to Dawn Hodson for all her hard work and diligence over the years in keeping the TRC purse strings tight.  May  we wish her all the best as she has chosen to retire from Treasurer and also  from the committee as her life is speeding up with the riding commitments of her daughter and family. A presentation will be given to her in  due course as a thank you from the committee and members.

Membership 2024 due 1^st January

Membership fees will remain at £35 for riding members and owing to the change to online membership £35 for non riders. Please contact Ruth Maczka should you need any advice about joining online. (ruthmaczka@gmail.com)

Chairman’s Report by Petra James

It has been a year since I have taken up the TRC  Chairman’s reins and my contact has been more or less consistent! Plus we have all survived the ride!  As a committee we meet once a month to determine the course of the club and to try to arrange something for everyone.

This started with a very informative and interactive talk on Worming, Laminitis and other associated equine problems given by Shaun McKane of Cotts Farm Equine Vets followed by  refreshments in aid of our chosen charity “The Welsh Air Ambulance”.

Our Christmas Show held at Starlight RC had to be re-scheduled due to the inclement weather conditions.  The new date  will remain at 31^st December which will still be Christmas themed.

The end of January saw the 1^st Area Qualifier of 2023 and TRC was well represented by  riders collecting rosettes of all different colours. Eleri Morgan, Christine Vaughan, Ruth Maczka, Kerry Anne Knight, Sophie Spiteri and Leanne Best.  The latter three going on to the Novice Championships at Arena UK and having a great time. Although being towed back to  Wales was a particular lowlight!

The Members only Dressage and Show Jumping competitions that we have arranged throughout the year at different venues have been well  supported and a lot of Fun. They  are designed to  be relaxed and informal and a great introduction for young horses, nervous and novice riders alike.

The Badminton bus was run again this year, taking advantage of the “early bird” offers on cheaper entry tickets with a stop  for breakfast and supper on the homeward journey. All who made the trip had a thoroughly enjoyable day out. With thanks to Sheila Coles for organising this event.

Many  thanks to Tracy Maczka for her willingness to take on the role as Official Steward for Area 21.  Without such stewards members would be unable to compete at Area Qualifiers.  This requires a great deal of personal time from the OS’s.

We as a committee did try to arrange  the Summer Area Show Jumping Qualifier but came up against excessive costs due to the First Aid requirements and it was deemed non-viable due to the reduction of competitors willing to  take part in both the Qualifiers and to go onto the Championships.

I can report that Sheila Coles  has attended the online safeguarding Training so is now both our Health & Safety,  & Safeguarding Officer.  Thank you Sheila.

Area Summer Dressage held at Carmarthen Show ground was efficiently run by Cwmamman RC and enjoyed by  Eleri Morgan, Leanne Best, Kerry Anne Knight and new Junior member Emily Anthony who subsequently qualified for the Championships held at Lincoln Show ground in September. Emily unfortunately  was unable to attend.

Nevern Show was next on the calendar and proved once again to be a great day out with TRC providing the Working Hunter course and then running the Show Jumping for TRC.  Thank you to all who  helped both on the day and the day before when the course was built and dressed.

At the Dressage to  Music Qualifier, Eleri and  Leanne were TRC representatives. Both did very well in qualifying for the Championships in their own  respective classes.

At the end of September our dressage riders, Kerry Anne Knight and Leanne Best made the long journey to Bury Farm for the Intro Championships as representatives of TRC. Very well done to you both.

Moving on to  the new season of qualifiers, TRC had a grand day out at our local venue Bailey Farm for the Novice Winter Show Jumping.  Out of the four entries we had we ended up with two winners and two placings.  Well done to Belinda Price for winning the 70cm and to  Wendy Roberts for her first prize in the 80cm.  Jason James and Hannah Warren were also placed in their classes.

We had entries for the Area Eventing both Junior and Senior but this competition has been postponed until the New Year.

Once again the Intermediate Dressage run by TRC was a success.  Due undoubtedly to the great organisation of Muriel Gill and the Tivyside team. Dressage stalwarts of Eleri Morgan, Chris Vaughan and Leanne Best were joined by new member Lucy Richards Lowe and junior member Amy Sibley for an enjoyable days  competition plus plenty  of rosettes. Amy won both of her classes and should be invited to compete at the Championships.

We are always looking for helpers whether it be an Area Qualifier or a Members Only Show, so please don’t be shy in coming forward even if you can only spare a few hours. Many  hands make light work.

The website and Facebook page are a really good way to keep in touch with any  upcoming dates, competitions and social events, but if you cannot access this, please get in touch with a committee member to put you in the loop!

A heartfelt thank you to all TRC members for your continued support and to  all our instructors whether regular or visiting.  Thank you also to all  the very hard working committee members who  support, encourage and prop me up/put me down when needs be.  Please forgive me if I have forgotten to mention or failed to thank anyone! (PJ)

Committee

We welcome Rebecca Morris and Mariette Sibley onto the committee.  Sheila Coles will now be in charge of the trophies and Netty Jukes will be taking over as Treasurer on the 1^st of January 2024.

Equine Welfare

Please can you all kindly read the page in your latest Rider magazine about equine Welfare.

SANDY BEAR CHARITY

Members have raised a very generous £353 which the club have topped up to £500 to donate to this worthy charity.

Intro Dressage Qualifier Saturday 20^th January 24

Schedule can be found on the BRC Area 21 Facebook page

(names to Sheila Coles  - sheilacoles@btinternet.com) by 28^th December.)

RESULTS AFTERNOON DRESSAGE

STARLIGHT RC SUNDAY 12^th November

INTRO B

1st - Michaela Just and Jerry with 73.91%

2nd - Kerry Knight and Diffy with 67.82%

3rd - Jo Collins and Towie with 65.87%

4th - Ruth Maczka and Coco with 65.43%

PRELIM 18

1st - Chris Vaughan and Sooty with 71.92%

2nd - Leanne Best and Rhubarb with 69.23%

3rd - Ruth Maczka and Coco with 68.46%

4th - Michaela Just and Jerry with 67.69%

NOVICE 28

1st - Leanne Best and Rhubarb with 71.46%

2nd - Emily Anthony and Clyde with 64.17%

3rd - Wendy Roberts and Betty with 63.13%

4th - Anna Bowen and Mystical Jadeite with 61.88%

ELEMENTARY 42

1st - Leanne Best and Rhubarb with 68.13%

2nd - Wendy Roberts and Betty with 60.16%

Well done to all who competed and thank you all for your continued support!

Journey of a Dressage STAR

Hi there – Paddy Power again.  I hate to start with a question, but is there a support group for extremely talented dressage horses with totally inept riders?

I’m having real problems with “Her on Top” - real problems…..  Firstly she thinks she’s in charge, why I don’t know as she knows so much less than me, and secondly she keeps singing.  The singing would be OK if she could just carry a tune.  We usually start with the Dusty Springfield power ballads (showing her age) and if all else fails we go to Onward Christian Soldiers.  Apparently this helps her breathe – just between us it might be better if she didn’t!

Aunty Muriel has been trying to instil some basic riding skills, but its a long and thankless battle, and sometimes, just sometimes I stop co operating just to demonstrate how inept she really is.

Anyway not to be diverted from our quest for glory and recognition in the field of dressage we set off for Moor Farm to take part in the Quest Winter League – obviously with my talent I am affiliated.  Warm up was OK in as much as HoT remembered to do a warm up rather than stop and natter to everyone she knew and then leave me to cough all the way up the centre line.  So, good start.  I was exceptionally good throughout the test and pretty certain I heard some gasps – but that may have been HoT.  Thought we had smashed it and might make an assault on the 60%.

But no, no, no she messed up – forgot to give and retake the reins twice! Walked early and Walked late – what's a boy to do?  We’ll gloss over the final mark but the judge wrote some very kind comments and called me handsome twice.

Later that day Aunty Chris arrived – I thought to commiserate – but no- to plait my mane. I WAS DOING ANOTHER COMPETITION THE FOLLOWING DAY! Childline on speed dial. We were off to the Area Inter/Winters – I was dreading the inept one showing me up in front of all those people.  Anyway after concentrating very hard and praying to the god of grass my prayers were answered and Aunty Chris was to ride me – phew.

I was especially pleased as Aunty Chris is half the weight of the inept one and actually knows how to ride, and I don’t think I need to tell you what a pleasant surprise that is to my almost given up hope aspirations.  We completed or should I say, I completed a just short of brilliant test.  Sadly it was mostly unaided as Aunty Chris seemed to stop breathing mid way through our first canter so I had to soldier on alone.  To her credit she pointed me in the right direction and was still with me at the end to stand a totally brilliant second place – that in our first ever test together.

Our next outing was the Tivyside members show and the inept one, Aunty Chris and I have agreed never to speak of it again.  I would just say I’m really sorry Aunty Chris………...