NEWS Winter League Showjumping @ Dryden 20 Nov 05 Ettrick Forest's second winter league showjumping competition held at Dryden on 20th November had a good entry, with a particularly large nursery class. Club members had a rare opportunity to compete against Ian Stark who won both the Nursery class with Chief and the Intermediate class with Bilingual. Mount Diamond Trooper with Rodger Cowan jumped consistently well to take 2nd place in the Nursery. Fyonnah Thomas with her own Advanta Gold won the novice class again to put her in a strong position to win the league title, which will be decided at the final indoor showjumping competition. Kimberly Jackson and Twighlight won the Open class, with Helen Bett and Grately Diva a close second. It was good to see club members progressing up the levels, with new names in the placings. The third and final winter league showjumping class will take place at Dryden on 11th December and will include a fancy dress pairs relay which will be entertaining for competitors and spectators alike. For results click here ------------------------ Winter League Showjumping @ Dryden 30 Oct 05 Sunday's torrential rain did not deter club members from competing at the first of Ettrick Forest's winter league showjumping competitions held in the indoor school at Dryden. There were good entries for the four classes and plenty of spectators. Standards were high in the Nursery class with four riders on double clears, and the second round's style mark deciding the places. Rodger Cowan took first place with Mount Diamond Trooper, an excellent achievement at this horse's first showjumping competition. Another new combination, Rhona Young with Dalla Dream, were a close second. Speed was the deciding factor in the Novice class with six competitors all on double clears. Fyonnah Thomas and Advanta Gold were in winning form, narrowly beating new committee member Marita Gibson on George. Angela Barrowclough was a very close third with Willow. Fyonnah had the fastest time of the day in the jump-off for the Intermediate class, but an unlucky four faults at the last fence left her in second place. New club member, Kimberley Jackson with Twighlight, won the Intermediate class with the only double clear and was a close second to Seb Hughes riding Debbie Whalley's Highfield Boy in the Open. Thanks to the judges, Elma Maclaren and Jim Jeffrey, and all the helpers who made the day run smoothly. The next club competition will be winter league dressage on 12th November, with the second winter league showjumping on 20th November. For more results click here ------------------------ Ettrick Forest Rider's Association Winter League Dressage A large number of entries resulted in a full day of dressage at the first of Ettrick Forest's winter dressage league competitions held at Dryden on Saturday with classes from Preliminary to Medium, including affiliated British Dressage classes. Andrea Pogson, on Dryden Riding Centre's Highland Bogside Maverick, achieved the highest score of the day, winning the Prelim 10 class with 79%. Leonie Hunter on Whitlaw Bronte, last year's novice league winner, won the Novice 21 with a score of 72%, and was a close 2nd to Diane Walker on Laski in the Elementary 41. Fiona Busby, the club's chairman, had a very successful day with her homebred gelding Mr Beaujangles, winning both the affiliated elementary and medium classes to qualify for the BD winter semi-finals and the elementary WCF winter dressage championships. Jo Barry, a BD regional trainer from West Lothian, won the Novice 21 on Redstone Merinca to also qualify for the semi-finals and the novice WCF winter dressage championships. Other qualifiers for these championships included club members Alison Buchanan on Dun and Dusted, and Francis Peto on Spot the Difference, who were equal second to Jo Barry in the Novice 21. Local rider Joan Lauder on Lord Lander won the affiliated Prelim 10 class. Winter League Showjumping starts on 30th October at Dryden, with the next Winter League Dressage on 12th November. ------------------------ Caledonian Championships 24-25 Sep 05 @ Scone Palace Ten EFRA members represented the club at the Caledonian Championships held at Scone Palace on the weekend of the 24-25 Sep: Janet McRitchie/Craggy, Janet Elliot/ Spicey Lady, Rhona Young/Chester, Fyonnah Thomas/Advanta Gold, Sam Anderson/Ryan, Helen Bett/Greately Diva, Sandra Grieve/Vision, Wendy Bell/Pitmedden Shady Comet, Leonie Hunter/Whitlaw Bronte and Jane Aitken /Spice (see Team page for teams). A novice showjumping team, two equitation jumping teams, two open and two novice show jumping individuals competed on the Saturday. The courses caused significant problems for many competitors with hard slippy ground a considerable factor. Despite difficult conditions, our riders were very successful with Fyonnah Thomas competing as an individual, winning the novice showjumping with Advanta Gold and Rhona Young with Chester placed 6th. The equitation jumping team of Wendy Bell, Sandra Grieve, Janet Elliot and Janet McRitchie was placed 5th with Sandra also placed 2nd as an individual. Dressage and Riding Test took place on Sunday with two dressage teams and one Riding Test team representing EFRA. The team of Jane Aitken/Spice (owned by Virginia Grant), Leonie Hunter/Whitlaw Bronte, Wendy Bell/Pitmedden Shady Comet and Sandra Grieve/Vision won the Riding Test competition with individual arena placings of 2nd for Jane and Leonie and 4th for Wendy. The same team was also placed 3rd in the team dressage competition in a large field of 32 teams with indivicual placings for all team members: Jane 4th in P12, Sandra 7th in N24, Leonie 3rd in N25 and Wendy 9th in E51. Further placings went to Rhona Young riding Chester who was 2nd and 7th in the P12 and P10 respectively, and Janet McRitichie riding Craggy who was 10th in N24. Thanks to Chris and Alan Hall who helped with the dressage scoring on Sunday on behalf of the club and Anne Millar who besides having a pivotal role in the organisation of the championships also managed to find time to help competitors warm-up on the day. All in all it was a very successful end to what has been a good year for EFRA's teams. Thanks to all those who have put so much time into helping and training the teams throughout the year - we have all benefitted enormously. ------------------------ Hunter Trial @ Dryden-Greenhill 18 Sep 05 - Report from Anne Millar Ettrick Forest Riders Association ran their annual Hunter Trials over good ground on Sunday at Dryden Greenhill, Selkirk by kind permission of the McAulay Family. Good entries were received and competitors were pleased with the new direction of the course and several new fences. Very close times were recorded and prize winners were decided by parts of a second in some cases. Young Frazer Ainsley from Galashiels riding Bill Hughes's Guardsman won the Thornwood Trophy from Ian Stark riding his own Chief. Third only 2 seconds slower was committee member Rodger Cowan riding Mount Diamond Trooper.The novice class was also closely contested with Gavin Millar riding Diana Younger's Oria 2 seconds ahead of Nicola Kerr riding Murphy's Law.Great fun was had by the 3 pairs who ran round with the winners being Liquorice Kid and Journeyman ridden by Ailsa Mactaggart and Liz Hunter. To finish the day the Open class with 15 runners was well won by Guess What ridden by Judith Anderson from Berwickshire from Cumbrian rider Janette Irving riding Just Herbert. Many thanks as always to all who helped before and on the day. See Results page for full results ------------------------ BRC National Championships @ Lincoln 09 Sep 05 An enjoyable and successful weekend was had by all representing EFRA at the BRC National Championships at Lincoln Showgrounds on 9th Sep, despite atrocious weather. Elma Maclaren/Todlyr (owned by Jim Jeffrey), Wendy Bell/Pitmedden Shady Comet, Leonie Hunter/Whitlaw Bronte and Sandra Grieve/Vision competed in the open dressage, riding test and equitation jumping team competitions and Laura Sanderson/Paris competed in the novice dressage as an individual. Fortunately the weather was good for our arrival at the Showgrounds on the Friday afternoon and we were able to exercise our horses and pitch our tents whilst it was still dry. By the next morning the showground was crammed with lorries, trailers and tents covering every available space in the parking area and the rain had started. Anne Millar and Fiona Busby did a great job of warming us all up for our tests and jumping despite having to get very wet in the process. Although the riders and helpers were not put off by the rain it did provide a few extra distractions for our equine friends such as windscreen wipers on the dressage judges car and huge red golf umbrellas at the corner of the equitation jumping arena! The dressage team achieved a very well placed 6th overall with individual placings of 5th for Sandra in N24, 6th for Elma in E51and 8th for Leonie in N32. The riding test team were placed 7th overall with individual placings of 5th for Sandra and 9th for Elma. The equitation jumping team were unlucky to get placed despite jumping good rounds. Laura and Paris had a long wait before their individual P12 test in the afternoon (and it was still raining...) but it was a very worthwhile wait as they did a good test and were placed 8th. A quick celebratory slurp of wine as we were packing up and then the horses were loaded into their luxury transport (Gillies) and we were on our way home, glad not to be spending the night in a wet tent! Thanks to Fiona Busby, Jean MacAulay and Anne Millar who gave us excellent training for the Championships. ------------------------ Arena Event @ Riddell 28 Aug 05 Virginia and Andrew Grant provided an excellent new venue at Riddell estate for EFRA's arena event, with ample space for the three phases of dressage, show jumping and cross-country. The cross country round consisted of a course of knockable rustic fences, which had to be completed in an optimum time. Both the show jumping and cross country courses proved to be testing with few double clears, with the corner, skinny and ditch responsible for most of the penalties in the cross country. The nursery, novice and open were won by Janet Elliot/Spicey Lady, Leonie Hunter/Whitlaw Bronte and Joanna Oats/Colemans Original respectively. For more results click here ------------------------ One Day Event @ Dryden Greenhill 14 Aug 05 Dryden Greenhill was the venue for Ettrick Forest Riders Association's annual Horse Trials run in perfect weather and on perfect going. A large entry was received from club members and others from outwith the area. Club members were well to the fore in the prize list. The course rode well with few horses being penalised or eliminated. Several new fences had been added to the course including drop tyres and a lovely blue seat. Liz Fletcher riding Annie from Peebles won the Nursery by nearly 3 penalties from local Selkirk girl Janet Elliot riding Emma Soeder's mare Spicey Lady. The Novice class for the Duchess of Roxburghe's Cup was won by EFRA member Gavin Millar riding Mrs Diana Younger's new mare Oria. from Christine Gray on Highfield Lad, with another EFRA member Sam Anderson riding Ryan third. The Open class had few entries but was well won by Julia Furness riding Axminster who won the Morrison Cup, second was Seb Hughes riding Debbie Whalley's Highfield Boy who is a full brother to Highfield Lad, Seb also won the McAulay Silver box for best 17-21years. Many thanks to the McAulay family for the use of their land and all the helpers who made this an enjoyable day. ------------------------ Annual Show @Springwood Park 10 Jul 05 Springwood Park was the venue for the Ettrick Forest Riders Annual show run on one of the hottest days of the summer. Horses and riders coped very well with a slight breeze keeping the flies at bay. Dressage, dressage with jumping and Working Hunters classes were competed for by nearly 100 horses from as far away as Penrith in the south to Arbroath in the North. The British Dressage qualifiers and BHS/ Scottish and Northern Equestrian Magazine and NFU Working Hunter qualifiers were all well supported and produced some good results. Young Karl Bowman from Penrith won and was placed in all his classes but locals also played their part with winners being Cindy Fisher, Leonie Hunter, Julia Furness and Christine Gray. EFRA also produced the winners of the Working Hunter classes with Catriona Arres riding Look Similar winning the Novice class from Laura Sanderson riding Paris and Todlyr ridden as usual by Elma Maclaren winning the Qualifier. Hunter judges Mrs Anne Lawson and one time local girl and now international Event rider Ruth Edge were extremely complimentary about the standard. Todlyr stood his ground and won the Championship from Looks Similar. The committee would like to thank all the judges and helpers who coped with over 300 entries and who helped make this a very enjoyable day. See results and photo pages ------------------------ Outdoor Show Jumping Championships @ St Boswells, 26 Jun 05 EFRA's outdoor show jumping competitions culminated on Sunday with the Championships held at St Boswells Mart. A large entry of 120 horses competed throughout the day in glorious sunshine. Non-championship classes were held in the morning over a course designed and judged by Anne Millar, providing everyone with a chance to compete regardless of whether they had qualified for the Championships. The morning classes were won by Rachel Shiell/Crink Law (Nursery SJ), Jo Luton/Prys (Novice SJ), and Emily Galbraith/Crown Alliance (Intermediate and Open SJ). These riders maintained their success with all going on to win or be placed in the afternoon's Championship classes. The Championship course was designed by Jim Jeffrey and was decidedly more challenging than the courses in the qualifier competitions. Two combinations - a double to a related distance and a treble with spooky fillers - caused the majority of problems for competitors. Consequently, double clear rounds were rarer than in previous competitions. The Nursery Championship, sponsored by Teviot Town and Country Supplies (Hawick), was won by Fiona Hutcheson riding Keira, with the only double clear in that class. Duncan Mackay/Rupert and Rachel Shiell/Crink Law were 2nd and 3rd respectively. Jo Luton, a local eventer, riding her own Welsh stallion Prys jumped the only double clear to win the Novice Championship, which was sponsored by AC Burn (Jedburgh); Fiona Hutcheson/Keira was 2nd and Ailsa Mactaggart /Liquorice Kid was 3rd. The Intermediate Championship, sponsored by N Peal Cashmere Ltd (Hawick), saw young event rider Emily Galbraith have her third win of the day with Crown Alliance. Karen Redfearn riding Another Cracker and Rachel Shiell with Belling Burn were 2nd and 3rd respectively. The day finished on a high note with two excellent stylish clears by Elma Maclaren riding Jim Jeffrey's Todlyr and Emily Galbraith/Crown Alliance in the Open Championship, which was sponsored by Eildon Agri Equine (Selkirk). Both horses then jumped fast clear rounds in the jump off with Todlyr just over two seconds faster than Crown Alliance to take the Open Championship in a nail-biting finale. Sarah de Leon and Proud Iris were 3rd. This is the third year that EFRA has run outdoor show jumping competitions and championships that have been open to riders outside the club and these have been very well supported by local riders. This year the classes were very generously sponsored by Teviot Town and Country Supplies, AC Burn, N Peal Cashmere Ltd and Eildon Agri Equine. Fyonnah Thomas has been pivotal in the organisation of these competitions and thanks must also go the many members that have assisted in various ways - judging, writing, course building, and stewarding - whose help the running of competitions is dependent on. For full results see Results page ------------------------ Outdoor Show Jumping Qualifier 15 June 05 @ St Boswells The third and last of this year's outdoor show jumping qualifiers was held on Wednesday evening at St Boswells mart. There was a large entry of 75 horses competing in four classes, which were judged by Jim Jeffrey. The course, designed by Anne Millar, rode well whilst being sufficiently challenging and despite earlier rain the going was excellent. Jo Luton had a very successful evening, winning the Nursery show jumping class with Temple Shannon and being placed in the Novice, Intermediate and Open classes on her other two rides, Sandstone and Mossy. Rachel Shiell riding Tiger Bay won the Novice class and missed out on first place by less than a second in the Intermediate class, being beaten in the jump off by Elma Maclaren riding Jim Jeffrey's Todlyr. The open class was also very closely contested, with Sarah De Leon taking first place riding Proud Iris and Emily Galbraith in 2nd place with Colonel, with again less than a second separating them after the jump off. The first six competitors in each class qualified for the championships, along with those placed in the previous two qualifiers. The Championships will take place at St Boswells Mart on 26 June, starting at approx 2.30pm. These classes have been generously sponsored by Teviot Town and Country Supplies of Hawick, AC Burns of Jedburgh, N Peal Cashmere of Hawick, and Eildon Agri Equine of Selkirk; winners of each Championship class will receive a trophy, sash and prize. There will also be a last chance to qualify with classes in the morning , which are open to all over 16 years, starting at 10 am. The Championship classes will jump a different course to the morning classes. There will be outside catering (and a portaloo!) so come and make a day of it! Please send entries for all classes to Fyonnah Thomas as soon as possible. For full results and a list of all qualifying riders see the results page. ------------------------ BRC Area1 Dressage and Riding Test Qualifiers Eight horses and riders travelled to Rozelle Park, Ayr on 4th June to represent EFRA in the Area 1 Dressage and Riding Test qualifiers, competing over two days in three teams: Novice Dressage Team, Riding Test Team and Open Dressage Team. All three teams had an incredibly successful weekend returning home with 36 rosettes, a silver rose bowl and Championship qualifications for the Riding Test and Open Dressage teams. The teams were as follows: Novice Dressage team: Janet McRitchie/Craggy, Laura Sanderson/Paris, Aileen Dagg/Nathan Brittles and Jane Aitken/Spice (owned by Virginia Grant). Riding Test and Open Dressage teams: Elma Maclaren/Todlyr (owned by Jim Jeffrey), Leonie Hunter/Whitlaw Bronte, Wendy Bell/Pitmedden Shady Comet and Sandra Grieve/Vision. The weekend started early with everyone assembling at 5.25am at the lay-by on the A7 by Dryden. Horses and a vast amount of 'horse stuff' was loaded onto a very swish Eric Gillie lorry whilst riders and even more 'stuff' were loaded into two cars. The horses travelled well in their luxurious lorry and horses and riders arrived at Rozelle Park in good time (including Wendy who had just jetted in from the States that morning to compete!). Warm up tests were first in the morning, with the Riding Tests and Novice Dressage Team tests in the afternoon. Janet was first on with a bemused Craggy receiving the attention of at least 7 grooms to get him ready. The weekend got off to a good start with Elma and Leonie winning the N24 and N21 warm up classes and others being placed in theirs: Sandra 3rd in P10, Aileen 4th in N21, Jane 6th in P4, and Wendy 6th in P10. Tension mounted in the afternoon for the team tests and Anne Millar was on hand to help riders work in before their tests. All four Novice Dressage team members rode good P12 tests to achieve a very good 3rd place as a team, only narrowly missing out on qualifying. Laura Sanderson was placed 2nd in her arena on Paris after achieving an excellent 71% in her test and Jane Aitken riding Virginia Grant's Spice was placed 4th in her arena. There was a minor panic before the Riding Tests with Elma and Leonie not entirely sure how two of the movements in their test were to be ridden and with lots of experienced people all giving slightly different opinions! The movements in question were a left and a right turn about the forehand to be ridden on the centre line; the dilemma being which direction they were meant to be ridden in and whether they were ridden from halt or walk. The option of watching to see what everyone else did was not possible as Leonie was first on with Elma next. The dilemma was solved courtesy of the Pony Club Manual, and consultation with a 'very knowledgeable person' (although not sure who this was). The consensus, for anyone interested, was that a left turn about the forehand is ridden from walk, away from the right leg with the quarters moving to the left. Fortunately, Bronte and Todlyr did not betray any uncertainty that their riders may previously have had about these movements when performing them in their tests. This was just as well as there was quite a crowd watching, probably because no one else was very sure how to ride those movements either! All four team members rode very good Riding tests to achieve 1st place as a team and qualify for the Championships at Lincoln. All four were also placed individually: Leonie was 2nd in RT8 and Elma 4th; Wendy was 2nd in RT6 and Sandra 3rd. Wendy's result was particularly impressive as the only riding she had done in the previous 2 weeks had been trail riding Western style in Florida! Our team transport drew plenty of attention later in the day when the huge lorry was forced to stop in soft ground and then was unable to get going again. However, this was apparently nothing to do with the weight of Shady and Nat who just happened to be positioned over the wheels that were spinning in the mud! All the horses were unloaded and numerous attempts were made to get the lorry moving including carpet and fence posts under the wheels and an unsuccessful tow by a very game lady in a Daihatsu, until finally a tractor arrived and made light work of it. Horses and riders were accommodated at Ayrshire Equestrian Centre. The horses settled well although some looked rather suspicious that they were not in their own beds and might be required to perform again the next day. The riders stayed in staff accommodation, which was a vast improvement on the original plan for sleeping (tents and the floor of the lorry). After the horses were fed and watered, we fed and 'watered' ourselves - the number of bottles of wine and gin that were produced partly explaining the large amount of luggage that had been brought! We are ashamed to say we were all in bed before it was dark - although I think this was more to do with having been up at 3.45am rather than our taking the following day's dressage too seriously! The Novice dressage team members all competed in the warm-up tests on the Sunday and got the day off to a great start with Jane winning the N33 and Laura winning the P18. Aileen was 4th in the N33, a class where only a couple of % separated the top scores and Wendy was 6th in the E41. The Open Dressage Team tests were ridden in the afternoon with team members also competing in different individual tests. Anne Millar was again on hand to help in warming up. All four team members rode good tests and were placed in both their team and individual tests. There was some initial confusion over our team placing as Annie had misread the score board and told us we were fifth when we had in fact won! The team was presented with a silver rose bowl, which the club had last won in 2003. For the team tests, Wendy was 1st individually in N25, Sandra and Leonie were 3rd in N24 and N32 respectively and Elma was 6th in E51. For the individual tests, Elma was 2nd in N32, Sandra was 3rd in N25, Wendy was 4th in N24 and Leonie was 4th equal in E51. The horses travelled back to Dryden in comfort in the Gillie's lorry and were probably less than impressed at being downgraded to trailers to take them back to their respective homes. A huge thank you to Michael Gillie for his excellent driving, patience and help (he was even spotted holding horses at times) over a long two days. The teams would also like to say a big thank you for all the help they had from the EFRA trainers (Jean MacAulay, Fiona Busby and Anne Millar) prior to the competition and in particular to Anne Millar whose help over the weekend was greatly appreciated by all (as well as the organisation she has done in getting all the teams to the area qualifiers). Elma, Leonie, Wendy and Sandra will travel to Lincoln in September to compete at the Riding Club Championships in three team events: Open dressage, Riding Test and Equitation Jumping. The club wishes them well! See Photo page ------------------------ BRC AREA 1 Horse Trials Qualifier The novice horse trials team qualified for the BRC championships after coming 2nd at the area 1 horse trials qualifier held at Biggarshiels on Sunday 29th May. The team consisted of Christine Gray riding Highfield Lad, Louise Steel riding Coachman, (owned by Mrs Foyle), and Leonie Hunter riding Whitlaw Bronte. Unfortunately the 4th team member Sandra Grieve was unable to compete due to a sudden (and fingers crossed shortlived) lameness in her horse on Thursday. In fact Christine Gray stepped in at the last minute to enable the team to compete at all, as it had been down to two members before the weekend! All three riders produced good dressage tests and were clear showjumping, over a fairly spooky course. Despite gale force winds the previous day and the threat of heavy, the weather on the day was good and the ground held up well. The cross country course at Biggarshiels took its usual toll, being as it is on a steep hill, with many competitors accruing substantial time penalties. Not only do you need a very fit horse to gallop all the way up the hill but you also need good balance to gallop down the other side! Only one competitor got round without time penalties. Christine was the first to go cross country for the team and jumped clear taking both the direct routes at the options over the corner and ski slope. Louise also went clear taking the direct routes on the 6 year old Irish bred Coachman, for whom this was only his second One Day Event. Last to go, Leonie had an unfortunate stop half way round the course but pushed on after to try and keep the time penalties to a minimum with Bronte displaying a talent for galloping flatout down the very steep hill. Waiting for the scores to go up was very tense, as with only three members all three scores would count and the placings would inevitably depend on the number of time penalties that the team had got. Fortunately, the team score was good enough to take 2nd place, and qualify for the Championships. More than 15 teams started the competition, which meant that the first three teams qualified: Polnoon Castle and South West. Scotland were 1st and 3rd respectively. The novice horse trial championships are held at Offchurch Bury in August. All three team members were also placed individually: Christine and Leonie were 2nd in their arenas and Louise was 3rd in hers. For full results see the BRC area 1 web page. It was a great day, with different clubs taking responsibility for running different parts. EFRA ran the dressage and would like to thank all the club members who helped to make this run smoothly. The team would like to thank the trainers for their help before and on the day. The next area competition is the dressage and riding test qualifiers held at Rozelle park on 4-5th June. Two teams will travel to this and the club wishes them well. ------------------------ Outdoor Show jumping qualifier @ St Boswells Mart, 15 May 2005 The first of EFRA's outdoor show jumping qualifiers got off to a great start on Sunday 15th May with 60 entries across four classes, jumping in glorious sunshine at St Boswells Mart. Fiona Hutcheson riding Keira had a successful day winning both the Nursery (sponsored by Teviot Town and Country Supplies, Hawick) and Novice classes (sponsored by AC Burn, Jedburgh). Laura Sanderson/Paris and Jenny Browne/Ace were 2nd and 3rd respectively in the Nursery class. Ailsa Mactaggert/The Liquorice Kid was 2nd and Wendy Bell/Pitmedden Shady Comet was 3rd in the Novice Class. The intermediate class (sponsored by N Peal Cashmere Ltd, Hawick) was won by Christine Gray riding Highfield Lad, with Tessa Dalgleish/Colemans Original and Jane Clark/Mullaghinch in 2nd and 3rd place respectively. Speed proved to be a decisive factor in determining the placings for both the novice and intermediate classes with the first six riders in each class finishing on double clears. Only two riders had double clear rounds in the Open class (sponsored by Eildon Agri Equine, Selkirk), which was won by Jane Clark on Mullaghinch, with Aileen Dagg/Nathan Brittles a very close 2nd. For full results click here. There are two more qualifiers in this outdoor show jumping series, which is open to all riders over 16 years. These take place on 28th May, as part of the Festival of the Horse's Grand Competition Day, and 15th June, both at St Boswells Mart. The first six in each class qualify for the championships to be held at St Boswells Mart on 26th June. Winners of the championship classes will be awarded a trophy, sash and prizes generously provided by the sponsors. For more information see Events page. ------------------------ BRC AREA 1 Show jumping qualifier Two teams travelled to Eglinton Park near Irvine on Sunday 8th May to represent the club at the British Riding Clubs Area 1 Show jumping qualifiers, and both teams returned home with rosettes. The senior equitation jumping team (Elma Maclaren/Todlyr, Wendy Bell/Pitmedden Shady Comet, Sandra Grieve/Vision and Leonie Hunter/Whitlaw Bronte) enjoyed success taking 1st place in a very close run Equitation Jumping competition, with Elma also taking an individual 1st place after a particularly polished round on Todlyr. This result qualifies the team for the Riding Club Championships held at Lincoln in September. The same team competed in the Senior Intermediate Show jumping class and were placed 5th overall. Elma, with a double clear, jumped off against the clock and was the first to take the fast route between fences with a quick turn back from fence one to two putting her in the lead. Unfortunately, the riders who came after her had been watching and also took the fast route, resulting in Elma achieving an individual 3rd place. The senior novice show jumping team (Janet McRitchie/Craggy, Laura Sanderson/Paris, Augusta Greenlees/Chocolate and Heather Busby/Myrtle) jumped double clear rounds to end with an impressive team score of 0 faults in the Senior Novice Showjumping. Consequently, all four team members jumped off against the clock and again produced clear and, this time, fast rounds to achieve an overall placing of team 2nd with only 3 seconds separating them from the winners. A great result in a large class of 15 teams. Heather had been last to go for the team and put in a very speedy balanced clear round with Myrtle to also secure an individual 2nd place. No one watching would have guessed that this was Myrtle's first jump off! This was even more impressive when we saw Heather coming over the last fence with her hat so far down over her eyes she could hardly see where she was going, which was quite a comical sight! A great day was had by both teams and the qualifiers ran efficiently to finish in plenty of time allowing us to return at a sensible time - much appreciated by those who were up at 4.30am! Many thanks to all who contributed to the team training - Tutti Arres, Jean Macaulay, Fiona Busby and Anne Millar. Thanks also to Tutti and the Starks for the use of their lorries for the day. The next area 1 qualifier is the horse trials on the 29th May at Biggarshiels. ------------------------ Dressage and Equitation Jumping Workshop 16 Apr 05 Please note that entry forms for this workshop must reach Janet McRitchie absolutely no later than 08 Apr 05. Also, in a change to the schedule, please phone Anne Millar for times on Thurs 14 Apr 05 between 7-9pm or check the website. Several members have been asking what equitation jumping is. Basically equitation jumping is similar to show jumping in that you jump a round of jumps, however it is the riders performance that is marked. You start by halting and saluting the judge, you should then establish a good canter and start jumping when the bell goes. You then aim to jump a clear round in a good rhythm and with as much style as you and your horse can manage. The judge will be looking at your approach to the fence, your position over the fence and your landing/get-away. Landing on the correct leg always helps but if your horse is not as obliging as this then just make sure you correct the lead as soon as possible. When you have jumped the last fence, make sure you maintain the canter and keep cantering until the judge rings the bell again. The maximum height for equitation jumping is 85cm (not 95cm as stated in the schedule) ------------------------ XC schooling @ Hendersyde The Border Riding Club are running XC training at Hendersyde with Les Smith on 10th May from AM to late PM cost £30. Anyone interested should ring Carolyn Cunningham on 01665 575 727. ------------------------ BD Judge training BRITISH DRESSAGE are planning to run a Judges training day at Dryden for unlisted judges with a date to be set. Anyone who does or has done some judging or anyone interested in judging should contact Anne Millar ASAP. The day will cost £10 which includes refreshments and will be taken by Phyllis Beattie. ------------------------- Amendment to schedule Please note an error in the schedule16th April 05 Equitation jumping should be 85cm not 95cm ------------------------- GET TOGETHER 11 Feb 05 @ Ashkirk Village Hall Over 80 members and friends, old and new, met in Ashkirk Village Hall for the annual club get together on the 11th February 2005. The evening kicked off with a very enjoyable supper. There was a vast and varied buffet which everyone had contributed towards. We must thank everyone for providing this wonderful spread. This was followed by the winter league presentations, well done to the prize winners. The evening was then brought to a close with an entertaining slick presentation from Augusta on her recent riding holiday in Patagonia. The photographs were spectacular and the tales not for the faint hearted (watch out the rural circuit is after you Augusta!). With takings from the bar, raffle, and door; and thanks to your generous contributions we were able to give the club our profit which we hope will assigned to a specific cause. Thank you all for coming. Hope you enjoyed the night. Next year? Follow that! Jackie, Sandra and Shonagh. REPORT OF THE AGM, 21 OCT 2004 The AGM was held at Buccleugh Arms Hotel, St Boswells on 21st October, 2004. Despite there being a relatively poor attendance (only 25 out of a membership of 185!) there was much discussion amongst those that were present and the meeting lasted a record time, officially closing at 11pm. Anne Millar and Catriona Arres were made honorary EFRA members in recognition of their service to the club over the years. Outgoing committee members were Aileen Dagg and Cindy Fisher. Aileen was thanked for her role in setting up and updating the club website. Janet McRitchie and Jane Aitken were elected onto the committee. Catriona Arres is the new training officer, taking over the position from Jean McAulay who became the Vice-President after the death of Jean Maxwell Scott this year. Christine Payne awarded the John Payne Memorial Trophy for points accumulated throughout the year to Leonie Hunter and Whitlaw Bronte. The competitions and training clinics run by the club throughout the year were reviewed. It was proposed that a questionnaire be sent out to members both asking them to update their details for our records and to answer some questions about the events and clinics we currently run to ensure that the club is addressing the needs of our members. A new date for the annual hunter trial was discussed after the disappointing cancellation of this year's competition due to weather/ground conditions. A date in September was proposed and will be confirmed. There was also some discussion around the form the annual get together should take next year. It was decided that it would be held at the beginning of February (to allow bank balances to recover after Christmas!) in Ashkirk Village Hall. Shonagh Hunter volunteered to organise it. One question raised by a member was the reason behind the dress code of "beige breeches" for training clinics. The main reason for requesting members wear pale coloured breeches/jodhpurs is to allow trainers to see the rider's position in the saddle, thereby enabling the trainer to correct it if necessary. Thanks to all who attended and remember for next year for all those who didn't that the AGM is an opportunity for all members to put forward their views, ideas, and suggestions for the future as well as a chance to ask the committee questions regarding the club. FIRST WINTER LEAGUE DRESSAGE COMPETITION AT DRYDEN, 16 OCT 04 The first of EFRA's Winter League Dressage Competitions got off to a good start despite the weather doing its best to try to make the day as unpleasant as possible for riders, horses and helpers alike. There was a large entry of approximately 70 for the three unaffiliated and four affiliated classes that were run at Dryden Saturday 16th October. A judge's training day was held in conjunction with the competition and no doubt increased the tension somewhat for competitors as their tests were studied by many expert eyes! The unaffiliated classes, P18, N21 and E41, were won by Laura MacFarlane/ Goosemoor Miss Mouse, Leonie Hunter/Whitlaw Bronte and Elma Maclaran/Todlyr respectively. Joan Lauder with Lord Lander won the affiliated Horse Sense Saddlery P18 class. The affiliated classes, Bluechip Feed Balancer N21, Elementary 41 and Biotal Medium 61, were all qualifiers for the WCF winter championships and were won by Antonia Carmichael/Sir Dumbledore, Fiona Busby/Mr Beaujangles and Gillian Brown/Gleannmohr Eyespy respectively. For more detailed results see the results page. The next Winter League Dressage competition will be held at Dryden on 13 November 04. The unaffiliated classes are only open to club members but British Dressage members or those competing on a Day Ticket may enter the affiliated classes. REPORT OF ETTRICK FOREST RIDERS ANNUAL SHOW 11TH JULY 2004 by Anne Millar Springwood Park was the venue for the Ettrick Forest Riders Association Show on Sunday 11th July when record entries competed in about 15 classes some of which were qualifiers for national championships . Competitors were complimentary about the site and the good going which held up well to the large entries.Riders and horses had travelled from Durham in the south to Perthshire in the north to try to qualify for Dressage finals at Ingliston House Stud, Bishopton and for Working Hunter finals at Bowmore Blair Castle International Horse Trials. Judges were kept busy all day and were pleased with the standard of the competition. The committee would like to thank all the many members and friends who turned out to help. For results click here Arena Event 20 June 04 @ Dryden and Haughead The Arena Event was run with dressage at Dryden, followed by Show Jumping and "Cross-Country" in the arena at Haughead. Relatively low entries by the closing date meant that a decision was made not to run the cross country over the fixed fences in the fields at Haughead due to the high costs of hiring paramedics. However, Anne Millar used her ingenuity to fit two courses into the arena and these received a lot of praise from the riders. The show jumping course had a couple of dog-legs that required accurate riding; the recent Andrew Hamilton clinics I'm sure will have helped members to ride the more difficult lines. The "cross country" round included barrels, a corner and a bounce across the short side and was to be ridden at a faster speed. Both courses rode well from nursery through to open, although time penalties were quite influential in the cross-country round. The nursery class was won by Janet McRitchie on Craggy, second was Helen Scott Watson on Sally, and third Laura Sanderson on Paris. The novice class was closely run with Leonie Hunter/Whitlaw Bronte first, Sam Anderson/Ryan second and Karen Gillie/Chester third. The open class was won by Ann Rogerson on Zigourney, with Stacey Irvine second and third on Twighlight and Boysie respectively (for further results see "Results" page). The weather had been kind to us until our last competitor when Stacey had to jump in a downpour of hailstones! Many thanks to our judges, Christine Payne (dressage) and Jackie Aglen (jumping), to all the stewards, scorers and helpers, and of course to the Starks and Arres families for the use of their facilities. Many competitors commented on how much they enjoyed the competition but that it was a shame that we hadn't been able to use the fixed cross-country fences. So note to everyone for next year - please get your entry in early! Area One Dressage Qualifiers A team of four (Sam Anderson/Ryan, Leonie Hunter/Whitlaw Bronte, Wendy Bell/Pitmedden Shady Comet and Elma MacLaren/Todlyr) competed in the Senior Open Dressage Team qualifier at Rozelle Park, Ayr on 6th June. The day started well with Elma winning her warm-up test (N33), Wendy was placed 2nd in the E41 warm-up test and Sam was 5th in the P10 warm-up. The team went on to do good team tests to be placed 4th overall; Sam was also placed 5th as an individual in her team test. The team members then competed as individuals and all were placed in their respective tests: Elma was 2nd in the N32, Leonie was 3rd in the N21, Sam was 6th in the N24 and Wendy was 6th in the E51. Although a long journey, the horses travelled in comfort in an Eric Gillie lorry and Rozelle Park is a lovely venue for dressage. A huge thank you to Karen Gillie who was both groom and commanded the dressage tests for everyone, and to Fiona Busby, Jean McAulay and Anne Millar for their help on the day. Area One Show Jumping and Equitation Jumping Qualifiers A novice show jumping team (Catriona Arres/Bit of Gold, Karen Gillie/Chester, Janet McRitchie/Craggy and Kirsten Horsburgh/Rowan), an Intermediate show jumping team (Sam Anderson/Ryan, Leonie Hunter/Whitlaw Bronte, Jane Aitken/Sunny and Elma MacLaren/Todlyr) and an Equitation jumping team (Sam Anderson/Ryan, Leonie Hunter/Whitlaw Bronte, Karen Gillie/Chester and Elma MacLaren/Todlyr) competed at the area one qualifiers at Dalkeith Park on 13th June. The intermediate team was placed 5th and the equitation team was 3rd; Elma was placed 4th as an individual in the equitation jumping. Tutti and Jane both jumped lovely double clears in their respective competitions and Jane jumped off to achieve an individual 4th place in the intermediate show jumping. Many thanks must go to Jean McAulay for all her help in preparing the teams for the dressage and equitation competitions. Festival Of The Horse EFRA again ran the 1st of their outdoor show jumping qualifiers in conjunction with Festival Of The Horse. We had over 70 entries and ran from 10am till 3:30pm. After a week of fine weather our unfortunate Nursery Class seemed to get the worst of the days weather with a very heavy downpour. Luckily it cleared for most of the day and we all dried off. Thanks to Jim Jeffrey who judged all the classes and all the stewards who efficiently ensured a smooth run of competitors into the ring. Places were awarded 1st - 6th and these winners have qualified for the Finals to be held at St Boswells Agricultural Show on 24th July 2004. The next qualifier will be held again at St Boswells on Wed 16th June 04 with the first class starting at 5pm approx Andrew Hamilton Show Jumping Clinic We have booked Andrew Hamilton to come to the St Boswells Mart on Tuesday 1st June 2004. Classes will start at 2pm. Entries to Fyonnah Thomas with a cheque for £15. There will be a waiting list. Provisional entries can be made by email. Festival Of The Horse Fyonnah has arranged for JPSfoto to come and take photos at the show jumping on Saturday 29th May 2004 at St Boswells Mart. Prices range from: 8” x 6” £5.00 12” x 8” £8.50 16” x 12” £15.00 see: http://www.jpsequine.co.uk for further details Dressage Workshops The 2nd workshop ran on the 3rd April, again at Dryden, this time under the scrutiny of experts Fiona Busby and Anne Millar, nothing but positive feedback with all members coming out enthused and inspired. The last one is on Saturday 24th April, details in your schedule, send entries early as places are limited. A dressage workshop took place at Dryden on Saturday 20th March which 15 members attended, all coming away with positive thoughts. Judged under the watchful eyes of Jenny Stark and Jean McAulay members participating rode their test and then received 10-15 minutes help and tips. Many thanks to the members who came along to write and steward. The next one is scheduled to run on Saturday 3rd April, again at Dryden with tests from Preliminary through to Elementary. Entry form is in your schedule and should be sent before the 27th March. Should any member be interested in writing or stewarding at any of the workshops, please let Aileen know. EFRA Winter League Show Jumping competition (Feb 04) Kindly sponsored by N Peal Cashmere Ltd (www.npeal.com) The third and final competition of the Winter League Indoor Show Jumping was held at Dryden Riding Centre on 27th Feb 04. This ran from 1:30pm due to our club dressage competition running in the morning. Thankfully the sun shone on the earlier frozen outdoor arena, allowing competitors to warm up over practice jumps before competing. There were new winners in each section and with the addition of points from the previous 2 show jumping competitions the champions were presented with prestige Champion Rosettes. Fyonnah Thomas riding her youngster Advanta Gold took Nursery 1st Place and Nursery Points Champion, Heather MacKenzie riding Thistle, of Dryden Riding Centre, took Novice 1st Place and Novice Points Champion. Jane Aitken, now a familiar name in the placing, took Intermediate 1st Place riding her own Sunny and likewise accumulated the highest points in her section to take Intermediate Champion, and last but not least Ian Stark riding Relic, won the Open Class and the Open Points Champion. Thanks to our judges Mrs Fiona Busby and Mr Jim Jeffries and for all the support we have received from our Stewards and Scorers during the league. Andrew Hamilton 2 Day Show Jumping Clinic This was held on Friday 12th and Saturday 13th Mar 04, at the Haughhead Arena, Selkirk. We were fully booked before the closing date and a waiting list operated. Fortunately the weather stayed dry despite the snow and rain forecast, Saturday being a warmer day with a good deal of sun. Six classes of four riders ran for the two days, and it was appreciated that it all ran exactly to time. The standard was very high and all riders thoroughly enjoyed their sessions. So much so than an overwhelming demand came that the club arrange follow up training with Andrew. This has been arranged for Tuesday 27th April 2004, again to be held at Haughhead and will run from 2pm into the evening (cost £15). Names on a postcard or email to Fyonnah Thomas. Please note that the dress code for training clinics should be light jodhpurs and boots or gaiters with same coloured boots, as laid out in DRESS CODE FOR ALL RIDING ACTIVITIES in your current Omnibus Schedule. EFRA Cross-Country Training Cross-country training with David Gatherer has been arranged in place of what would have been area training (see below). This will take place at Biggarshiels on 11 Apr 04 and is suitable for all levels of horses from nursery to open. The area horse trials qualifiers are held here on 30 May 04. This will be an ideal opportunity for those wishing to be considered for the horse trials teams. The course includes a long and steep hill so everyone attending the training should ensure that their horses are reasonably fit. The schooling sessions will last 11/2 to 2 hrs for groups of 5. Please see Training page for further details. Area Cross-Country Training There will be no Area cross-country training this year, as it has now been left to individual clubs to organise. EFRA hope to organise cross-country schooling for club members, to replace what would have been the area training. Further details of this will be posted on the website as soon as they are known. EFRA Winter League Show Jumping Competition (Dec 03) Kindly sponsored by N Peal Cashmere Ltd The second competition of the winter league indoor show jumping ran on 13th Dec 03. Numbers were slightly down on the previous one. Classes started at 11am and finished mid afternoon. The fancy dress relay was won by Jane Aitken riding Sunny and Janet Mcritchie riding Craggy, both jumped clear in good time. Dressed as shepherds, a great effort had been made. Thanks to Jenny Stark for judging the nursery class and stepping in at short notice. By popular demand we will reintroduce the novice clear round at the next SJ comp on 29th Feb 04............... EFRA Winter League Show Jumping Competition (Nov 03) Kindly sponsored by N Peal Cashmere Ltd The first of our Winter League Show Jumping Competitions was very well supported on Sunday 16th Nov 03 at Dryden Riding Centre, with almost 70 entries. Classes started at 11am and all finished by 3:30pm. Many thanks to all who helped to make the day such a success and to Mrs Jean McAulay and Mr Jim Jeffries who judged the classes. AGM 2003 The AGM was held on Thursday 23rd October at the Buccleuch Arms Hotel, it was reasonably supported by members and several issues were discussed, all members should be receiving their winter newsletter soon updating you all with current activities. Subscriptions of £18.00 are now due and should be sent to Fyonnah. Catriona Arres was presented with the John Payne Memorial Shield by Mrs Christine Payne, Christine was delighted to present this award for the 'lucky 13th time' to 'Tutti' who had accumulated the most points throughout the season riding her own 'Another Carnaby'. Lisa Hendrie - Dryden Quest and Wendy Bell - Pitmedden Shady Comet were a close 2nd and 3rd respectively. REPORT OF SCOTTISH RIDING CLUBS CALEDONIA CHAMPIONSHIPS held at Scone Palace, Perth . The Club was represented at the championships by Helen Bett riding Greatley Diva, Sandra Grieve/The Registrar, Janet McRitchie/ Craggy, Jane Aitken/Sunny and Stacey Irvine / Twilight. The Equitation team of Jane, Helen, Stacey and Sandra performed very well on ground that was exceedindly slippy due to the odd showers of rain and scored very level marks to finish 2nd only about 12 marks behind the winners. The Novice Showjumping team of Sandra, Helen, Janet and Jane were out of the money but Jane and Janet both reached the jump off. Stacy jumped well in the Open Showjumping but unfortunately had 4 faults in the second round. Many thanks to Catriona Arres for the use of her lorry and to Jean for her help beforehand.  Report from Anne Millar of Riding Clubs Championships at Lincoln on Saturday 13th Sept. The club sent a Dressage team of Laura Keir riding Ivan, Anne Millar/Master Roddy, Rhona Young/ Sun King and Elma Maclaren/ Todlyr. A Riding Test team of Elma , Leonie Hunter/ Whitlaw Bronte, Wendy Bell / Pitmedden Shady Comet and Stacey Irvine/Twilight (in place of Rodger Cowan/ The Paddyman who unfortunately was unable to go) and a Novice showjumping and Equitation team of Rhona, Elma, Stacey and Wendy. Leonie, Anne and Elma also were qualified as dressage individuals. We were well supported by Jean McAulay, Fiona Busby, Gordon and Avril Harris , Jim.and Bruce Jeffrey and Margaret Young and we would all like to thank them for their hard work, support and running after us! Michael Gillie drove the horses who had a very comfortable journey there and back. Results were mixed but the whole trip was happy and a huge learning curve for most of us.1500 entries are received for the weekend! The Dressage team finished a very creditable 6th from 20 teams ,Elma was 4th in her Preliminary team arena and 8th in her Novice individual, Laura was 6th in her team test and Anne was 8th in her Elementary individual. Leonie was only just out of the placings. The Riding Test is always a difficult competition and although they all did their best were not placed . However thing started to look better when the Equitation team finished 9th from over 20 teams. Better was to come as the showjumping , which took place in two large rings, brought the best and the team finished a very good 4th from 35 teams. They all jumped very well and we're sure our showjumping competitions and Jennys jumping helped with this success. Lastly, again a huge thank you to Jean and Fiona who have trained us for the last 3 months and on Saturday managed to keep us all on time and the nerves under control .