TEAM SUCCESS AT BRC NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Show Jumping Team
Natalie Homer – Bakeburn Silver Nymph Caroline Jenks – Spring a Tiger
Katie Quelch – Smirnoff Ice Claire Savage-Roberts – Sweet Devonshire Lad
Dressage
Gillian Baker – Odblask Natalie Westgarth – In Abundance
Pairs Dressage
Nicola Savage-Roberts - Sweet Devonshire Lad Claire Savage-Roberts – Sweet Ballyduff
We despatched 3 horseboxes from the sunny south in search of glory at the National Championships being held at Lincoln Showground on Saturday 10Th October. With early starts scheduled on the Saturday an overnight stay on the Friday was the obvious choice. Unbeknown to us Friday was the official last day of summer in Lincoln!
In fairness we managed to get settled in and exercise the horses before the rain arrived later in the evening. Then it rained … and rained and rained, all through show day on the Saturday and even on our way home until we reached the warmer climes of “the South” at around 10pm.
A lesson learnt for all our future competitors is to check your passport and vaccination records. Due to (allegedly) an admin error one of the Savage Roberts’ horses was separated from his mates on arrival and put into isolation. A flu jab wasn’t correctly noted on the certificate so phone calls between the vet and the show administrators the following morning were required to enable our equine prisoner to make his break for freedom. (We now have a stock of “Free the Lincoln One” T-shirts going for sale at a discount !)
On to the show itself. It’s a massive event with around 15 dressage and jumping rings. As a second year spectator (hhm must try harder to qualify next year) it looks remarkably well organised, pretty serious and very professional. I’m sure the competitors must have felt that the long trip to Lincoln had been well worthwhile to take part in such a prestigious event – it really is above and beyond anything else we will take part in in normal Riding Club life.
Our team and individuals had all won their way through qualifying rounds to earn their place representing the club at the Champ’s. Personally I would have adopted the philosophical attitude of “its great to have got here lets see what happens”. I got the impression that wasn’t quite what our representatives had in mind. Our jumping team it turns out (over a nightcap) are hell bent on beating each other – God help the competition! Natalie was fresh from dealing with the hot dressage experience at Hickstead this summer and has her BYRDS training behind her. Jill, in her first season of dressage on her experienced show jumper, has been increasing her scores from early 60’s to regularly in the 70’s so perhaps fate would deal a good hand to her at the culmination of the summer season? Our pairs dressage team are sisters and won through at Norton Heath with some style and simply have red rosettes in their blood.
My report of the classes is brief due to me flitting from ring to ring as one of few spectators on an awful day, coat holder, jump placer, photographer (sorry camera got drenched and pic’s failed!) and general handy man with a stud spanner.
I didn’t see any of the pairs but as a first time correspondent would report quite tactfully that they didn’t quite capture the harmony and discipline we saw in the qualifier at Norton Heath. Nicola herself reports more openly “we came down the centre line and he put in an almighty buck – right in front of the judge !” Apparently progress from this point was gradual.
Apart from Nicola in the pairs all our other competitors came home with a rosette and deserve our heartiest congratulations. Our team won the Tempralex Senior Intermediate Show Jumping class - a really fantastic achievement highlighted by sashes, sponsors (Natural Animal Feeds) rugs and a silver salver! Caroline & Claire were also placed individually following the jump off which was contested by combinations who had gone double clear over the 2 rounds. Hopefully the SJ prize giving will be featured in the Horse & Hound show report. Gillian Baker and Natalie Westgarth were both placed in their Dressage classes representing the club as individuals.
Again, congratulations to all our members for qualifying and their performances on the day. The jumping success, prize giving and lap of honour (!!!!) really were quite memorable.
Kevin Willers – Foresters RC Member