July

 

Moat View Jumping Team at BRC Area 10 Competition

On Sunday 10th February Moat View Riding Club entered a team into the BRC Area 10 team show jumping competition at Eaglesfield Equestrian Centre.  The team consisted of Buddy Williams (Old Park Rose), Krissi Collens (Special Edition) and Colette Walker (Bolero III).   

With around 30 teams jumping in the senior section alone it was going to be a long day!  However thankfully the weather was kind and we were blessed with plenty of sunshine. 

All three team members took part in the Warm-Up class.  However we only discovered it was one round against the closk just before we went into the ring, which caused a bit of panic!  The course was up to height with some big spreads and coupled with light plastic poles there were very few clear rounds.  Buddy and Krissi incurred a very unlucky 4 faults each and Colette went clear - ending in 7th place.   

In the Team class, unfortunately Buddy and Krissi each rolled one unlucky pole, which left the team just outside the 1st - 6th placings (there were only one or two teams with 0 faults - most of those in the top 6 had at least 4 faults).  Colette jumped the open section (over a larger than expected course!) and went clear, ending up in 5th place individually. 

It was a very long day - we got home between 9.30pm and 10pm and we were all very tired, but it was good fun and the horses tried their best for us!  I felt we had a good sense of team spirit and it is was nice to see the team gell so well together.  Ironically Buddy, Krissi and Colette used to jump together as children, then lost touch and recently have started jumping together again on the Moat View team.   

Colette (team captain) would like to thank everyone who helped with the team on Sunday and of course thank Buddy and Krissi for taking part.  Our next team competition is on 1st March at Blue Barn.

The Battle Axes answer their Call! 
 

Preparations for Olympia had gone well for the Quadrille team even down to their now traditionally poor practise indoors at Blue Barn just days before the big event. 

With the horses bathed and clipped to perfection, an additional 125 m of gold sequins added to the horses’ costumes, extra gold sparkle liberally applied to spears and headdresses together with a generous helping of feathers we felt that we had added all the finishing touches we could. Our crew had met during the previous week to finalise plans for getting the team ready for turnout judging on time, practising putting the costumes on so that they were as well rehearsed as the riders. 

The only downside was the draw – we would be first to go with St.Edmund’s RC and their strong Mardi Gras routine going last. We each put a brave face on saying to each other that the draw really didn’t matter, we could only be judged on what we did but we were all thinking how difficult it would be to retain our title from first in – we couldn’t remember another team in recent history achieving it – we could only hope that the judges would give us what they felt we honestly deserved rather than being conservative in advance of the other three teams. 

This year the horses travelled in some style. We had engaged Parker’s to transport the horses to save on charges for the Low Emission Zone and the time it takes to drive the lorries all of the mile from Olympia itself to the lorry park (upwards of 1 ½ hours!). We had expected a 6-horse vehicle which we knew could get into Frances’ driveway we hadn’t expected the 11-horse pantechnicon that arrived bedecked with enough lights to rival Oxford Street! This however couldn’t negotiate the driveway so a mini-evacuation of costumes, tack, feed etc etc occurred ably assisted by our excellent driver Richard. By 1:30pm we were on our way in convoy to London. 

We had an excellent journey up, even managing to get the cars parked and ourselves round to the horse gate just as the lorry pulled up with Frances and Clare on board. The horses have to go straight to the vet check before being assigned stables, this year we were given temporary stables outside but were soon able to move them and all their paraphernalia inside.  

We gave the horses some chill out time before getting manes plaited and legs chalked in readiness for the following day and then made our way to our hotel a few minutes walk away.  

In what seemed like no time at all, alarm clocks were ringing at 5:00am, quick showers were taken and we were on our way back to the Grand Hall to give the horses their breakfast. The paperwork we receive with our passes always states that the main arena will be open for exercise at 8:00am but we have managed to get in there at 7:00am. This year was the exception, fortunately the four riders managed to work the horses in the collecting ring before handing them over to the ‘grooms’ to keep them ticking over. Nat applied our war paint and we were able to get back to the horses to give them a quick look at the main arena before taking them back for being dressed. 

The Stable Manager told us that turnout would be judged at 9:45 and our experienced team had us dressed and on board absolutely on time as did the Saffron Walden team. It seemed, however, that others including one of the judges were unaware of the timings. Before long though all four teams and three judges – Desi Dillingham, BHS President; Patrick Print FBHS and BHS Chairman and Chief Examiner; and Julian Seaman, former eventer and fashion lecturer – were present and correct and judging commenced. At this stage the judges are looking to award a maximum of 20 marks each and consider not only the cleanliness and condition of horse and tack but they also have a close look at the costume. Increasingly the judges seem to take an interest in them and ask about breeding etc but also take the time to find out a little bit about the routine – the story, the music and the development of ideas. It is impossible to tell how you are doing at this stage but the judges did seem to be highly impressed by all four teams – and rightly so as they created a real spectacle in the Collecting Ring.  

One of our concerns with the draw was whether we would have time to get our two veterans (that’s Eric and Troy not Nicky or Frances!) moving and loosened up in time for our performance – fortunately the Dog Agility seemed to running a little late giving us all the time we needed. 

We were then ushered into the arena ready for our performance. This next section is awarded another maximum of 20 marks by each judged for the content of the performance – a bit like the technical merit mark in ice dance. The commentator reads out short biographies of each horse and rider and then the ‘blurb’ sent in by each team to accompany their routine. Time then to line up, give the signal to start the music and hope that all the weeks of practice will pay dividends. 

Eric and Parky seemed to start under their own agenda but Nicky and Buddy kept their cool doing their best to ignore their mounts’ high spirits. The first halt was a little lively but we were soon well into the routine and everything seemed to be going smoothly – the arena seemed to have been measured accurately as we met all our music cues exactly as expected, each time we looked across the arena the other team members were in the right places, Troy seemed to be asking what the problem was as we got to the ‘box’ and rode it perfectly even Parky said “What feathers?” as we lifted our spears in the 10m circle over X! It all goes so fast when you’re riding the routine in competition you could be forgiven for thinking you’d missed out a movement. We cam in for our final salute and the horses stood like rocks.  

As we rode out with smiles on our faces to be met by our wonderful smiling crew we all knew we had done all that we could – the rest was down to the judges as they awarded 60 marks each for Artistic Impression. At this stage you just have to hope that they like the blend of music, costume and movements, you hope they have ‘got’ the storyline and like it! 

We then had the long wait as the other 3 teams took their turns to impress the judges. 

Saffron Walden’s routine was called Double Trouble – we knew their 4 witches would ride an accurate routine, 2 of their riders had won five times previously. They like all the others teams were mounted on non-dressage specialist horses but true RC all-rounders. The witches came out clearly thrilled with their performance, 

First-timers, Wey Valley, rode their beautifully costumed carousel horses next in their Fairground Frolic routine. It was less clear how they had faired – they were playing their cards far closer to their chests. 

Last to go were St. Edmund’s Mystick Krewe, a vibrantly dressed Mardi Gras routine. Some of their team members were Worlington RC Dandy Highwaymen last year so we knew they had the experience to pull off a good effort. Again, they rode out smiling!!!  

All four teams were then invited back into the arena for the results to be announced in reverse order of merit. I remember hearing the commentator say that they were only 6 points separating the top three and that’s when I began to think we’d been pipped. We lined up and Saffron Walden RC was called out in 4^th place with 301 points. Next was Wey Valley with 319. So now it was between us and the Mystick Krewe but who would take the honours . . . in 2^nd with 323 points were St. . . . at that point we dissolved into screams of pure delight – we had won it again, against all odds given what Buddy, Amy and Sarah had been faced with back in March. 

So now it starts all over again . . . it takes about 9 months to get the routine to Addington standard, make the costumes and produce the music; and then another 3 months hard work to get it all up to scratch for Olympia. 

We are as ever totally indebted to our families, helpers, supporters and benefactors without whom none of this would be possible and most especially to our horses who accept without question all manner of strange costumes and manoeuvres – we are SO lucky. Thank you all!

Horses: Limerick (Eric), Horton’s Pink Panther (Kuba), Old Park Rose (Parky) and The Marked Man (Troy) 

Riders: Nicky Murrell (Chef d’Equipe), Amy Williams, Buddy Williams, Frances Wilson 

Crew: Nat Bonner, Michelle Collins, Jo Cocker, Clare Cracknell, Juliet Thomas, Annie Chislett, Sam Turner, Alec Murrell (Music), Sarah Williams (Costumes).