The show season opened with our first Open Indoor Dressage Competition at Humberstone on Sunday 13th March. Despite other local dressage events, we were pleased to see a large entry of sixty-six competitors.
The day began at nine a.m. and finished just after five p.m., with a test running every five or six minutes. Our Junior members and their ponies bravely competed against adults in the same classes and all scores reflected a serious attempt to produce good tests. The riders are to be congratulated on the standard of turnout and the condition of their horses, at the end of such a muddy winter.
The arena did cause some spooking, and conditions were also exciting in the warm-up arena, with shooting over the marshes, driving ponies passing and galloping herds of grazing horses. However no-one fell off, which is a tribute to the competitors riding ability.
I would like to thank our two enthusiastic and knowledgeable judges, Marcia Fenwick and Carole Futter for their hard work over such a long day. Thank you to three writers, Marie Owen, Amanda Sheldrake and Vicky Collier. A big thank you to Tricia Harris, who stood in the chilly wind to steward the arena. I would also like to thank our scorer, John McVicar, for his contribution to the show. Thank you to Marie Owen for teaching me to set-up an arena and Sally Payne for helping to clear the ring.
I congratulate all rosette winners; the scores were very close in some classes. I was thrilled to see some competitors scoring over seventy percent. But every rider played their part in a day of wonderful club dressage.
Well done everyone.
Report by Ann McVicar
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