The official newsletter of the British Horse Driving Trials Association |
September 2002 on-line edition |
DON'T FORGET THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE!This newsletter is going out earlier than anticipated in order to remind members about the forthcoming ANNUAL MEMBERS CONFERENCE which takes place at the Cheltenham-Gloucester Moat House Hotel on Saturday 19th October. Affiliated Clubs have been invited to send representatives to their annual meeting in the morning. There will also be a meeting for Stewards which starts at 11.00 a.m., to which all those who have assisted at events this season are most welcome. The Open Members? Conference starts at 2.00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. This is the opportunity for members to make suggestions or raise any concerns they may have about the sport, and the Council hopes that as many members as possible will attend. This will be followed in the evening by the Dinner Dance, kindly organised once again by Sheila Hawking, at which the Points League Awards will be presented. Tickets at £28 each for what promises to be a most enjoyable evening can be purchased from Sheila at Pollums House Farm, Lumby, South Milford, Leeds, LS25 5LD. Tel. 01977 682298. A concessionary rate for accommodation for BHDTA members has been negotiated with the hotel and this can be obtained by phoning the hotel on 01452 519988 and quoting the BHDTA. We look forward to seeing you all there! Disappointment for British Drivers at ContyThe British team of Di Hayes, Angela Flanagan and David Matthews, made an excellent start at the World Single Horse Championships in Conty. They went into the Marathon lying in 2nd place after Dressage, but Angela and Di both had to retire after accidents. David Matthews, sponsored by Osbourne Refrigerators, was the only British driver to complete the event and finished a creditable 16th. Five days of sunshine in Conty have finally helped me understand why people go to Lanzarote every year! As seasoned campaigners on the circuit we packed all our wet weather gear, only to use the umbrellas as shades. The French hospitality was excellent with each of the surrounding villages providing accommodation and entertainment for one of the teams. Supporters were provided with a campsite ? free of charge. Unfortunately the weekend got off to a bad start for the Brits with assistant Chef d?Equipe Trevor Harding suffering a heart attack, and we all wish him a full and speedy recovery. We went to support both the British and Irish teams ? all members of the BHDTA - and after Dressage all was going well with Di Hayes and David Matthews on dressage scores of 42.2 and 46 respectively, and the British team lying 2nd. Surprisingly there were no scores under 40 and only 10 marks separated the top 20 turnouts. It was lovely to see the Irish and British hackneys and cobs put on such a good show amongst the big continental horses. Also worthy of note was Sarah Clinghan's 2nd prize in the separate Presentation class. Marathon day dawned with slight drizzle, and rather smugly we took our wet weather gear down to the showground, only to take it all back again in the ensuing heat. The greasy ground did not deter David Matthews from setting up some excellent times and one rather elderly Canadian lady was overheard to remark ?That little guy is just so cute I could take him home ? and the horse?. Angela Flanagan was the first British casualty when Samuel Penny bolted out of the first obstacle. Whether it was the lack of mileage on Section A, or the noise of the spectators which set him off is debatable, but thankfully it was not further into the course, where the potential for serious damage to people and property was frightening. Here we are so used to being fenced off - small posts with rope seemed rather inadequate as safety barriers. We waited expectantly for Di,and she drove the first three obstacles with her usual panache. Then, unbelievably, she turned over on a flat piece of ground after leaving Obstacle 3. Gamely she put to, but had to retire in Obstacle 4. After all the foot perfect competitions Di has driven, it was so sad for her luck to run out here. Throughout the day we saw a few more tip ups but generally the driving was fast and accurate, notably from Philippe Gratpanche (France), Sweden's Marie Kahrle and Dutch Christiaan Provoost. Even so, the results were incredibly close with only 10 points between 1st and 20th place. Cone driving attracted what appeared to be the entire population of northern France. Standing five deep around the arena, they watched in silence, broken only by gasps as balls fell and applause at the end of a round. The course took some skilful driving. Fred Merriam (USA) had the only double clear driving his neat Morgan horse in a masterpiece of precision and timing. David, the only Brit to drive the cones, knocked one but had 12 time penalties, which dropped him from 8th to 16th overall. Edwin Bryson drove superbly for Ireland, one of only four to go clear and incurring only 2 time penalties to finish 6th overall and helping the Irish to secure a 6th team placing, a credit to Mary Bryson, team trainer. The drama continued. Just as the French were beginning to celebrate individual and team gold, the Ground Jury upheld an objection that the winner's groom had handled the reins during her cones round, and eliminated her! As a result Sweden took Gold, followed by Finland and Austria. A rather subdued French crowd had their spirits raised a little when St?hane Chouzenoux took individual gold. We cheered everyone, particularly David and the Irish team, and even sang the Marsellaise to cheer up our French chums. Results page 12 THANKS Sincere thanks to the hard working Chef d?Equipe Ren'schoop, and to his assistant Trevor Harding who was unfortunately taken ill just before the event started as reported above. Thanks also to Tom Mursell and the Dounhurst Farm Carriage Driving Centre who very generously sponsored the clothing for the team, and to Brockham Harness Club who provided rugs for the horses. Also to Barbara Nadin and Equifor who organised clothing for the supporters. Lowther Driving TrialsAfter the devastation last year of Foot & Mouth, particularly around the Penrith area, it was good to be at Lowther once again, although this was not the thought of everyone as entries were down on previous years. The dressage produced few surprises, though Faith Szczuka competing in her first season with her pony tandem drove a good test to lie second to the consistent Liz Rowe. Sadly, Faith was eliminated on the marathon, as was poor Heather Kinner who led the single pony class after dressage. The marathon at Lowther is renowned for being tough and this year was no exception, causing several eliminations, one or two broken carriages and one or two tip-ups (including a soaking in the water for Luke Axel-Berg). Happily there were no serious injuries. The Horse Teams were having their National Championships at Lowther as this class will be somewhat depleted at Windsor with several competitors on their way to WEG in Jerez. Boyd Exell, fresh from valuable experience gained recently in Europe, took the lead after dressage with the best score of the whole competition,from George Bowman, bidding for his 20th National title. The reigning National Champion, Barry Capstick was in 3rd. The marathon saw Boyd retain his lead and George his 2nd place but Barry, who had a young horse in his team, dropped to 6th place leaving the consistent Dick Lane to move up to 3rd. As for the cones, which saw the natural arena deteriorate as the day wore on, thanks to the rain and the splendid twice-daily display from the Household Cavalry, there was little change to the placings, and the Horse Teams National Title went to Boyd Exell for the first time with the popular local competitor George Bowman as runner-up. There were a few grumbles about the marathon and the obstacles, and also the lack of live musical entertainments in the stabling area on the Saturday night, which, if the organisers were to review, might entice competitors back to Lowther, one of the most prestigious of events. After all, Lowther's association with Driving Trials goes back a long way and the marathon enjoys some superb views, so let us hope that competitors will continue to support this lovely country event. Alnwick Castle Driving TrialsWith hot sunny weather, Alnwick Castle as the backdrop, and a beautiful park to drive in, the Horse Driving Trials could not fail to be successful. The crowds, not the rain, poured in on the Saturday and Sunday. Dressage standards would appear to have dropped this year due no doubt to the loss of last year's competitions. Of the sixty-seven open competitors only three, Boyd Exell on 20.7, Marilyn Harding on 37.0 and Jimmy Robson on 37.7 achieved a dressage score under 40. A further eleven competitors scored under 50. The marathon was driven over a hilly scenic course, the going was good to firm, but the heat took its toll at the lower end of some classes where tired horses just completed the marathon. At the end of this phase, Liz Melville led the four novice pony competitors and fourteen year old Chris Ainscough the eleven novice horse competitors. Chris is undoubtedly one of our hopes for the future. After the best marathon of the event, Boyd Exell retained his lead in the open horse class leaving him with two cones in hand over Richard Fisher and Jimmy Robson. Amanda Saville led the open ponies from Lyn Winder. John Attenborough and Peter Morris (horse pairs) both had good dressage scores but John took the lead after the marathon with only one cone separating them. Liz Rowe led the pony tandems with John Garlick and Lady Romsey close behind. Doug Martin took the lead in the pony pairs with Dressage winner Douglas Strachan following on closely. Fred Pendlebury, having had a good dressage score of 47.5, was the clear leader in the horse tandems at the end of the second day. Philippa Gammell took over the lead from HRH The Duke of Edinburgh in the Pony Teams while in the Horse Teams George Bowman was first in both dressage and marathon with Wilf Bowman Ripley second. Philip Owen dropped a place allowing newcomer Robert Wilkinson to move up to third. The cones course was a tricky one to drive. The experienced drivers with forward moving horses achieved double clears but alas many others achieved "rugby scores". In the novice horse class second placed Caroline Weiss had four cones down and 1.5 time faults but this was still good enough to give her victory from Chris Ainscough who had four cones down. Doug Martin had a disastrous round to drop to fifth moving Douglas Strachan to first in the pony pairs. All the other leaders retained their first position. The Country Fair undoubtedly drew in large crowds and marathon day saw large numbers around the obstacles and good crowds watching the cones in arena one. The "Highs and Lows" of the event? Highs - The event itself; Ian Gilbert "Coming of age" - he celebrated 60 glorious years on dressage day. Lows - The judge stung on her bottom by a wasp - although perhaps some competitors would class this as an high; the competitor caught crossing a public highway on his moped without a crash helmet on, how lucky were some other competitors who were not caught! Castle Kennedy Driving TrialsCastle Kennedy was truly an event for all seasons with three days of the most variable weather seen yet this year. Friday morning's Dressage was accompanied by torrential rain and gales. By Saturday this was replaced by bright spells and Sunday was a glorious day. Competitors had travelled from as far as Ireland and the Isle of Man to attend the inaugural event at this splendid new venue, used by kind permission of the Earl of Stair. The marathon was memorable with spectacular views as you drove along the side of the loch, where it was quite easy to forget that time was an issue. The obstacles were situated for easy viewing and were spread evenly throughout section E. This combined with a less demanding course enabled spectators to see fresh and energetic ponies and horses attacking the obstacles which were a delight to drive - imaginative, open and flowing and creatively decorated. The best supported class was the single pony, which was tense to the final whistle with Sue Corlett from the Isle of Man retaining her overnight lead from Lyn Winder. An influential cones course made clear rounds almost impossible. Jeremy Cairns, winner of the novice driver (pony) class, produced the only clear of the day and did so inside the time too. Inevitably, there were a few teething problems at this new venue. Some competitors found the parking on hard standing to be a problem. One innovative gentleman (who had better remain anonymous) solved this by bringing a generator and drilling holes in the tarmac for his stabling. It was lovely not to have any mud and there was certainly no need to tow anyone in or out. On the other hand, tents and awnings were difficult to anchor and the gales on Thursday night proved too much for some structures. As there were a number of fields close by, hopefully this will not be a problem next year. An excellent hostelry was situated at the end of the runway (yes, we were on an airfield) and it was far too convenient to nip over for a meal (or two). Overall a thoroughly enjoyable event and if you did not make the effort to come this year, put the date in your diary for 2003. Normanhurst Horse Driving TrialsWith 62 national competitors, the sun shone for the Dressage and Cones phases for this Two-Day National Event. Mandy Colbourne recorded the best Dressage of the day with 33.0 in the Open Horse class, and Fiona McQuat led the way in the Novice Pony Class with a score of 43.6. However, the tricky Cones course particularly played a part at this event as there were only two double clears which were both achieved by Novice drivers in the pony class. With the Marathon held on Sunday, the Novice Pony class was first to go, and Kerry Copas drove a fast Marathon to win this phase, although this was not enough to catch overnight leader Fiona McQuat. With four of the seven hazards grouped together, this gave spectators ideal viewing, especially as this year's hazards were beautifully designed. Sara Howe dominated the Open Pony class winning both Dressage and Marathon phases and was the overall winner; likewise Mandy Colbourne in the Open Horse class. With seven competitors in the Pony Pairs class, there were three equal first placings in the Dressage, but unbeaten this season Jo Rennison won the Marathon and Cones to become overall winner by twenty penalties ahead of Rachel Stevens with her attractive new pair of bay ponies. In the Pony Tandem class Liz Rowe had her third victory of the season, closely contended by Tanya Porter driving Lord Onslow's tandem of ponies, and with only one penalty dividing the next three places this seems to be the most closely contested and largest open class. Unexpectedly the heavens opened on the Horse Pair and Pony Team classes, resulting in many sets of wet clothing. With only three Horse Pairs, Pippa Bassett was consistent in all phases and won with her young Lippizaners. In the Pony teams, Georgina Frith finished in fourth place on her first outing with her young team of Connemaras and the overall winner was Anna Grayston. Local competitor Anthea Shipley won the Novice Horse class by just 1.2 penalties. Many thanks to Secretary Rita Bundock and the Stable Manager's team who kept competitors organised and up to date of any changes during the event; also thank-you to Chairman Dick Carey and his crew of many men whose help made this a successful and enjoyable event. Junior ClinicIn the wake of Henbury HDT and in the middle of the New Forest Show, nine Young Drivers (formerly known as Junior Whips) arrived in Milford-on-Sea for the two-day BHDTA Junior Camp. Georgina Frith and Anna Grayston were hot on their heels to give them the benefit of years of experience and tips and techniques on how to beat the best. All the facilities they needed for training were ready for them - two Dressage Arenas, a Cones Course and six gated Obstacles, and the sun shone throughout. Georgina and Anna had devised a programme that combined serious schooling with fun and games, and the highlight of the Gymkhana was definitely a hilarious adaptation of the Royal Navy Gun Carriage Race! Thirty-two people gathered around ?G's? horsebox for Fish 'n' Chips on the Thursday night, - the Young Drivers were all surprisingly quiet, so possibly an ice-breaking game of Rounders on the first evening would be an idea for future camps? The finale was a Mini-Event which was won by Jenny Mackenzie, from Ben Grose and Clare Taylor. We thoroughly enjoyed having the Camp at 'Forest Farm' and would be very happy to repeat the exercise in future years. POINTS LEAGUESCongratulations to this year's winners in the Fenix Open and the BEIB Novice Points Leagues. The awards will be presented at the Dinner Dance following this year's BHDTA Conference at the Cheltenham-Gloucester Moat House on Saturday 19th October. The awards for the Baileys Junior Leagues will be presented at the same time, but the results will not be calculated until mid-September. National Junior ClinicThe BHDTA in conjunction with the Scottish Carriage Driving Association is organising a Junior Clinic in Edinburgh with a provisional date of 16th/17th November. This will be a mainly dismounted clinic open to any drivers under 25 years whether BHDTA members or not, and will cover a range of subjects related to driving and competing horses and ponies. We hope some of the regular Juniors from the South will come north to join in and that all Northern Junior drivers will support this educational and fun weekend. For further details please contact: Anneke Wallace Brideswell, Cushnie, Alford, Aberdeenshire, AB33 8LD Tel: 019755 81266. email: annekewallace@hotmail.com British Drivers AbroadA number of BHDTA members have been competing abroad this summer. Saumur Beekbergen Breda Donaueschingen World Single Horse Championships, Conty CORRECTION TO 2002 RULE BOOKPlease note that there is an amendment to FEI Dressage Test No.3 as published on page 133 of the 2002 Rule Book. Movement No. 8 should read: MXBVFADX Serpentine of 5 loops White Horse Harness ClubThe White Horse Harness Club Championships were held over the weekend of 3rd/4th August at Manor Farm, West Overton, Nr Marlborough by kind permission of Michael and Patricia Maudie, amidst rumours of an ?alien invasion? following a crop circle attack on one side of the A4 and the arrival of giant Dice and Dominoes on the other. Thankfully the only invasion encountered all week-end was a terrific thunderstorm that threatened to ruin the Saturday night festivities! All the obstacles, designed by Neil Swanson, were based on a gambling theme and situated in one huge field, the seven Dice and seven 7ft. high dominoes on one side with the Lotto Splash breaching the river(which was both fairly wide and fairly deep according to Julian Burleton's groom who had to lead his pair through!) with a Deck of Cards, Snakes and Ladders and a massive Roulette Wheel on the other side, all beautifully constructed and very colourful. The Saturday night Bar-B-Q held in the Club marquee was a tremendous success with everyone doing their own Bar-B-Q cooking and enjoying the salads, rices, pastas and potatoes followed by trifles and flans prepared by Julia Crockford, Club Secretary, when she wasn?t organising the event, preparing stewards? lunches or scoring. Having had to amalgamate classes, Zoe Cooper took the honours in the Novice class. Sue Bushell won the Open class, the Dressage and was the overall competition winner with Joanne Sore winning the Multiples. Debbie Butler won the Marathon with Barbara Nadin and her new pony India breathing down her neck for second place. Georgina Frith, having completed the Dressage and Cones phases with a pair, put the new inexperienced team together for the Marathon which thrilled the spectators at the obstacles. The only down side to the whole event was the lack of competitors. Only 24 took part; hopefully this could have been due to other events at Keysoe and Newnham over the same weekend and not the trend ? many events this year seem to be struggling for competitors. With such a lot of work in the event organisation and building of obstacles, we do need larger entries to make it all worth the effort and expense. Dumfries & Galloway Driving ClubDumfries and Galloway Horse Driving Club held their annual Scottish Points competition at Dalswinton Estate, Auldgirth by kind permission of the Landale family on the weekend of the 25th & 26th August; owing to the recent wet weather most of the events have had to be cancelled. At least we have a good spell to make conditions perfect for the competition. There was a good turnout of competitors from as far afield as Aberdeen & the Isle of Man. The Dressage began on Saturday afternoon followed by the Cones course. John Cowdery from Tynron and Julie Todd from Appleby judged the open and novice dressage tests. The first competitor set off on the marathon on Sunday morning finishing with six obstacles to drive through. Catriona Murray, Chairman for the club asked Mrs Sarah Landale to present the rosettes to the winners. Catriona thanked our hosts and all the helpers for making the competition a success. ObituaryThe Driving World will be greatly saddened by the recent death at the age of 65 of Garth Maddocks (right) of Stockport, Cheshire after a long battle against cancer. Garth started competitive driving in the late 70's with a horse called ?Taffy? to a distinctive white Norfolk cart, but will be best remembered for his association with the Thoroughbred x Cob ?Noggin?, with which in 1980 he won the Single Horse National Championships at Osberton. While at the top, Garth then decided to give back to the sport his time as a national judge attending all the events up and down the country and will be always thought of sitting at the Dressage arenas in his little orange MG car. We will never forget that laughing, mischievous, bearded face under the brown trilby hat. Good-bye Garth and rest in peace. We would like to extend our thoughts and sympathies to daughter Katie who supported Garth throughout his life and particularly with "Noggin". T.W.F. MIDSUMMER BALLThe second Midsummer Ball took place on Saturday 3rd August. The venue was much smaller this year, requiring less people to fill it ? and it was free. This meant that with half as many people as last time, we still managed to raise £1,200 towards the Single Horse Fund. £900 of this will be given to the three Single Horse Drivers who went to Conty. The Ball went very well with more party games and an excellent live band. All those who came said they thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Photos are available on request. Paul Chambers and Sarah Owlett would like to thank all helpers and all those who supported them; also all the people who donated bottles, skiwear and a weekend break at a Scottish hotel. PC WORLD EQUESTRIAN GAMES TEAM FUNDINGThanks to the generosity of Spillers and NAF, the BEF has obtained sponsorship of £5,000 for each of the disciplines towards their official team clothing and travel costs. We have also been advised that Horse Magazine
organised a collection at the recent "Horse
2002" event for the non-Olympic disciplines not
receiving Government funding. Apparently the vaulting
squad put on an inspiring and entertaining performance
and afterwards did a collection. One contributor even
threw a £20 note in to the bucket! Horse Magazine have
sent cheque to the BEF for the grand total of £371.45. A MESSAGE FROM OUR INSURANCE COMPANY, BRITISH EQUESTRIAN INSURANCEThe repercussions from the September 11th terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre in New York are still being felt through out the insurance market. There have been huge losses in the global market place and consequently insurance rates worldwide have been forced up. Insurance companies are now viewing liability cover with more care than ever before. Equestrian businesses and individuals with bad claims records could find their premiums soaring or in some cases find insurance cover extremely hard to obtain Future renewals will be scrutinised more closely and only those insureds with a good record will obtain favourable insurance terms. Adopting a positive attitude to risk management is the best way to help keep insurance rates under control. It is essential that proper accident report books are maintained, witness statements obtained and photographs relating to the accident are taken Measures such as taking Health and Safety matters seriously and ensuring that the correct safety procedures are followed will assist in the prevention of accidents and claims for negligence, thus maintaining a good claims record and avoiding large premium increases Bryan Hough Memorial TrophyThis is presented to the Marathon groom with the Horse Tandem completing the best Marathon round at Hopetoun, Henbury, Lowther and the National Championships. The winner at Lowther was Beryl Pendlebury (with Fred Pendlebury). LettersDear Carriage Horse Trevor's trip to Conty as Assistant Chef d?Equipe with the Single Horse Team certainly never went the way we all imagined. To collapse on the Wednesday evening and spend the next five days in a Cardiology Hospital in France was beyond belief by all. Our thanks go to everyone who helped us both through this worrying time until Trevor's safe return to England. I went to ?Hell and back? several times, but, as one of our thoughtful friends put in their card, 'st Peter slammed the Pearly Gates a bit sharpish when he saw who was coming?! I very big THANK YOU to everybody. Trevor is back home now, doing very little as per Dr's instructions (which doesn?t suit him at all)!! He is now waiting to go into hospital within the next two months for a new aortic valve. Now seems an excellent time to bring up the subject of BHDTA insurance. Nobody in our hearing had better complain about it again! Insurance is considered to be an unnecessary expense when you don?t need it ? but when you do, NOTHING replaces it. The insurance company used by the BHDTA for the team cover was fantastic. Nothing was too much trouble. In the end they flew a doctor out to France to escort Trevor home ? right to the back door. MONEY, TIME or TROUBLE were never an issue to them. We hope nobody ever needs to call on it again, but believe us ? NEVER EVER complain about the cost of insurance. You never know when you may need it ? WE DID. Marilyn and Trevor Harding Hi There I would just like to mention about how Joanne Hartland saved the day. I drive a 13.2hh Dales x Welsh gelding called "Littleman" to a Hartland Pony Sport carriage in Novice Pony classes. It was Thursday 31st July and my partner Brian and myself decided to have a bit of cones practice. However I heard something snap on the carriage and when Brian checked he noticed two bolts had snapped. Just to be sure he checked the carriage over and found the suspension on the left hand side had snapped clean in two. I was devastated as we were meant to travel to Netherseal the next day for a competition at Grangewood organised by the MDTG. We phoned Hartlands and we were told it could take up to 1-2 weeks to repair. That was no good as we were also competing in two weeks time at another event. We suggested driving down and picking up the required part and repairing the carriage ourselves. With that the lady said she would phone Joanne and get back to us. 30 minutes later the phone rang and we were told that Joanne had a second hand carriage the same as ours but in red and we could use that one until ours was repaired. Wow! What an offer, how could we refuse such a generous offer. So we made the 7 hr round trip and set off for Grangewood. At the event we drove our dressage and came first, got a double clear in the cones and came first in the marathon section on Sunday. We won the whole event by a good 55 point lead. We could never have achieved this without the help of Joanne. I have only started competing since April this being our very first season. We decided to go to Hartlands on a last minute decision, and one that we do not regret. Out of 6 Novice pony events we have won 3 of them being Thoresby, Quenby Hall and Grangewood and came 2nd and 3rd at Plum Park and Catton. We are also leading the points league for the MDTG. I am hoping that you will print this in your next available issue of Carriage Horse as my gratitude to Hartlands. Their carriage is superb and looks as good as it performs. Magnificent. Dawn Emmerson Thank-you Di Hayes would like to thank all those who helped her when she turned over at Conty. Some she knew, others she did not - but many thanks to you all. Both Di and ?Mel? are fully recovered and off to the Nationals. Angela Flanagan is now recovering from severe bruising and concussion, coupled with Salmonella which she managed to contracted on the trip to Conty. 'samuel Penny? is fine, and we wish Angela a speedy recovery. Supporters NewsA big thank you to Henbury Hall Committee for three generous cheques towards funds in lieu of looking after the Judges and Stewards. Hopefully other organisers might follow suit ? we are sometimes expected to go the extra mile with few thanks in return! Lowther was good fun in spite of the varied weather. Special thanks to Robert Benson for organising a second tent close to the castle on Marathon day which proved very successful. We answered many enquiries about the sport and membership as well as serving tea. My Lowther crew once again worked very hard ? thank you all very much. Jim Ainsworth made a welcome return to the circuit after his recent operation; his quick wit and good humour have been greatly missed ? his bonus was winning £100 in the ?200 Club? Draw! We moved to Alnwick Castle - and it didn?t rain! It was good to see Gladys Dale at the event, and she enjoyed seeing her many friends again. John and Carol Hunter, long-standing stewards (especially officiating at the Start of A on Marathon day) announced that Alnwick was their last event prior to retirement. Our sincere thanks to them for all their hard work. A small presentation was made to them. The wonderful sculpture of George Bowman and his team, given to the Alnwick Event raffle by Border Fine Arts, was won by a very delighted Rosabel Rayner, wife of Stable Manager, Mike. The same weekend Garth Maddocks lost his fight with his long illness. I had great regard for him and his sense of fun and love of the outdoors. In the days when David and I organised events for the North East Driving Club, Garth regularly came over to judge Dressage from his home in Cheshire. A memorable example of Garth's sense of humour occurred at Holker Hall at Pat Cooper's expense. During the night her horse (who was always tethered in those days) escaped and sampled many buckets of early morning feed. He was rather out of sorts and very sluggish when it came to Dressage time, and Garth, who was judging, wrote at the bottom of her sheet ?Did you enjoy your oats last night??! I attended his Service, also on behalf of the BHDTA. Katie, our thoughts are with you. I now ask you all to attend the Conference and Dinner Dance at the Cheltenham-Gloucester Moat House on 19th October. I look forward to seeing you all at Cheltenham.
THE NEXT ISSUE OF CARRIAGE HORSE WILL BE
PUBLISHED AT THE END OF NOVEMBER 2002 All items to be sent to: BHDTA Office or preferably e-mailed to bhdta@horsedrivingtrials.co.uk This publication has an independent editorial policy
and is intended as an open forum for BHDTA members. All
letters and reports from members and clubs of the BHDTA
are welcomed and will be published where possible,
although some editing may be necessary if space is
limited. Letters will have the right to reply in the same
issue if considered appropriate. Anonymous, defamatory or
objectionable letters will not published. Unless the
contrary is shown, the views expressed in this
publication are not necessarily those of the BHDTA or its
Council. |