EDRC November 2014 Newsletter
Dear Member,
Please turn the tap off!!! Surely we can not have another winter like last year with constant rain and floods! Fingers crossed we get some
nice hard frosts to kill off all the flies and bugs that we have had buzzing around this summer.
We have had a bit of change around in the committee, Sue Spender is now Membership Secretary and we also welcome our landlady at
Hurn Bridge and Show Secretary of the Dorset Charity Horse Show, Lisa Wickham. Nicola and Georgia Purton and Samantha Blake are
no longer on the committee, however we would like to thank them for helping to kick start East Dorset Riding Club and look forward to
seeing them as members at various events.
Hunting season is truly under way now with many of our members enjoying it across our three local hunts, The Wilton, The Portman and
of course the New Forest Hounds. Never been before? Like to try it? The Hon Secretary of The New Forest Hounds, Penny Rendle has
very kindly come up with an exclusive offer for our members wishing to have a try and enjoy a day in the stunning New Forest
Countryside. Costs for 16yrs & under £15, 17 –20 £20, special rate of £40 for EDRC adults instead of normal £55 on production
of membership card for a maximum of 3 days. Further details re meets etc. call Penny on 07775722795 or
email pennyrendle@hotmail.com . They meet on Tuesday & Saturday until the end of February and then Tuesday & Friday until mid
March I am sure she will match you up with a seasoned hunter to show you the ropes and look after you for the day. Of course our
Chairman Tony Keet also enjoys a full day out and I am sure will be only too happy to discuss further.
Do you have all your winter rugs? Remember all EDRC members can enjoy 10% off at Horse Bits in Corfe Mullen; just show your
EDRC membership card at the check out. Trish is very competitive and with that further discount, you will be quids in!
EDRC were represented at Area 17 Dressage – Sparshalt college last month, although we were not placed in the final team placing's, all
riders gained very respectable scores and now we know what to expect, we will be better prepared for next year.
Gary Caddy was entertaining and presented a refreshing light hearted training clinic at Manor Farm in their new indoor school, by kind
permission of EDRC member Mrs. Kim Ashby. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed it and request Gary again so we will hopefully see him
back with us next year.
Our beach ride on 21st November is almost full – 1 space left I think, please contact Lynn Kelly if you would like to go. It represents
fantastic value with transport, and all food and refreshments included, not to mention your day permit and ferry crossing.
Our Christmas Party 6th December is at the Hideaway club in Verwood. Disco, Buffett and raffle – Tickets are £10.00 and can be
obtained from Lynn Kelly or contact any of the committee members to get yours - sure to be a great evening.
January!! Yikes where has the year gone! EDRC are so excited to bring you yet again more top trainers!
31st January 2015 – Katie Jerram Showing Clinic at Half Moon Stud, Shaftesbury. Katie of course needs no introduction, she
qualified no less than 10 horses for HOYS this year including HM The Queen’s ex racer. Katie has a wealth of knowledge to share with
you. We wanted the clinic to be in an indoor school and sadly all the local ones which would be big enough were not available.
However, those of you competing at county level are used to travelling! Your entry will include a breakfast or Lunch sandwich and of
course cake and coffee will be plentiful! Non competitors and spectators are welcome to refreshments for a small contribution.
February - Quiz Night – Oakdene Holiday Park, St Leonard’s – Date to be confirmed – Time to start tuning up your grey matter,
Great Food, entertaining quiz master and a fun members evening. Sue Spender will be looking after this one, please contact her for further
details
February – EDRC AGM – find out where your contributions are, what we have done, bought, saved, Vote on or off committee members
and generally have your say. This will be at The Hideaway Club in Verwood, just waiting for confirmation of the date.
Sunday 22 February Area 17 Novice Indoor Show Jumping and Intermediate Show Jumping Qualifiers - to be held at Crofton
Manor by Meon RC. Any body interested contact Penny Rendle.
28th February 2015 – Lucinda Fredericks – Dressage & Jumping at Half Moon Stud, Shaftesbury. Wow this lady competed in
London 2012 Olympics and we have managed to secure her for EDRC Members!!! Lucinda will be doing Jumping in the morning and
dressage in the afternoon. Again Entry will include a Lunch or Breakfast sandwich and all the usual refreshments!
14th March 2015 – Nicholas Campbell – Arena Cross Country Hurn Bridge Equestrian Centre – Fingers crossed the weather will be
showing signs of spring, Nick will be coming down from Lambourn, where he has a very full yard. www.nickcampbelleventing.com. We
know how much you enjoyed this event last year. Schedules to follow.
Both Katie and Lucinda’s Clinics are currently only open to Members, we will close entries around mid December as we have had to pay
for both these trainers already and for full days, we need to fill the clinics so if there are still spaces, then we will open up to non members
after the closing date.
We also have some other Big Names coming next year….. Coral Keen, Matt Hicks and of course all our local big names and your
favorites, that helped us this year.
Area Dressage to Music will be in March so we need to start thinking about putting a team together soon so that we can arrange some
training. Come on guys we have some really talented riders and I would really like EDRC to strut their stuff, we are after all fast
becoming one of the biggest clubs in Area 17!
We will be changing our Membership slightly for 2015. We will no longer have Non Riding Members, this is due to the BRC fees,
therefore if you would like to be a part of the club but do not ride, we will have a supporters club, You will receive an EDRC membership
card but not a BRC one. Should you wish to receive the BRC card, Rider magazine and any discounts associated with being a BRC
member, you will need to join as a full adult member. The change will enable us to avoid any membership price increases, particularly in
the Junior membership costs.
We received a lovely thank you letter (attached) from Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance for our donation of £80.00 raised from our
pleasure ride in Chettle. Some of you may know that we now have a collection box to support this fantastic charity which is so very
important to save lives, especially riders who find themselves in trouble in remote areas. This will be for refreshment contributions at our
clinics and events for non competitors.
Here is a little update from one of our few four legged members who has his very own facebook page!
Hi All, Reggie here, just a short little note to tell you all how I am, whether you wanted to know or not. Mind you I'm
so handsome and talented I'm sure you were wondering. Well we have a new horse in our household, another exracehorse, like me, however unlike me he cannot do fancy footwork, go sideways, and turn in silly little circles. He is
very large, grey, and French, but I suppose someone has to be. He also has an outrageous accent, and says
"Merde!" a lot, I think this is a rude word in French. I don't speak French, I am Irish! He does whinge and go on a bit,
he's a bit of a wind-bag, but you know what foreigners are like! I am accompanying him on all his hacks, in my
capacity as schoolmaster, he's not terribly good in the traffic yet, or used to hazards really, I think he's led quite a
sheltered life. I, of course, am superb in traffic, and with the most frightening of hazards, as I am nearly 21. Mind you
he does have a point about the drains, they are awfully scary, and those crisp packets! Due to my delicate
Thoroughbred feet crumbling away at the edges, the Farrier was unable to get my back shoes on, so I had to have
them removed, and go barefoot. Mother bought me some rather smart horse boots, which I've been wearing to hack
out, I am quite impressed with them actually. Mother says I move better than in metal shoes. We racehorses are
very finely bred you know, so sometimes people do say we have bad feet, although there's nothing less than perfect
about me of course. I'm only doing light work at the moment, but I've had to be clipped, as apparently I look like a
Forest Pony! Cheek! However as the Farrier is very pleased with my back feet, next time he comes I'm having a full
set of shoes, and Mother has mentioned some hunting, with her daughter riding the old bird Brummie, who's
older than I am, and twice as noisy. This will be great fun, I am a wonderful hunter, needless to say, as along with all
my other talents, I spent a season as a Whip's horse in my previous home, whipping in the East Sussex Foxhounds.
Mother the passenger, however, is quite another matter, I'm not sure she's up to a full day's hunting at her age, poor
old thing! Hope to see you all out and about soon, Merry Christmas, Reggie Racehorse Ayres x
Thank you all for a fabulous year, we couldn’t have managed all that we have achieved, without your continued support and help, we are
all looking forward to meeting up with many of you at our Christmas Party except Anne of course who is busy sunning herself in
glorious Florida ha ha!
Finally, Amnesty Day this week and the centenary anniversary of WW1 has reminded us all what an amazing part horses played in the
war and sadly how many tragically lost their lives. This time of year is also poignant for many of us as we make decisions about our old
loved ones facing another cold, wet and harsh winter, I sadly had to make this difficult decision last month. Therefore, this months quote
I feel may make one or two of you smile and think of all the lost brilliant past horses…………
“Thunder is the Sound of Hoof beats in Heaven”