Although regional expectations mean that next year’s AGM will probably take place earlier in the winter, there’s no doubting the value of holding the meeting within the festive season. Friday evening’s gathering attracted an excellent attendance of lively, engaged members who talked positively about events in 2012 and looked forward enthusiastically to the new riding club year.
Club chairman Damien got the ball rolling with an excellent report on the year’s activities and achievements. It’s lovely yet again to see so healthy a balance on the calendar. Tuition and non-competitive activities remain the glue that holds the club together, with competitions punctuating the calendar at healthy intervals.
It’s a good sign when it proves easy to fill the positions on the club committee. Many of the sitting tenants remained in position with the only significant movement being in the Secretary’s and Chief Safety Officer’s chairs. After two years in office, Orla steps down as Secretary and Cormac bravely takes her place. Paddy takes over Cormac’s position as head of the safety team.
With the business end of things taken care of, the awards ceremony for our Club Member and Club Horse of the Year provided great entertainment. This year we matched the Lagan Trophy for 2-legged members with a beautiful new trophy for the 4-legged members. The striking piece was created by Marina and it was fitting that her own wonderful horse Teldel was the recipient of the award. He received a fitting tribute from those who nominated him and the recognition is not just for the past year but for 22 years of effort.
It was impossible to separate the nominations in the 2-legged category with no fewer than three members declared co-winners for 2012. Many congratulations to Jenny, Louise and Cormac on their achievement. The brass plate is going to need an extension sooner than we had anticipated!
Amidst all the business of the year and the excitement of the awards, one recurring theme kept emerging. Although Enda himself only appeared at the tail end of the affair, his sartorial elegance was the talking point of the evening. Keep it up, Enda — maybe Santa Claus will have more equestrian fashion items in his sack for you next week!
Letterkenny Riding Club 