It’s hard to know whether the change of day, time and venue had any effect on attendance at our club AGM but its safe to say the attendees had a most enjoyable afternoon in the picturesque surroundings of Quigley’s Point, courtesy of Erica. The tea and coffee flowed and a constant stream of cheesecake, brownies, caramel squares and pastries ensured a guilty conscience in every car leaving. The chat varied from mica, through horses to the inevitable covid but business got dealt with and the general agreement was that our club is doing ok for itself.
There was a great sense of pride in the fact that we had managed to host two successful, stand-alone shows, as well as assisting Inishowen in the running of the first leg of the autumn league at Lenamore. Our club numbers are up fractionally on 2020, and that’s without counting in our valued associate members. Associate membership of the neighboring clubs is a great way to extend the opportunities that AIRC membership offers. There was definitely a healthy amount of enthusiasm for the coming year, particularly with the likelihood of a complete revamp of the grading and competition system opening up a lot more opportunities for members at all levels. Having dealt with the inevitable bureaucracy the time came to count the votes for both club member of the year and club horse of the year. Nominees for club member of the year were Anne, Erica and Suzanne, with Suzanne taking the title. Comments on her year’s performance included “cheerfully supporting everything we do” and “showing great determination, grit and stamina all year”. I don’t think anyone would argue with those comments. Club horse of the year was between Rachel’s Merlin, Anne’s Star and Suzanne’s Jimmy (aka Dubai Flyer). With comments such as “consistent throughout the year”, “truly a club horse that can carry two members to red ribbons” and “wears his big-boy pants with pride”, Merlin took the trophy home for the second time in his club life. Photo’s of the proud winners with their trophies will follow.
The rest of 2021 holds no further competitive outings in the North West region but we intend getting together for a ride-out on Saturday 11th December. Details will be circulated closer to the time but, weather permitting, it should be a good opportunity to share the beauty of our county from horseback and follow it up with some hearty soup or an indulgent hot chocolate. We look forward to seeing you.
Letterkenny Riding Club 