Are you interested in being on a team for the Audrey Jacob Team Challenge?

The Audrey Jacob team Challenge is one of the biggest events on our riding club calendar and this year, to do justice to Audrey’s memory, we need to win some silverware for the club! We need as many members as possible to participate on teams so please let our dressage and show jumping selectors know now, if you’re planning on riding.

Please phone or text Vera on 087 232 5632, if you’re going to do the dressage. Make sure you give her your current dressage grade!

And please phone or text Francis on 086 372 2542, if you’re game for the show jumping challenge. Likewise, please confirm your current show jumping grade.

Dressage tests for Audrey Jacob Team Challenge, Sunday 26 April

Interest in the rapidly approaching Team Challenge is keen and several enquiries about the dressage tests to be ridden have already been fielded. We’re going to use the festival tests, i.e. those that are being ridden at the Riding Clubs Festival in Stradbally in June. You can find them on the AIRC website and we’ll publish them here shortly, together with full details of the team challenge.

Great Easter ride-out with Dawn in Drumkeen

It’s always good to explore new territory and Dawn’s active participation in the club has brought us new scope for adventure in the Drumkeen area. Our Good Friday group of riders — Keary, Anne, Leo, Shauna and Dawn herself — met at Dawn’s homeplace and rode out for an hour through forestry roads and back down to the nearby quarry.

Gary treated everybody to fish and chips afterwards from the local fish van, setting the hospitality bar high for the coming ride-out season! Thanks to Dawn and Gary for a really enjoyable expedition.

World’s shortest report on the Northwest League Final

Well done everybody on a memorable final leg of the NW Spring League. Particular congratulations to Enda on bagging the Advanced Primary title on the last day. Heartfelt commiserations to Cliff who struggled in his sickbed as his potential title floated across the club border to Inishowen. Equally heartfelt sympathy to Damien who stumbled at the last hurdle after a cracking campaign on Armstrong only to lose his grip on the red rosette in the dying moments of the league. At the end of the day we could hardly have anticipated such a democratic result with each club winning a class.

NWL Spring 2015 | Show 5 Results
NWL Spring 2015 | Final Points Table
NWL Spring 2015 | Final League Placings

Thanks to everybody who contributed in any way to making the Northwest Spring League once again a memorable inter-club highlight.

Catching up on what’s been happening on our Friday nights

A big thanks to our hosts for recent Friday nights. Not only did they do the organising and look after us very well on the evening — they have also filed the following reports of what everybody got up to:

Flatwork at Hazel’s
“Four of us were ready willing and kind of able to go for the first session with Patricia but unfortunately Patricia was taken into hospital on the Friday so despite trying to get a sub at the last minute the lesson had to be cancelled. So I ate all the goodies brought to console myself. Following week, Francis couldn’t make his slot but Cliff, Hazel and Louise were ready. Patricia morphed into Mary Finneran as I wasn’t sure that Patricia should be standing out in the wind and rain having not long got out of hospital. At the last minute Louise called time due to lame horse. So Cliff and I braved the weather and got cracking on getting the right bend and working on the bit. Cliff’s horse performed pretty well though  Saffy decided that she wasn’t keen on the whole look and played the “I’m not playing” card. At the end of the session some improvement had been made and Mary gave us both plenty of homework.”

Jumping at Marina & Enda’s
Five members made the journey to Marina and Endas on Friday night for a lesson under lights with Kelda.  Anne, Keary, Damien, Francis and Leo joined Enda for the 90-minute jumping lesson while Marina prepared the food. With Zak at home Francie formed a new partnership with Marina’s big grey Dan.  They took a while to gel but soon found themselves scaling new heights. After  a brief encounter with the mounting block Keary quickly got into his stride on Trial and Error and finished the night off in style with some impressive jumping while the ever dependable Damien and Anne made light of the grid work challenge. Leo and Enda for different reasons needed more space and both were glad to hear the call for food. Watching from the side lines were Jenny and Michael who led the charge to the kitchen. A couple of hours of food and drink followed  before Damien suggested we make it a weekly visit to St Johnston. Plates cleaned, it was time for home.

Friday evening activities continue this week with Kelda in St Johnston

No reports have yet trickled through about our recent Friday evening lessons at Hazel’s arena with Patricia Warren. Surely this information vacuum will soon be filled by one of the club detectives?

In the meantime we can look forward to a lesson with Kelda this coming Friday night at Marina and Enda’s home in St Johnston. Contact Marina to book, if you plan to go along.