Looking forward to our cross country evening at Lenamore

The horses are staying at home this Friday evening but they’ll be working for their feed in a week’s time at Lenamore. Cormac has organised a Go As You Please over the cross country course and it offers a nice easy-going opportunity for some schooling. The ground should be perfect given the forecast combination of rain and warm sunshine for the coming week.

Inishowen Riding Club are running an identical session immediately after ours so make sure you turn up punctually at 7pm so that we can vacate the course on schedule. Unfortunately orders from above at AIRC HQ prevent us from combining the two clubs into one longer session.

Contact Cormac on 087 251 4417 if you’re interested in going along. You can do as much or as little as you please and, if you don’t feel like jumping, you can just fly around the lovely big fields.

Numbers stack up for Regional Training Day *updated with times*

With 58 riders signed up for the training day at Cloncaw this Sunday, Rachael McCrossan has her work cut out organising the lessons. Most riders plan to do three coaching sessions meaning that an additional instructor has had to be drafted in to cope with the numbers. Members from clubs in other areas such as Leitrim and Monaghan have spotted the opportunity and are making the most of the chance to train with experts.

Regional Training Day | Finalised Lesson Times

It’s fantastic to see people availing of this opportunity and full credit goes to Rachael for orchestrating the entire event. We expect glowing reports from all participants!

Louise and Christopher shine at Trec National Championships

Although the local competitive riding club scene is quiet at present, there’s plenty of non-AIRC activity throughout the summer. Last weekend Louise and Christopher travelled as part of the Donegal representation to the TREC Ireland National Championships in Ross House Equestrian Centre in Cavan. They finished 2nd in the Level 1 pairs competition but that wasn’t the end of the story. Christopher was awarded the Grangeclare perpetual trophy for the highest scoring Level 1 rider while Hannah was expertly piloted by Louise to take second prize in the veteran horse class, just four points behind the overall winner.

As with any major event there are plenty of hurdles to overcome merely to get to the starting line. These championships were no exception and it was thanks to another of our members that the Donegal partnerships actually got to the competition. With Christopher’s jeep laid up on its sick bed and no van to be hired for love nor money, it was Audrey who came to the rescue, generously donating her jeep for the excursion. Some acts of generosity leave you speechless and Audrey has an endless capacity for pulling them out of the hat. What a friend!

Watersports evening in Rathmullan, Friday 26 July

Plans are becoming clear for the watersports activities on Friday 26 July in Rathmullan. Adventure One will teach us paddle-boarding while Rathmullan Sailing & Watersports School will put us through our kayaking paces. We’ll have to leave dinghy sailing until another day since the boats are not available that evening.

Five people can kayak and five people can paddle board at any one time. The cost will be €20 to €40, depending on whether you want to do an hour of paddle-boarding or two-and-a-half hours of kayaking. Depending on what people want to do, we can divide the kayaking session in half so that 10 people can kayak for an hour-and-a-quarter each and then switch to the paddle boards.

All wetsuits are provided and there’ll be qualified instructors to help us master the finer points of the art of keeping afloat.

To help Libby organise the evening, please let her know as soon as possible if you’d like to participate. Let her know also if you’re game for trying both sports or have a preference for just one. Text or call her on 086 830 1392, at latest by this Friday.

Connecting horse and rider at Glenleary

Friday evening’s session at Glenleary was conducted in Mediterranean conditions but both riders and horses put in maximum effort to make best use of Mary’s tuition time. Tanya in particular really enjoyed this series of lessons. She put it very well when she said that, whatever it is about Mary, she can get rider and horse communicating to the best of their ability by the end of the session. She had them submitting to each other which resulted in a lovely outline and a relaxed horse.

Pictured below: The hardcore members who spent Friday evening at Glenleary instead of heading for the beach.

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Calendar highlights : July, August, September

Our recent club meeting (already 3 weeks ago) set the scene for the coming months and there’s plenty to look forward to.

Friday evening flatwork lessons with Mary Finneran are already under way and in the second half of August we’ll have the opportunity for some jumping lessons. The instructor is yet to be confirmed and Tanya will be organising the series. In October, Kelda will teach us over coloured poles in good time for the Autumn North West Mini-League.

These two sets of lessons will be punctuated by a cross country go-as-you-please evening at Lenamore on Friday 2 August. Cormac is orchestrating that event and it will be a great opportunity for a spin around a very approachable collection of obstacles. Later in the calendar, on Saturday 21 September, we’re going to visit Marina and Enda’s homeplace for some derby training over expansive fields and lovely jumps.

All going well with availability, Libby will be organising an expedition on two legs to Rathmullan where we’ll try our hands at some or all of paddle boarding, kayaking and dinghy sailing. Full details of the activities, planned for Friday 26 July, will be available shortly and you’ll need to express your interest in good time so that numbers can be firmed up.

Everybody is already aware of activities at Cloncaw Equestrian Centre in Glaslough on Sundays 21 and 28 July. Make sure you get your entries in in time for both the Border Counties One-Day Event and the Regional Training Day. Anne Chambers is handling our club’s entries for the training day.

The Dublin Horse Show at the RDS in early August is a fixture on the annual calendar for many of our members and it will prove a sociable and interesting destination. In particular, enjoy the final of the Team Show Jumping Championships in Simmonscourt on Sunday 11 August.

Two highlights in particular should be noted firmly in members’ diaries. Firstly, Francis’s Treasure Hunt on Sunday 18 August will lead riders through our beautiful rural countryside with stunning views in search of elusive clues. Not to be missed. Secondly, in a change from our Miller’s Hill routine, we’ll be heading to Bundoran for a weekend away on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 September. Our base will be Stracomer Stables, safely nestling in a dune landscape with no danger of waterlogging and cancellation! There’ll be the chance to enjoy their cross country course and endless opportunities for riding on the expansive beaches and sand dunes. Damien is chief organiser of the expedition and full details will emerge in due course.

Enjoy your membership!

Flatwork lessons with Mary Finneran

This Friday sees the first in a series of flatwork lessons with Mary Finneran at Glenleary. Many of us are glad to relax slightly after the high point of the Derby last weekend but it’s nice to keep things ticking over with a lesson now and again so that there’s no mad panic before the next competition.

Mary’s classes will cater for all levels of riders from novice to advanced. Book with Nadine on 087 933 7854 if you wish to participate.

Pictured below: Cyril, Denis and Sally enjoy flatwork exercises with Mary, August 2012.

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Regional Training Day, Cloncaw EC, Sunday 28 July

It never rains but it pours! Now we have our second opportunity to use the excellent facilities at Cloncaw Equestrian Centre near Emyvale in Monaghan. The Donegal Clubs have organised a regional training day along the same lines as the highly successful one run two years ago at the same venue.

The superb roster of instructors lists Charles Maudlin, Anthea Rainsbury, Helen Nolan and Mandi King. They’ll teach riders in three disciplines: cross country, show jumping and flatwork/dressage. The training day is fantastic value with up to 3 sessions included in the flat fee of €25.

Camping and livery are available for anybody who wishes to travel on Saturday and make a night of it.

Entries are to be made via our own club (tbc Cormac) and must be with Rachael Mc Crossan no later than Friday 19 July 2013. Full details below.

AIRC Regional Training Day