Sights set for the next few months as riding club activity blossoms in Donegal

Tuesday evening’s club meeting at Tir na nOg saw new club secretary, Cormac, in action for the first time. There was no hanging about as he updated everybody on news from last week’s regional meeting before moving on to develop the calendar for our own club activities until the end of April.

The most exciting news of the meeting was that Donegal will shortly have five riding clubs. The Rosses Riding Club has already been formed with its heartland in the Cruit Island corner of the county. At a meeting on Monday night, the embryonic Inishowen Riding Club emerged on the scene and is now all set to go through the official ratification process. It will be wonderful to have two more clubs in the county and the prospect of more activity and more friendly rivalry is mouthwatering.

With just a month to go until the beginning of the North West League, it’s back to business as usual with the riding club. Friday evening activities kick off with jumping lessons at Cyril’s on Fridays 25 January and 1 February. Full details will follow shortly.

Dates for your diary include:
25 January / 1 February : Jumping lessons
8 February : tbc Bowling Evening
15 / 22 February and 1 March : Flatwork  (potentially formation riding)
8 March : Armchair Evening
St Patrick’s Weekend: tbc Ride-out with Leo
5 April : Cross country at Lenamore
12 April : Trec at Cyril’s
19 April : Ride-out

Dates for the Northwest Team Show Jumping Challenge and our Derby show have been pencilled in and will be confirmed after consultation with our neighbours at the Donegal Clubs meeting next Tuesday, 22 January.

This year’s Team Show Jumping Qualifier takes place in Sligo on Sunday 26 May and we hope to be in a position to field at least one team.  The venue for the National Hunter Trial Championships (aka Flowerhill) has yet to be confirmed but we know that the date is Sunday 14 April.

Looking beyond the end of April, our trip to Carrickfinn is planned for 18/19 May and the Donegal Gaeltachts’ Beach Show will take place on Sunday 2 June.

Here’s to another year of pleasure and success with Letterkenny Riding Club.

Subscriptions for 2013

Club activities have wound down for 2012 and all that now remains to do is eat and drink lots while your horses are comfortable in their quarters. As you slide quietly into the lazy season, remember to renew your membership for the coming year. Subscriptions remain the same as in 2012 (€100 for riding members and €40 for non-riding members).

Renewals should be sent directly to Francis, our Treasurer (Francis McNicholl, Craig na gCor, Anney, Kerrykeel, County Donegal). New membership applications should be sent to our Secretary, Cormac. See the “Join Us” section of the site for full details and a membership form.

Working Hunter opportunities in Omagh

Anne Chambers recently had a very successful day at Arvalee Riding Club’s Working Hunter show in Omagh. She and Molly qualified for the Northern Ireland finals at Cavan. Congratulations!

The league continues after Christmas with an event on Sunday 29 December. It then continues on Saturdays in the new year. Ponies are in the morning and horse classes commence from 2.30pm starting with the 55cms newcomers.

Saturday 29 December
Sunday 27 January
Sunday 24 February (NIFW)
Sunday 31 March (NIFQ) (LEAGUE FINAL)

Arvalee Riding Club would like to remind everyone that £2 from every entry goes into the prize fund for the final, and there is still time to qualify.  Competitors must compete in the same class on 3 out of 5 occasions to be eligible.

For further details please contact Chris on +44 7709 199 474 or Sonya on +44 7874 350 665.

All set for another year after great gathering at AGM

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!

Horse & Member of the Year 2012
Chairman’s Report 2012

Annual General Meeting, 8pm, Friday 14 December

It’s time again to reflect on another 12 months of riding club activity, make some decisions about who will steer the ship for the coming year, and to look forward to the club’s future. Our AGM is always an enjoyable, non-bureaucratic affair with a strong emphasis on the social side of things. The highlight of the evening will be the presentation of our Club Member and Club Horse of the Year awards. Make sure you get your nominations  for the awards in to Damien by Wednesday.

Please do your level best to attend! The AGM takes place at 8pm in Tir na nOg on Friday 14 December. All members welcome.

Pictured below: Paddy, 2011 Club Member of the Year, receives the Lagan Trophy from former chairman, Francis.

Paddy & Francis_6464

Equestrian Boutique opens its doors in Kilmacrennan

John and Sharon, whose Equi-Wash and Equi-Tack enterprises have proved a wonderful success in 2012, are very proud to open the doors of their new tack shop, Equestrian Boutique. They have an impressive inventory offering everything for horse and rider. Needless to say, it’s a great place to pick up Christmas presents for horsey-minded friends and family members.

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Call in at any time — the door will always be open for you.

The very best of luck to John and Sharon. It’s an ambitious undertaking and deserves all the support we can give it.

Time to acknowledge our club member and horse of the year

With just a couple of weeks left to our Annual General Meeting on Friday 14 December, it’s time for all of us to look back over the year and pinpoint the contributions and achievements of our members and their horses. The highlight of the AGM is the presentation of awards to our Club Member of the Year and Club Horse of the Year.

Last year the awards went to two evergreen gentlemen, Paddy and Armstrong. Who will it be in 2012? Phone, text or email Damien by Wednesday 12 December with your nominations (two per category) for the Club Member and Club Horse awards. Let us know the reasons for your nominations, if possible, but it’s not compulsory.

Ride-out with the Donegal Gaeltachts, Saturday 15 December

The Donegal Gaeltachts are holding an interclub ride-out near Carrigart on Saturday 15 December at 12pm. To help chip away at the burden of interest payments on the club’s beautiful set of jumps, the ride-out will be run as a fundraiser at a cost of €10 per person.

The route covers an area of stunning natural beauty with magnificent views inland over rural Donegal and north over Doe Castle and Sheephaven Bay to the Atlantic. In December light the landscape promises to be at its very best.

According to google maps the ride-out is approx. 14 km distance from start to finish. There’ll be a stop off at ‘The Olde Glen Bar’ for sandwiches, where horses will need to be tied up around the back of the premises. The meeting point is at an agricultural shed with a large cement yard in ‘Creevy’.

All are welcome but it would be helpful to know numbers. Try to let Patricia on 086 376 1863 or Ryan McBride on 087 285 1808 know in advance, if you plan to go. If there are any queries, please contact Ryan.