TREC day in Bundoran, Saturday 8 September

Donegal TREC are hosting an introduction to TREC day in Bundoran on Saturday 8 September. The day is suitable for all levels of riders. It will be a perfect introduction for those who have not tried TREC before as well as catering for riders with experience of TREC.

Young riders interested in applying to join the list of potential candidates for the Irish team to compete in the European Young Riders Cup (2013) will have the opportunity to take part in a question and answer session following the training.

Entry fee TREC Ireland members €20, non-members €25, and on foot participants €5. Entries close 5 September.
Venue Stracomer Stables, Bundoran, Co. Donegal
Please send entries and any queries to event secretary:
Orla O’Reilly, 1 Pound Street, Ramelton, Co. Donegal; 087 643 2458.

Good luck, Gaeltachts!

The very best of luck to our friends and neighbours in the Donegal Gaeltacht who make their second assault on the Team Show Jumping Championship this Sunday at the Dublin Horse Show. They’ll be cheered on by a large contingent of Letterkenny members who have embedded themselves firmly at the RDS for the remainder of the show.

In case any of you are in any doubt as to the composition of the team, refer to the useful pictorial guide on the Gaeltacht’s  website.

Benbulben crossjump schedule, Sunday 26 August

Benbulben Riding Club make their annual attempt to run a cross jump on Sunday 26 August at Kean and Louise O’Hara’s beautiful venue at Annaghmore, Collooney, County Sligo. The event has fallen prey to the weather several times in past years but our members have enjoyed themselves at the competition on each occasion that it has gone ahead.

As usual, it’s a combined riding club and pony club schedule so it’s a great opportunity for families to compete at a single event (albeit not against each other so there’s no danger of us old folks getting our asses whooped by the young upstarts!).

Benbulben Riding Club Crossjump 2012

Dates confirmed for Autumn mini-league and team challenge

Cormac, charged with the duty of reconciling dates with venues for the proposed Autumn mini-league, has successfully nailed down Templemore for four consecutive Sundays.

3 x League: Sunday 28 October, Sundays 4 and 11 November
Team Challenge: Sunday 18 November

Each league show will be managed by one of the three clubs, with everybody putting their shoulder to the wheel for the Team Challenge day. Unfortunately we’re unlikely to have cafe facilities at Templemore so we’ll have to return to the art of sandwich making and hot flasks.

Meanwhile, Rachael and Ruth have been out pounding the pavements and doing the maths as they examine the possible venues for our Donegal clubs’ Dinner Dance. The date is most likely to be Saturday 24 November and the night will provide a perfect social conclusion to the riding club year.

Circles the focus of attention at second Glenleary session

Spectacular weather on Friday evening meant that some horses were left grazing in their fields by sun-starved members but the six riders who rode at Glenleary made the most of more excellent tuition from Mary Finneran.

It was good to have Hazel’s Sapphire back from the sickbay on the first ride and she was joined by Paddy on Lizzie and Sally on Tutu. Annette, Karen and Laura made up the second lesson and the focus of both sessions was circle work, concentrating on bringing the horse up into the outside hand.

Thanks again to Louise for organising these evenings at Glenleary and of course to Mary for her invaluable instruction.

TREC Ireland in search of young competitive riders

TREC Ireland are on the look out for young riders with the potential to compete internationally at the European Young Riders Open Championships which take place in Belgium in September 2013. There are a few potential candidates amongst the club’s ranks and it may be of interest to some of them.

Orla is the local expert on all things TREC so have a chat with her, if you’re considering it, or get straight in touch with Gwen Bastian, as indicated on the information flyer.

Fine-tuning the basics at sunny Glenleary

No matter how much tuition any of us experiences, there’ll always be some little detail that an instructor can spot that makes a lesson worthwhile. Mary Finneran’s most enjoyable flatwork lessons on Friday evening focussed on achieving the correct bend when riding corners accurately. The exercises were built up step by step, culminating in a lovely sequence of formation riding which was great fun for both riders and horses alike.

Sally, Denis and Cyril rode first on Tutu, Davy Arthur and Lady — the three lovely coloured cobs making a pretty picture in an arena bathed in beautiful evening light. They were followed by Annette, Karen, Laura and Libby on Sasha, Jack, Jessie and Fenway — a less well colour-coordinated group but an equally happy one.

Louise organised the evening but skipped the lesson so that she didn’t miss the Ramelton 5K. She appeared at Glenleary before the evening was over looking as if covering 5K on foot is a great deal less arduous than riding for an hour of focussed flatwork!

Pictured below: Concentration on coloured cobs. More in the Gallery.

Beginners Guide to Millers Hill

Last year our annual weekend at Millers Hill fell foul of the weather and was cancelled at the last moment leaving a gaping hole in our calendar. This year’s planned visit takes place on Saturday 15 & Sunday 16 September. Libby is currently working out the details of the visit with Roberta and Robert and should have an idea of costs shortly. With luck it will remain at around the same level as 2010, coming in at around €100 per person, depending on the exact combination of livery/cob hire/non-riding that you opt for.

Please let Libby know by Tuesday on 086 830 1392, if you’re thinking of going. It’s an expression of interest, not a commitment at this stage, but it’s important so that we can get a feel for the potential numbers. Don’t assume that Libby knows you’re thinking of going. Send a text!

For those of you who haven’t been along before, Millers Hill is an equestrian centre in Markethill, near Armagh. The McCrum family who run it are wonderful hosts and die-hard carriage driving enthusiasts. You’ll have a chance to try your hand at driving their schoolmaster as well as enjoying the freedom of the cross country course on either your own horse or a hired cob. You can opt to hack on the flat or school over the obstacles. There’s also a polo-crosse pitch and plenty of equipment so that anybody who wants can give it a go.

Best of all, there’s a wonderful club house where we get well fed and well watered before showing off the club’s pool playing and instrument playing prowess into the small hours. The whole emphasis of the expedition is on social life — the horses play a pretty peripheral role and you can join in the weekend on just two legs, if that’s what you prefer.

Pictured below: Some memories from past visits to Millers Hill.