Welcome to Mid Devon Riding Club.

Welcome to Mid Devon Riding Club.

We are a small and friendly club based mainly around Okehampton and Lewdown.
Carolyn Smy, our secretary, organises lessons at Brightley (just outside
Okehampton on the Exbourne road) and at Southcott. In summer, the lessons
are usually weekday evening, in winter Saturday or Sunday mornings. Carolyn will email lessons organised, you just let her know when and if you want to come, you don't have to sign up for a series. At present, lessons are mainly with Andrew Lovell for xc and SJ, with Sarah Prew for flat, in the winter a lot with Caroline Creighton. I also can organise1/2h or 1h private or shared lessons at Cholwell, indoors, with their Dutch trainer Yeb, whom I found inspiring. He likes eventing best, so is good at all three disciplines. I am also happy to share a lesson with anyone if you want to.
Cholwell do alternate weekends Dressage and SJ, I can email schedules if you want. They will leave the jumps up on the Mondays after their SJ, so anyone can practise over a whole course. I am happy to come, too, not to jump, but to put poles up, make jumps higher or lower, but can’t give any advice for your jumping. You would have to let them know, though. 01566 783215

I don't know whether you have been a member of a Riding Club before, but here is a short introduction on how things work. RCs are in Areas, we are in Area 19, from west of Exeter to Lands End. Each Area holds Area qualifying competitions, with the winners going to the National Championships.  The RC year goes from April to April.

The calendar year usually starts with a fun Team SJ for RC members only, where one rider each – of a team of four – jumps 2 rounds at their height, the heights are roughly 2’3, 2’6, 2’9,and 3’, with the best 3 scores of each round to count. In case of equality for first place, there will be a jump-off at 3’3. The teams may consist of Juniors/Seniors mixed. This takes place at Cholwell near Lewdown.

The Winter Indoor Dressage qualifiers are normally held at the Duchy. Two riders each, in a team of 4, ride a Prelim and a Novice test, best 3 scores to count. The finals are at Hartpury, at the same time as the Indoor Novice SJ.

The qualifier for this is also at the Duchy, teams only, same heights Juniors and Seniors, max height 80cm.

There is a new competition at Royal Windsor Horse Show, with either SJ, two
heights (Topscore format, Joker either 3’ or 3’6+), or Riding Test, all individuals only, Juniors or Seniors. Finals Mid May. Look on the Royal Windsor Horse Show website to see what amazing prizes go with winning these competitions.

Another new Combined Competition has been devised, consisting of a Riding Test and a Style Jumping round, same rider/horse combination, at Aston-le-Walls at the same time as the Cross country finals.

 Dressage and Riding Tests Area qualifiers are usually  held in June, usually at St Leonards, Launceston (Andy Reeve's). There are all sorts of classes you can enter as Individuals or in a team. If you don't know about Riding Tests, I will explain next year nearer the time.  SJ and Style Jumping usually in July, also at St Leonards, also teams and Ind. The finals for dressage, SJ etc are at Lincoln in September, together with veteran classes and teams of 6 dressage (all 6 riders in the arena at once), plus the winning Open dressage Area team can also compete in a team of 4 dressage, same format.

One-day-event June/July at Southcott, 2 heights juniors, 3 for seniors, teams or inds. Finals at Offchurch Bury, Warks, August.

Hickstead team of three SJ, no Area qualifier needed, end of July..

First weekend of October Hunter trials at Chyverton near Truro, teams, pairs and inds. This is run to a new format, like the Eventers’ Derby at Hickstead, ring me and I will explain. Finals end of April next year Aston-Le-Walls. There are also showing
classes, no qualifier needed, at the same venue/time for Hunters, Cobs and Working Hunters.

For all competitions, the team manager has to get preliminary entries to RC HQ 3 weeks before the Area qualifier, so you have to make up your mind and stick to it.

There are rules and regulations re eligibility of horse and rider, dress and tack for all these events, if in any doubt, please ring or email me or the relevant team manager before you are firmly entered.

We now have a very enthusiastic crowd and get together for social events, omething that has never happened before. We also need to hold events/socials with the aim of raising money, Although the club is so small, the competitive members do extremely well, and qualify for all sorts of things.

We start after the AGM with the Christmas Dinner, organised by Carolyn.

In 2009, Jane Gordon and David Bagshall invited us to their house for a Potato and Pudding supper, and in June they hosted the Bicycle Dressage with BBQ. Both were hugely enjoyable and good fund raisers for the club. We intend to add Bicycle Gymkhana to the schedule.

We held a team SJ at Southcott at the end of May, also very good for the coffers, and our usual dressage/combined training, but this year with SJ only added, also at Southcott, at the end of August. And another team SJ indoors at Cholwell in October, all these events are open to all..

Dates for all these will be on the website as soon as we get them.

The club is at present able to subsidise stabling/entry fees at finals, and we will continue if funds allow. If there is enough money at the end of the next financial year, we intend to reimburse the preliminary entry fees to RC HQ to those members who have represented the club.

SEIB will give RC members 10% reduction on horse insurance. Just ring them and say you are a member of MDRC.

All horses competing in Area competitions MUST have a vaccination certificate to Jockey Club standards. The requirements can be looked up on the British Horse Society website, go to Riding Clubs, and then you will find them somewhere, or I can email them to you. You seriously would not even be allowed to start HC if your vaccination record is incorrect.

We can also arrange lessons/examinations for grades in stable management/riding, set by BRC. These vary slightly from the BHS ones.

For lessons Carolyn 01837 53487, Ines 01837 871261

We now have dates for the winter competitions, all qualifiers for various national championships:

Feb 7^th Duchy Junior and Senior team Dressage

Feb 20^th Duchy Junior team SJ (2’6-2’9)

Feb 20^th Windsor Junior and Senior Topscore SJ (Joker at 3’ and 3’6”-3’9”)

Feb 20^th Style jumping for combined competition

Feb 27^th Colraine nr Truro Junior and Senior RT for Windsor and RT for combined competition

There will be a dressage clinic at Cholwell, 2h each, 4 groups (walk/trot, Prelim, Novice, Elem), each no more than 4 riders, with talk, lesson and test riding £35 each on Tues Dec 2st

And a SJ clinic there on Dec 7^th, 4 groups  (from v. small to 3-4’), £35

Contact Cholwell 01566 783215 or cholwellec@hotmail.co.uk

Ines