Garth Hunt Branch of the Pony Club has a new website!
Please wait while you are automatically reconnected.
February 2008 Newsletter
Download the latest newsletter here
Download an order form for Garth Hunt clothing etc here.
Branch news and information
Letter from your D.C.
I hope you all had a really good Xmas and New Year and all feel ready for a busy year ahead. I apologise to those of you that did not receive your Xmas newsletter till very late. As you know we have been trying to email them out to you and this seems to cause problems. Your committee have decided that we will email them still but to also send out a hard copy to everyone. Karla Stevens has kindly offered to do this. I have received several anxious enquiries regarding the camp application forms. As you know the residential camp at Boomerang was a new venue for us last year and as it was last minute (remember the Foot and Mouth!) our Pony Club subsidised it quite heavily. Karen is putting together a realistic price for 2008 and we are still negotiating with Boomerang. Therefore the camp forms will be going out with the Easter newsletter. Our Website is very out of date since Teresa has left. Mary Balfour has kindly offered her services and will have a go at it for us, for which I am very grateful. Hopefully soon it will be worth looking up regularly.
Natalie and Anita are putting together a training programme for 2008. Please tick the appropriate boxes on the rally slip and return with which test you want to work for. Some of you have already done some training and will just need to do a refresher immediately before your test. Please contact Natalie those of you wishing to do your B tests. The B test Training dates are: 28 th July, 28 th Aug, 2 nd Sept and October 27 th . These get booked up quickly so please let Natalie know a.s.a.p.
There always seems to be confusion about our Dress Code. To help you with this we will now mention what you should be wearing with the rally details. Please remember ALWAYS plain numnahs/saddlecloths for your ponies in either black brown white or navy, and NEVER any jewellery. I hope that you will all like the programme that we have put together.
Rosemary Clucas
News
Get to know your instructors…
Jonathan Chapman
A qualified Instuctor to BHSI standard and who trained with Yogi Breisner for 7 years. He has evented to Advanced one day level and 3* 3 day level. He is also competing still at Affiliated Dressage to medium level and Affiliated Showjumping. Jonathan who has been selected by British Eventing as a ‘Trainer for Tomorrow' is a regular Garth Hunt Instructor and he has helped our eventers prior to the area competitions for several years.
Chris Haywood
Chris was in the Household Cavalry for 27 years and was the former Riding Master. He is a qualified instructor to BHSIIT standard. He has competed at eventing to 3* level at show jumping UK and International Affiliated Dressage to medium level. We first met Chris at our Residential Camp and he has agreed to give us regular training sessions.
Penny Sangster
Penny began her equine career as a student, working pupil then head girl with Peter Storr, Karen Dixon and Alison Remmen. She began training students for BHS exams and teaching adults and children in 1990. She has competed at Medium Level in Dressage, 1m30 in affiliated showjumping and to Advanced and CCI*** in British Eventing, with much success, including the honour of riding with the Union Jack in 2003. Penny has been teaching in the Garth Hunt Pony Club for the past 15 years and is Chief Instructor of her local Pony Club in Sussex. She runs her own eventing and training yard in East Sussex, Training working pupils for Pony Club and BHS exams and for BE, BSJA and BD competitions. She breaks, schools and produces horses for herself and owners towards BE, BSJA and BD affiliated competitions
As you can see we are very lucky to have these proven experienced instructors helping us with your training.
Riding and Road Safety
This is a BHS qualification and therefore we have to organise outside BHS instructors. The candidates have to undergo 8 hours training and therefore the cost with the test is approx £125. We can negotiate possibly a better deal when we have numbers. Minimum age is 12 years and members will need this qualification to complete their C test. At all training members should wear beige jodhpurs plus Garth hunt official tops.
Vale of Aylesbury with Garth and South Berks Hunt
They will be holding a chiildren's meet in half term. The date for this is Wednesday 20 th February and it is at Copyhold Farm, Goring Heath. The secretary is Ms Amanda Stewart. She can be contacted on 01491 684151 and she should be able to answer any queries that you may have.
Camp 2008
The residential Camp at Boomerang is open this year to members 12 years and over unless they are competing very confidentially and will be invited if they are considered suitable. Please be aware that the facilities are fantastic at Boomerang but would overface some members. The groups will be organised around ability and it is not fair to hold back the lower groups if we have someone not up to the Cross Country. If you are unsure about your ability please consider Day Camp which has no upper age limit. We have your safety in mind at all times.
We need helpers at both camps. 14years and above at Day Camp and over 16years at Residential. You will be needed to assist the instructors and help with the horse/ponies.
We need a volunteer for Camp Mum at both camps. This involves being in charge of refreshments, the lunch period and to oversee anyone not feeling well. At residential camp this will mean staying!
New committee members: A very big welcome to Clare Moulder and Caroline Church who have agreed to join our committee.
If you have a horse/pony for sale or loan, or are looking for one, please contact Teresa Burton who keeps a list. She is the best person to contact, other committee members can forget to let her know so please go to her direct.
Please keep Theresa informed with developments- let her know if you have sold your pony or are no longer looking. If you went on the list before September 2007 please contact her to confirm if you are still looking/selling. The list is getting out of date!
Tel: 01628 624096 or email teresaburton@waitrose.com
Please remember to re-new your membership.
Dress code for Pony Club activities
Your committee have decided that it is no longer necessary for members to wear show or hacking jackets to Pony Club rallies and training activities unless specifically requested for a particular rally/training session. However, the remaining dress code will be strictly enforced. For all activities you should wear:
- a long sleeved white shirt with collar and Pony Club tie (members aged 18 and over may wear a stock)
- Pony Club sweatshirt
- Pony Club badge
- white, cream or beige jodhpurs
- plain black or navy hat silk
- black or brown riding boots or jodhpur boots (No full length chaps. Half chaps or gaiters in same colour as boots are OK)
- no jewellery including ear sleepers (but you may wear a watch)
- hair longer than collar length should be neatly plaited or in a hair net (Loose hair can be very dangerous)
Your horse or pony should wear:
- plain tack in good condition, plain noseband and browband
- plain white, navy, black or brown numnah or saddlecloth (if worn) with no braiding or embroidery
- plain white, black or brown girth
- any extra items of tack should be brown or black
- ponies that may kick should wear a red ribbon in their tail.
Tack and clothing does not have to be new, but should be clean and tidy and in good condition. Remember, points are given at each rally for turnout, and prizes awarded to our best turned out members.
We now have Garth Hunt baseball caps (£5) and hooded sweatshirts (£20) for sale – contact Karen Wozniac. Hooded sweatshirts are ideal for camp but should not be worn to rallies.
The Branch accounts for 2006 are now available for inspection. If you would like a copy of the accounts, contact Karen Callard, who will post or email them to you. Garth Hunt branch currently has over 100 members!
HorsesearchUK are currently developing a national database of horses and ponies for sale throughout
the UK. Visit their website at www.horsesearchuk.com .
Past successes – future inspiration
Garth Hunt have had some fantastic past successes and we thought that we would give you some inspiration for the future. If you keep in touch with any old Garth Members who have gone on to work in the horse industry or have had successes please let us know.
Leah Beckett joined the Garth in 1986 aged 5 and went to her first baby camp the following year on her beloved Toby (38yrs) and every summer camp until she left at age 18. During that time she represented the Garth in dressage, eventing, showjumping and tetrathlon and Great Britain in dressage as a pony, junior and young rider, winning two bronze medals at the European Championships. After having various loan ponies she finally bought her own (“Ben”). Found in a shed at an Irish dealer's yard, he was in a very sad state but had ‘potential'. Unfortunately as he regained his strength it became obvious why he had been shipped out of Ireland – he was a real rogue and napped and reared, the only place he was vaguely behaved was in a dressage arena so as Leah loved him she took the dressage route, took him to rallies, did her B test on him and trained him for dressage. Two years later they were part of the winning dressage team at the PC championships and the following year won every Premier League show, were ranked No. 1 in the country, won a bronze medal at the Europeans, and were individual champions at the PC championships where the team came second. Leah went on to horses and competed for Great Britain in Spain, Poland, Germany and Holland, and as a young rider won another bronze medal in Rome. On leaving school with 10 GCSEs and 4 A levels she went to Holland where she was the main rider for the Korenbloem Stud for two years. On her return to this country she now teaches full time and takes regular clinics. At the moment she doesn't have an advanced dressage horse but is having a great time going back to her first love – jumping – and won her first pre-novice event last season. |
2006 was Kirsten Smith's last year on Pony Club teams. She has been a keen member of the Pony Club(13years) and a stalwart member of the area teams at the top level in all 3 disciplines for the last 7 years, first on her pony Berkeley then on Royal Quest (Roo) and finally on Crest of the Wave (Cresty) generously loaned to her by the Honey family. The following are the highlights when she qualified at the area and competed at the Pony Club National Championships at Sansaw. 2002 Individual Dressage on Roo 2003 Eventing Team on Roo, Team placed 2nd 2005 Individual Eventing on Cresty 9th 2006 Individual S/J on Cresty 3rd In 2003 she was a member of the BE JRN event team for the central region at Weston Park. She was also longlisted for the British Junior Event team after her performance in her first 3 day event at Chepstow. In 2004 in her gap year she went to a professional yard where sadly before the season started her horse had major colic surgery – the end of her dream to event in young riders and compete at the Windsor 3day event! I am funding a new base and plaque for a lovely old perpetual trophy originally presented in 1949. This will commemorate all the riders this century who have ridden at the Pony Club National Championship (Eventing) at the top level. 2002 Joanna Honey Celtic Flame 2003 Team 2nd Kirsten Smith Royal Quest 2005 Kirsten Smith Crest of the Wave We wish everyone success in the future and look forward to more names being added to this roll of honour. Katherine Smith |
Report broken links or problems here