NEWSLETTER HIGHLIGHTS -  FEBRUARY 2002

Xmas is now over and we hope that the worst of the weather is finished and that we can all look forward to a full year of competition. Another Newsletter and what a lot of News there is.


ARDINGLY QUADRILLE TEAM ARE THIRD AT OLYMPIA

Deidre Robinson and her team were fantastic at Olympia. It was clear to all the members who attended that they had worked extremely hard on their routine of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice and their costumes were outstanding. Well done to the riders Deirdre on Burnside Holly, Amanda Heath on Sabique, Sarah Daniells on Charlie Chaplin and Sian Greene on Into Touch. Also a big thank you to their band of helpers for their effort with the turnout. All the horses were extremely well behaved and a credit to you all.
They were pipped at the post by two teams in excellent form, West End who came second with an American Indian presentation with stunning music and Saffron Waldron last year’s winners with The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse.


MORE GOOD NEWS!!
At the recent Riding Club Showjumping in November a very kind lady approached me with the donation of two splendid cups for the Riding Club. The lady was Mrs. Doreen Killick of Ifield and we send her a huge thank you from us all. We are hoping to use them as perpetual cups for the new Combined Training series, one for Novice and one for Open, we hope that she might be present to award them at the last competition in April.

Helpers are extremely important to the Club as we undertake 35 events a year on behalf of members. To promote our campaign for more helpers to ease the burden the Committee have recently published the Helpers Charter. Those of you who read the last Newsletter will have seen it. The Club will now be giving vouchers to the value of £7.00 to everyone who turns up to help at any event or who helps to set up at any event.  This voucher can be redeemed against entries for any Club Event or against petrol on presentation of a receipt to the value of the voucher. We also undertake to feed and water all helpers for the duration of their help. We hope this will show our appreciation and make more people come forward with the offer of a helping hand. We thank all those people who have been helping out with the recent indoor show jumping, without them it would not have been the huge success it was. We are now however looking for people to help with the Combined Training, people who are free mid week and who have an interest in dressage and show jumping. You can learn a lot from watching. If you have a few hours spare volunteer by contacting Jane Kendall on Jken611970@cs.com or ring 01444 811969.

Lots of helpers will also be required for the Horse Trials on the 11th May 2002, if you are available please contact Chris Hartfield on www.Christine.Hartfield@tesco.net or ring on 01825 890134 or complete and post the attached slip. Members who are competing can also volunteer for just a few hours before or after they compete. This is your Riding Club; please help us to make it successful.

Our recent appeal for a new Treasurer was answered by Christine Scott. Many of you will know Christine she is normally in charge of the Collecting Ring at the Show Jumping competitions and is extremely active at clinics and many other events. We thank her for joining the Committee and wish her well.                        
We have also received offers to join the Committee from Sherilyn Bungay and Susannah Givons which we have gratefully accepted and they joined in January. With the increasing number of events we are holding their help is much appreciated.

Unfortunately due to work and personal commitments Mary Anne Pragnell has had to stand down from the Committee. We send her a big thank you for all her hard work since joining the Committee in 1985. She would still like to be involved as a helper at events and we look forward to seeing her then.

Liz Richardson stepped down from the Committee at the AGM. She has however continued as Secretary for the remaining Affiliated Dressage Events that were held by the Riding Club, the last one of which was on the 23rd / 24th January. For her enormous amount of input and commitment to Ardingly Riding Club over the years Liz was presented with a Garden Lounger from you all at the January Dressage. We wish her well and success with her new venture Ardingly Dressage, where members competing in dressage will still be able to keep in touch.

Ardingly Teams Excel Themselves at the Area 10 Show Jumping 6 January at Golden Cross!!!
Congratulations to our teams who finished 2nd and 3rd out of 23 teams.
In second place were our B team comprising of Penny Hersey (Hubby's Debt), Claudia Hamlett (Denstar) and Teresa Hemings (Troy). In third place our A team were Nicola Hill (Fleetmead Factotum), Julie Bunn (Fleetmead Scherzo) and Sarah Jones (Nina). In the novice section Julie was 2nd individually with a fast fluent round and Claudia was 3rd less than a second behind. In the open Sarah was 2nd and Teresa 5th. The winners were Sevenoaks A.

Hope you are all logging on to www.ridingclub.org.uk/ardinglyridingclub website to keep up to date with competition results.

Just two important reminders.
1.    In the interest of Safety - Please close the gate after entering  and leaving the Showground Car Park.
2.  Subscriptions were due January, have you paid?. If you have not you will not received the next Mailing. Sorry, but it is not fair to other paid members.

If you have any other thoughts or ideas please feel free to contact me anytime. It is best to use email if you have one.

Hope you all have a successful riding year.
Christine Hartfield
Chairman.