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Reports

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Reports

BHXC - officially opened by HRH Princess Anne

This was a very special event - Princess Anne came to the course and we drove around it together before stopping at the water complex to see Clissy Bleekman teaching and then at schooling ditch to watch Ben Van Sommerron teaching another group of riders.

Princess Anne was very impressed by the course and particularly liked the cornish banks and water complex. She thought the ground was great and even wanted to know what kind of blend grass seed it was! All in all she was very complimentary and liked the variety of permanent jumps with their all weather takeoffs and the portables which mean that horses can jump off of grass without destroying the ground (I can move them to fresh patches).

About 200 people came to the event organised by Corrine Matthews at the Blackdown Hills Rural Partnership and there were interesting exhibitions from the Blackdown Hills Hedge Association, Coldharbour Mill (who launched their own Blackdown Hills Tartan), the Blackdown Hills Creative Artists Forum, Business Association, South West Airfields Trust and Chardstock Primary School who have helped to create a very innovative healthy eating project. The Smeathharpe Womens Institute kept everyone well supplied with teas, sandwiches and cakes.

The Princess then unveiled a commemorative bronze plaque by artist Claudia Napier of Sheldon and was presented with posies by Rohaise Firth-Butterfield and Daniel Vaughan.

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Cotley Hunt Pony Club one day event

Our first run at a full one day event was a complete success thanks to the superb organisation of Jane Rogers and her team from the Cotely Hunt Pony club.

The three phases all ran smoothly with 6 dressage arenas with "loads of warmup space - it never did get crowded"; a large show jumping ring and 3 courses of cross country which all jumped well.

Class 1 – 2’3

13 years and under - for Pony Club Members

Sponsored by UNICORN SADDLERY

Class 2 – 2’6-2’9

Sponsored by HI HO SILVER

2A – Pony Club members

Section A

Section B        

Class 2B – Riding Club Members

Class 3

Sponsored by LIVERY DOLE

Inter-branch Team Competition

Pony Club Members only

1st    SILVERTON

        Althea Bleekman - Mayflower

        Katie Bleeman   - Billy Whizz

        Daisy Westaway - Seamus Finnegan

2nd    SILVERTON

        Althea Bleekman - Coco Channel

        Katie Bleekman - Cregan Scenic

        Daisy Westaway    - Chilcombe Harvey

3rd    EAST DEVON

        Lucy Barber

        Suzanne Allanson-Bailey

        Oliver Derryman

        Isla Findlay

Class 4 – 3’-3’3

Sponsored by CORRYMOOR SOCKS

4A – Pony Club Members

4B – Riding Club members

Class 5

Sponsored by the NFU

Inter-branch Team Competition

Pony Club Members only

1st    COTLEY HUNT

        Philippa Clist

        Tim Rogers

        Kirsten Whitley

2nd  EAST DEVON

        Oliver Oakaby

        Georgie Ashton

        Hayley Spry

3rd    COTLEY HUNT

        Holly Wells

        Emily Wells

        Rose Atkinson

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East Devon Hunt Supporters hunter trial

In the wonderful spring sunshine over 280 riders entered the Trial on 22nd March. East Devon Hunt members are to be congratulated on the smooth running of this event giving everyone a good time and being packed up by 6pm!

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Coming up

BE Horse Trials May 30th

Entries opened today on Monday April 25th for our Intro and Pre Novice horse trials to be held on Bank Holiday Monday May 30th.

If you're not a full member of British Eventing, you'll need a Day Ticket to enter. These can only be bought from British Eventing. Either see their website at www.BritishEventing.com (you can download the application form at http://www.britisheventing.com/pdf/Day%20Ticket%20Application.pdf) or call their office on 0247 669 8856 for application forms. They are warning of a 5 day wait for day tickets so act now or you may not get your entry in to us in time.

BE part of it

Running any competition takes a lot of help. Running a full-on horse trials takes an army. If you would like to be involved in what goes on behind the scenes, come help with our horse trials. We've got jobs for fence judges for the cross country phase, dressage writers, show jumping writers, collecting ring stewards for dressage and show jumping, scorers, admin and site staff.

To encourage riders to help and to encourage them to bring help, we're setting up a separate competition for our riders bringing help. Riders can be "sponsored" by someone helping (a rider can only have one sponsor and a helper can only sponsor one rider). The highest placed rider in each section who has been sponsored by a helper will get a prize and so will their sponsor.

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Open Day - 9th July

Speakers include Karen Jones - International Endurance rider, Nikki Routledge - McTimmony therapist and writer about getting horses fit and physiotherapy, Ian Lewis - Equine Dentist, Paul Whitfield - Farrier, Chris Johanson - vet and Cindy Rawson - International Evener.

Food, drink, trade stands and trailer-tours of the cross country course.

Free entry

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Summer party - 9th July

Our summer party follows on from the Open Day. Food, drink and dancing on a summers evening. Tickets £15. Order them now!

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Other news

Equestrian Trade Directory for Blackdown Hills riders

Imagine a little book to keep in the tack room with lists of local hay suppliers, lorry repairers, clippers, instructors, holiday horse care and any other service you can think of. The Blackdown Hills Equestrian Group has won European funding to produce one for the Blackdown Hills. We want to include EVERYONE - from "proper" businesses to individuals offering small, part-time services.

Basic entries are FREE to businesses based in the Blackdown Hills with very inexpensive advertising available - anyone outside the area can also advertise from just £10.

Submit your entry online at www.BHeqD.co.uk, use the enclosed form or call the office on 01823 681450.

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Birthday parties

Have a birthday party on horseback. We'll organise an instructor for a whizz around on some small jumps, then just put the ponies in back their boxes and come inside for party food. From £150 for 6 riders, including tuition and food for 30.

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Marquee for hire

We now have a 60x30' marquee - big enough to seat 120 people - which we have used to host the Blackdown Hills exhibit for Princess Anne's visit and will be using for sponsors and events throughout the year. If you would like to hire it for your party, just give us a call.

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Just for mums

We'd like to run monthly morning sessions for mums with young children who find it difficult to get time off for riding. They'd work like this - you arrive with child and pony, drop the child into our creche staffed by registered child carers, have a cross country lesson with an instructor and then come back and have coffee and a chat.

If you're tempted, please give us a call - we need at least 8 to make it work so call and show us that the demand is there.

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Competition

Keep an eye out for our Blackdown Hills Cross Country mugs (£4 each) and souvenir T-shirts in the weeks to come.

We are looking for a good slogan for the T-shirts so send us your thoughts. The one we use will win its contributor a bottle of wine! Entries close May 7th.

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Blackdown Hills Cross Country has been supported by:
     

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