Area17 Dressage And Showjumping Championship 20TH/21ST July 2024
AREA 17 DRESSAGE AND SHOWJUMPING CHAMPIONSHIP
MORETON EQUESTRIAN CENTRE: 20TH/21ST JULY 2024
By Ony Rogers
Ten intrepid Meoners (Alex, Corinne, Diane, Gen, Heidi, Kerry, Ony, Philippa, Sara, and Tiff) set off for Moreton (near Dorchester). Heidi, Sara and Philippa (sensibly as it turned out) went down on the Friday. The rest of us got up at silly o’clock; Gen collected Diane at 6am and I collected Tiff half an hour later.
At least the weather forecast was set fair. Great! We thought. Diane and Gen pitched the tent and we put lots of stuff in; gas cookers, chairs, tables, a bit of bedding, lots of food ….. and then it started raining. The tent, which had been such a star in the past in dry weather, decided to leak quite a lot, so nothing for it but to abandon it and take all our stuff back to the trailers.
The rather rubbish weather actually turned out better socially, though somewhat drenching for those riding in the afternoon.
We all did at least four classes (ie two on each day). Half of us (not me) did six. The Moreton organisers were really friendly and efficient as usual (although Tiff needed her second dressage remarked – which brought her up to 3rd; amazing for a four year old pony on her 3rd or so attempt at dressage!).
On Saturday Freddie jumped clear in the Style Jumping (75cm) and came second (Kerry and Angel came first. I don’t need to mention that there were only three in the class do I?)
We rolled a pole in the 80.
Sunday saw the 80 team winning! (Kerry, Diane, me, Heidi). Kerry won overall and Freddie and I were 6th.
There were SO MANY rosettes, we couldn’t work out what they were all for! I came home with seven plus a sash, others will have had far more.
Lowlights of the weekend: The rain, flooded tent, having to scrub out trailers and sleep in them (the sleeping was ok, the scrubbing more tedious), poor Heidi and Diane forgetting the course and getting eliminated (so easily done and we have all done it before, and I will no doubt do it again). And Sara’s horse loosing a shoe.
Highlights of the weekend: Great camaraderie, horses going really well in poor conditions (particularly the higher level dressage – Corinne, Alex, Gen, Kerry). Philippa’s young cob doing a super dressage and Tiff’s super star 4 year old Bonnie wowing everyone with lovely dressage and flying the show jumps. All this, plus being stabled for the first time and just getting on with it. A star for the future we think. Another highlight was Gen and Alex jumping a metre and making a good job of it. Well done, at the end of a busy weekend. Another highlight was Sara’s Emmental (thank you Sara) and new loos at Moreton!
We had a great evening huddling under Kerry’s gazebo, eating hot chilli, sharing delicious food and drink, chatting and laughing. Without the rain, Gen, Diane, Tiff and I would have been separated from the others in the camping field, which would have been less sociable, so many thanks for the grotty weather!
We had a super weekend, and I know I am not the only one to be proper knackered as a result. But it was worth every bit of it!