s Trish & myself poo-pick the fields of an evening we discuss many things, mostly horse related & a good deal riding club related. One thing she has often told me is that as the Chair I can do what I like! Now one day I just may take this literally & I did ponder this idea for my report as it's the one thing I really struggle with. Now do I delegate the whole task, hand my report over to Trish to read or just make it short? Well, I haven't delegated, Trish you can breathe, I'm not handing it over, I've gone for the shorter option as I thought that would be better for everyone.

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There is a nip in the air, the leaves are turning and Topaz is getting woolly, which can mean only one thing; the BHRC AGM is imminent! Anyone wishing to join our merry band will be made very welcome. If you want to know more of what being on the committee is like, read our “year in the life” where Eve shares her experiences.

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Topaz and I had a wonderful time at our Autumn Show on the 29th September. We have been practising our trotting in-hand and I can now match his stride a little better, so he is able to show the judge his elegant moves; I am still not able to speak after a 50 m dash, but I am getting there! I have also taken his mane to task, and it is now thinned and far more manageable. His plaits now compliment his neck, rather than looking like golf balls on the top. I also attended Jill Perriors lecture at our one-day camp in the spring and picked up some useful tips, so we were certainly ‘show ready.’

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Topaz and I are mentally and physically preparing ourselves for the BHRC Autumn Show at the end of this month. Four weeks ago, I thought he had developed sweet itch but a couple of treatments from the vet later, it seems he had an infestation of mites from whatever he was cuddling up to his shelter at night. All bald patches have grown back, and he is looking less ‘oven ready’ although he has pulled his own tail!

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Camp week-end is very close and dark clouds will form over Paddocks very soon! If any of you would like to pop over and say ‘hello’ we will make you very welcome.

 

Thank you, everyone who has helped us at our many events this year. We cannot run these events without you and we are extremely grateful.

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Sadly I had to make the heart-breaking decision to say goodbye to Sauber a few weeks ago. He had a number of health issues, most notably Cushing’s disease, asthma & sweet itch. He had been on Prascend for a number of years which had helped with his Cushing’s but it had got to the point where he was losing condition no matter what he was eating. T

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Lots going on with BHRC during the summer and autumn, we are certainly keeping busy. Just after I sent out the May newsletter, we held our first (ish) One day camp. This was the brainwave of committee members Gloria and Sylvia who saw the vision last year and it came to fruition on the 11th May. I was in charge of music so it was a lovely relaxed day for me and it gave me a chance to reflect on how much talent we have in our riding club. Kate Hopper organised the musical ride to ‘Oliver.

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There is, quite literally, a light at the end of the tunnel! Just recently, Kate and I have managed to hack and not get soaked to our underwear, Topaz is moulting and birds are collecting his excess coat to line their nests and he is out at night (although he has a beautiful field shelter with a deep bed of straw and as much hay as he can eat so he is hardly roughing it!)

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Topaz and I had a wonderful time at our Spring Show, beautifully organised by Jill Perrior and her team. It was very much lastminute.com for me. I was going to be away for Easter, then my plans changed so I could go to the show, but  we had so few helpers I decided I would have to help park lorries and trailers instead. I put a plea out for help and you fantastic lot were brilliant, thank you so much, it really made a huge difference.

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I start with some sad news; many of you will remember Liz Alsop who died very suddenly in February. Liz was a great friend and instructor to a lot of BHRC members and will be greatly missed. BHRC will be sending representatives and flowers to her funeral on Monday.

 

Following a chance remark, a lengthy email conversation and a deep breath, BHRC have decided not to use certain arenas anymore. We have been kindly offered friends arenas in the past for training and had thought as it was members only, BRC insurance would cover us - we have since found out it is a ‘grey area!’ Obviously, we don’t want to put friends, committee members or arena owners in the position of being sued on our behalf, so we won’t be using some venues that we have used in the past.

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So What's In A Name?

Many of you will know that there is a motor racing theme to the names of all of my animals as I love motorsport, particularly F1.  When I bought Monte he was known as Puzzle, but this was the name given to him at the yard selling him.  A good enough name for a coloured, but obviously not one that was going to fit in with my theme.  He had a passport with the most unfortunate & unlikely name of Holly Grail & there was no way that I was going to be calling him Holly so I decided to change his name.  Now many people believe its bad luck to change a horses name but as Holly wasn't an option & Puzzle had only been a recent name for him I felt there was not much choice.

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Happy New Year, on a very damp January night. I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and Santa brought you everything you wished for - Topaz got a rosette display board in anticipation of our future events together; Kate said it is not big enough!

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Chairs report, 2023 AGM I find writing and delivering this speech one of the most daunting tasks of being your chairwoman. However, I can have a little fun with it as it is the one thing that isn't censored before 'going live' unlike everything you read in the newsletters which passes by Trish first - who is now panicking as to what I'm about to say next!

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BHRC is still busy, busy, busy! I spent last Saturday at Pontispool with 6 members and their lovely horses. Emma Pearce had organised mini cross country training with the fabulous Nicki Lumb. Although a little damp, it didn’t dampen our spirits and everyone had a great time and grew in confidence.

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Sunday 1st October found Topaz and I at the BHRC Autumn show at Heazle. During the many hours I have spent gazing at Topaz in adoration, it had dawned on me that he needed to be plaited if he is going to a show. I last plaited 20 years ago when my daughter was showing ponies, so I thought I may be a bit rusty!

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I became secretary of the BHRC in 2010 and as I was keen and eager back then, I asked members what they wanted from the club. The overwhelming answer was a Summer Camp! The club had previously run camps at local XC venues, but these had become so popular, the owners of said venues kept the best dates for themselves and charged accordingly. The onus was also on cross country riding, great, unless you are a wimp like me and don’t want to jump, just hack, do a bit of schooling and socialise. I put the idea on the back burner.

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I have just had a fascinating meeting with  a lady called Pat who was great friends with the BHRC Chief instructor in the 1980’s; her name was Ann Ewing.

The Blackdown Hills Riding Club was formed in 1972 and was huge! 150 members and almost half of those were children, starting from 4 years old. By 1993, however, the club had just 6 members and the Area Rep called an Extraordinary General Meeting to see if there was any interest in the club continuing! Luckily for all of us, there was. And the rest, as they say, is history.

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We are busy, busy, busy; now the ground has dried out. I was fence judging at Pontispool last week-end and it was very dusty!

 Topaz and I have started to explore the outside world; the first time Uncle Sauber came along but as Topaz really didn’t bother about having company, the next time we went solo. He was such a good boy and I am having a huge amount of fun with him. I am hoping to take him out to a couple of parties over the summer

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