Senior team report for FOTH Eventer Trial
at Stratford Hills on 9th April 2017
22 Senior riders put a lot of effort into representing the club at the FOTH eventer
trial qualifier. All had done a lot of training in preparation and the fitness work
showed with the competition being held so early in the season at this hilly venue.
These competitions can't happen without volunteers running it and we were lucky
enough to have 5 members come along without their horses to help out. Vivien
Edwards spent all day fence judging assisted by Lynda Moules while Nicky Robinson
assisted by Liz Clay and her mum kept the showjumping start running well with
breaks provided by Christine, Liz Butler and Hollys mum. Without support from these
people the rest of us couldn't bring our horses and compete.
The day started off with a small but high class clash of Saffron Walden V Tendring
Hundred in the 100. With no dressage the competition comes down to the riders
ability to judge time without the use of stopwatches. All 4 Tendring team members
finished within 10 seconds of the optimum time with Tessa Halsall 1st Lucy Swan
2nd, @christine Reidy 5th and Sophie Dutton 6th putting the team 1st and off to the
championships. Sam Green competed individually moving upto this level for the first
time with Chief in Command and jumped clear Xc to finish 9th.
The 90 Orange team saw Amy Butler-Priestley jump a super double clear to win as
an individual, their first time at this level. Clear Xc rounds with just one fence down
sj from Nicola Flashbroadbent and Holly Brett put the team 2nd. Holly completing
despite feeling ill and having a funny turn Xc. Ellen Attrill was also part of this team.
The Yellow 90 team featured mother and daughter Rachel Griffiths and Jess Josslin,
another rider with a young horse moving up a level for the first time. Together with
Sue Timmins and Alice Williams they finished 4th as a team.
Beccy Sestak rode as an individual jumping clear Xc, just lowering a pole sj to finish
11th.
While the junior 80 class took place (won by Tendring :-)) Tendring members
enjoyed a picnic together where the food and drink flowed merrily.
The 80 mauve team featured new combinations Diane Rose Pearce still getting used
to riding daughters horse Jacobs Cavalier and Sara Harrison-Osbornewho must find
it strange after years of riding team stalwart Joshie on new horse Rivi. Both jumped
clear Xc with just 1 sj down. Melly Dolittle having not jumped Xc for 3 years found
the biggest brave pants going and with help from Ellen Atrill pulling them up again
when they slipped a bit in the warm up jumped clear Xc. Together with Isabella Gray
the team finished 5th.
The purple 80 team saw both Jenna Davies and Sue Eagle jump super double clears
but with a little bit too much enthusiasm to collect penalties for going too fast.
Rachel Parsons-Atkinson was going beautifully for another double clear but having
broken down on the A12 on the way there and little time to sort herself out on
arrival missed a fence for a technical E, something most of us have done at some
point. With Vickie Berryman-Watts the team finished 6th.
Over the last couple of years this event has been cancelled and re-scheduled due to
weather so it was a change to finish the day sun burnt.
Photos by kind permission of Craigh Woolnaugh of one man and his photo machine,
please look up his Facebook page as bound to have missed some riders.