Easter Dressage 2009

Easter Dressage

One December night last year as a new committee member I happily trotted along to our first meeting, full of enthusiasm and ideas. At some point Jenny Ilett our chairwoman (or should that be chairperson person in these politically correct times?) asked for volunteers to run the forthcoming years events. Having only ever run pony club events before it was with some trepidation that I said I would run the Easter Dressage event, not least because I had never run an event for adults before but also this was the first event of the season.... what could possibly go right! The only thing I could cling to through those winter months when I started planning was that nothing could be worse than those pushy pony club mothers (sorry if any of you out there are pony club mums).

February rolled round and all I (using ‘I’ in its loosest sense) had done was book the venue and print the schedules - first howler (to be revealed at a much later stage) that the Medium test required a bigger arena! Maybe I should contact the Priory and see if they could build on an extra few meters and knock out the back wall? Too much to ask you think?

Dressage Judges.... now why do you think this bred fear and trepidation into me? Was it my childhood memory of being taught by John Lassiter and being looked down on by the rather large bosomed lady in sticky out jodhpurs because my much loved jumping pony was not very keen on flatwork - I think I got in the way somewhat! Anyway, it was all rather unnecessary on the worry front as Lynn Harding, Gemma Bowles and Katie James could not have been lovelier to work with and my thanks go to them again for supporting us and making the event such a success.

So with rosette ordered and the schedule distributed at last, the entries rolled in. Flora my daughter proved an able secretary logging them all. The next hurdle was but the timings and these would have been my Waterloo had Jenny Ilett not come round with her calmness and experience and helped me to untangle the many ‘special needs’ of the entrants . Luckily with a few glasses of wine we marshalled it all into an orderly schedule ready for the big day.

Off to the WVRC Shed (much talked of in our committee meetings is ‘the Shed’ - worthy of its own regular Mane News column maybe?) to collect all the clutter one needs for a show... numbers and coffee and signs and cups and clip boards... piled it all into the car and added to it with biscuits and blue tack and calculators and more pens (you never enough pens... they have legs of their own!).

So the day came at last and as they say in the best novels, it did dawn bright and fair. We zoomed of to the Priory, passing Jenny in her box on the way, and arrived just in time to get everything set up.... the Priory are great but they don’t let you in that early and as it was my first time I could have done with an extra hour’s deep breathing and stress counselling! However, helpers at hand we were all ready just about on time (poetic licence here).

Caroline Finch our illustrious new dressage photographer arrived and set up her wonderful pictures. Caroline had very generously donated the prizes too and it was lovely to meet her at last. If you get a change have a look at her photos at www.caroline-finch.co.uk.

All in all the day went very smoothly... and in a flurry of beautiful horseflesh, cheerful helpers and lovely food provided by Jo Hamilton, not to mention Jenny’s carrot cake; it was all over. Satisfied we had done our best to make it a happy day for all; Flora and I packed up the car and headed for home.

Huge thanks to Jenny who held my hand though it all, to Jane for the lovely rosettes, to Chris and Millie Trussler, Sally Lowe, Penny Briggs, Clare Mays, Liz McGoun and my lovely daughter Flora for all their help and support. And to you if you competed... we wouldn’t be here without you.

Would I do it all again? – definitely, but I would love to compete next year.