The children had a wonderful day with instructor Carla Kinnibrugh. The aim of the day was fun and confidence building. All the children had a great time and even got their picture in the paper!! This is exactly what these small children need to help them gain confidence and learn about their ponies.

We would like to try to make this a regular event, if you would be interested please contact Hazel, details can be found on the contacts page.

Mandi Shipton LSSM dip

mandi@theshiptons.me.uk

The Team Dressage day was a great success, 7 teams entered as well as a number of indiviual competitiors. The top spot was taken by Team Topper, second were Beauties and the Beast and thrid were the Caernarfon Divas! Full results below.

We hope to hold another team dressage day some time in the New Year.

We had another good day at Glynllifon on the 11th November. There was a good number of entries. Some of the classes were kindly sponsored by Mandy Shipton who provided some first prizes which were vouchers for her equine massage therapy.

The results of the classes are below:

Dressage only

Class 1 Pony Club test D. 1st Catrin Lloyd -Jones on Di Marco. 2nd Evie Budesha on Tara. 3rd Llio Owen 4th Tom Ogwen.

Class 2 Prelim 4 1st Corrinna Pippard on Red Flag. 2nd Judith Rudd on Tara. (Junior) 1st Melissa Webb Marchlyn Hampton Lad.

Class 3 Novice 21. 1st Corinna Pippard on Red Flag. 2nd Joyce Griffiths on Midas. 3rd Karen Moore on Henry. 4th Denny Hillman on Merlin. 5th Liz James on Molougha Lady. (Junior) 1st Melissa Webb on Marchlyn Hampton Lad.

Combined Training.

Class 4 Pony Club D jumps 1' 6" 1st Evie Budesha on Flash. 2nd Elen Mared on Taren Mai. 3rd Luke Owen on The Flying Furball.

Class 5 Prelim 4 jumps 2' 1st Karen Moore on Henry. 2nd Denny Hillman on Merlin. 3rd Mandy Williams on Sam. 4th Rhian Owen on Abby. (Junior) 1st Rhian Jones on Taren Mai.

Class 6 Novice 21 jumps 3' 1st Keith Jones on Dan. 2nd Justine Pendlebury .

Jumping Only

Class 7 Jumping 1'6" 1st Melissa Webb. 2nd Judith Rudd. 3rd June Gamblin.

Class 8 Jump 2' 1st Sian Parry 2nd Deborah Walls 3rd Bethan Roberts 4th Jo Orr 5th Mari Hughes 6th Kelly Griffiths.

Class 9 Jumps 3'. 1st Cathryn McCann 2nd Sian Parry 3rd Sian Parry 4th Deborah Walls 5. Jo Orr.

Thank you to everyone who helped on the day and thank you to the judges.

A Summer Holiday!

In August 2007, the worst summer I can remember, Phoebe, Jessie and myself resigned ourselves to a drenched riding holiday up in North Yorks. Any little doubts we had were heightened by the awful weather, a lame horse, and midway stop to collect another horse to stand in for the lame one, a seven hour drive which turned into eight and a half hours, the first overnight bed and breakfast (their first time at accommodating Bridle Riders) and the name of their farm being called Lower Bell End!!

Undaunted we set off through the wind and rain with Jess in my ear with words of ‘cheaper to go abroad’ ‘would prefer tan to rust’ and ‘don’t forget Archie HATES puddles’. We picked up the third horse at the motorway services and made great time to the end of the motorways, 5 hours in all. Then the arduous feat of going across minor roads started and one wrong turning took a further two hours travel into nearly four. When we approached Lower Bell End it was close on 8 o clock but the sun was shining and it was apparent that their rain had stopped 2 weeks before we had arrived and the weather forecast was good. So although we were bushed and ready to eat, we put our 3 musketeers out in a field of lush grass and enjoyed a hearty meal and copious quantities of wine. (In fact our host was quite shocked that we were able to get up and ride in the morning let alone for 8 hours but this is not our first long trek and we are quite hardened now!)

The food was wonderful and while we relaxed in the large farmhouse kitchen our host related how it had been only a few weeks before when they had moved in. Apparently she had been overrun with mice but her trusty cats had seen them all off. As the evening progressed I quite thought the wine had got the better of my sight as something kept flicking away in the corner of my eye and as I turned towards the hearth I noted that Phoebe must also have the same twitch…and then Jessie?? Unbeknown to us our host had also caught the twitch and was trying very hard not to let on that she had seen what we all now knew to be ‘the mouse that got away’. Well it’s amazing what enough wine can do to people who are normally on the table at the sight of any vermin. The owner tried to wrestle the cat indoors to no avail and Phoebe protesting loudly on behalf of the mouse grabbed her wine glass downed the contents and with one furl swoop dived on the unsuspecting mouse capturing it in her glass and rushed it outdoors to freedom. I am sure the owner, who was now so embarrassed and left speechless, will remember our visit forever and when she has regained her composure will relate this story in many years to come. (Providing the mouse doesn’t return.)

We rode for three days over eight hours a day with an hour for lunch in some heavenly pubs with good Yorkshire food, passing through Heartbeat country and across the North York’s Moors. This was a slower ride than in previous years as the terrain is very, very rough at times, and some steep slopes were extremely steep! Our first day took us across some beautiful scenery, which sadly only Jessie and I saw, as we had only just got onto the bridleway when Phoebe’s horse cast a shoe and went hopping lame. Well we always wondered what would happen if this did occur and we were amazed at the efficiency of the farrier even if he was a little strange! You are given a list of everything when you leave each morning; vets, farriers etc and we also take a spare set of shoes with us, but don’t actually take them on the ride, needless to say. Anyhow we decided it would be best for us to go on and the owner of the farmhouse (and mouse) said she would come up with the trailer and pick Phoebe and horse up after the shoeing had been done on the roadside and take her to wherever we had arrived so that we made our next destination. Bearing in mind we were in the middle of the moors with not a soul in sight, Phoebe bravely stood on her own waiting for assistance. It very quickly arrived and Aramis was re shod. The blacksmith was a very strange little man who we can only consider to have been a little myopic as he seemed to need to speak to you nose to nose but apart from that he reshod both fronts (just in case) and did a grand job of them for no more than a normal pair. We met up again at the pub (where else?) and continued thereafter without many hitches.

There were plenty of watering brooks and rivers for the horses and we took saddlebags full of lunch for them. Our mid way stops found delightful village pubs with scrummy homemade pies and mouth-watering bread. Such was our find on our second day with a little alley of grass to park our horses in. Phoebe and Jess unravelled the boys whilst I went in search of refreshment both 2 and 4 legs. The boys began clearing the grass and a very smart hedge of rosehips and just beside the pub was a steep bank leading down to a river, so being good horsewomen we haltered the boys and although I don’t quite remember why, I led Phoebes horse off first, followed by Jess and Archie and lastly Phoebe with my boy Oz. Now after a long 4 hour ride you are just anxious to refresh both horses and yourselves so I unwittingly forgot that 17 hands 750 kg Oz does not like going last in any situation especially the ‘thirst’ one. As we approached the bank I heard a wail from behind me and squawks of “Ozzzzz..” and Phoebe neatly in water ski ing position sailed past me down the bank and towards the river. I didn’t have time to warn her that Oz likes to drink in the river not on the edge….and you can guess the rest.

There were more canters on the last day, but mostly it was a walking holiday aside from a large ditch which everyone volunteered me to jump first which Oz and I did in style only to find we had gone the wrong way. Oz in true Irish style decided that the ditch was a lot bigger and ‘higher’ on the return and nearly caused me an involuntary dismount much to Jess and Phoebe’s amusement.

We had wonderful food throughout and lovely accommodation but it was an arduous drive. The scenery is stunning and the villages very picturesque so we are very glad we have been and now are planning to head off for the North Cotswolds this summer for another Bridle Rides instalment.
If anyone is considering a Bridle Rides Holiday and wants any of our ‘expert’ advise please contact Phoebe or Yvonne.