• Hello from the team at The Mendip Stud
• The Great Christmas Riddle
• New Clinics for 2007
• Brits Succeeding - Mel Jackson
• New Shows for 2007 at The Mendip Stud
• Results and Diary Service
• Monthly Calendar of Major UK Shows 2007
• Help Please!
• Chris Kent Reports on AQHA Trail Ride Year
• Gala Evening
• Traditional Riding
• Stud News:  What’s going on here and general news
• Christmas Plans
• Open House
• Bad Weather
• Message from Shane & Vix Borland
• October Caption Winner
• Welcome to new readers
  
  




 The Great Christmas Riddle 

• We have a winner! Congratulations to Debbie Burns who was the first to send us a full set of correct answers. Below are the clues with the answers.........

Instead of a caption competition this month we are running a Christmas riddle - It's NOT EASY, in fact it's quite CHALLENGING………….with a great prize for the winner.

Below you'll find a picture. You need to identify the picture and its location

Surfer Statue at Santa Cruz

Santa Baby sung by Eartha Kitt Click here to listen to it

Here's the second picture right next to the first. You have to identify that one too and name the song title and artist who had the original hit. (you can click the music for a larger version). If you need a clue the song has been covered in recorded and live performances by several artists throughout the years, including Madonna, RuPaul, Cynthia Basinet, Kylie Minogue, Natalie Merchant, and The Pussycat Dolls, as well as in an Ally McBeal episode by the title character (Calista Flockhart). 

Hold your horses, that's not all ………….

• Below is the final part of the riddle. 

Jennifer Aniston

Will Smith

Saint Nicholas

Uma Thurman

Arthur Ashe

All you need to do is name the 5 celebrities! Their surnames when put into the right order spell the link word.

So just to recap on the answers you need to submit on the form below:

1) The location on the map clue
Santa Fe (New Mexico)

2) The name of the landmark and its location
Surfer Statue in Santa Cruz (California)

3) The title of the song and the name of the artist who had the original hit
'Santa Baby' sung by Eartha Kitt

4) The names of 5 celebrities
Jennifer Aniston, Will Smith, Saint Nicholas, Uma Thurman & Arthur Ashe

5) The link word running right the way through and how it relates to the answers (that's the easy bit!)
SANTA (obvious with the first three and then by placing the first letter of the celebrity names in the right order)

• Many congratulations to Debbie Burns, her mum and Clare! Special mention to Jane Clothier who was in a neck and neck race with Debbie's crew but got pipped to the post by just 38 minutes!! We also wanted to say a big thank you to everybody else who took part, we hope you all enjoyed it!

Running right the way through (in fact it's there now) there will be a clue somewhere on the website that'll you'll have to piece together which contains a red dot that gives you a location that needs to be identified - we'll tell you where the clue is on the 22nd at 6:00pm if you haven't found it already…..all four answers need to be identified correctly and submitted on the special form which will then appear below. All three pictures and the clue are linked in a way that will become obvious. The first correct fully completed form received (electronically timed as received by our server) wins.

The winner will receive a voucher to the value of £150 for a meal the famous Savoy Grill in London. The Savoy Grill is one of Gordon Ramsay's mentored and managed restaurants under control of internationally renowned chef Marcus Wareing. *** For winners outside the UK or in the UK where London is an impractical destination let us know your favourite restaurant and we'll cover the bill to the equivalent of £150

 New clinics 2007 

The following New dates have been booked with the Clinicians below: The status of these clinics is updated on a daily basis and is available to view by going to the 'clinics and events' page on the website.  Please note payment terms and booking criteria to avoid disappointment.

Ilan Rosenberg

In addition to the clinics on the 3rd and 4th February we can now confirm the following dates:

February 1st	New Ilan Rosenberg clinic date. Two day Clinic - Day 1
February 2nd	New Ilan Rosenberg clinic date. Two day Clinic - Day 2
April 17th	New Ilan Rosenberg clinic date. Two day Clinic - Day 1
April 18th	New Ilan Rosenberg clinic date. Two day Clinic - Day 2
May 15th	New Ilan Rosenberg clinic date. Two day Clinic - Day 1
May 16th	New Ilan Rosenberg clinic date. Two day Clinic - Day 2

The Ilan Rosenberg clinics in February will either be held here or at a local indoor - (weather depending).

Lunch provided for riders.

Spectators are more than welcome…………..please call John on 01934 751258 or contact us through the website for further information.

Please contact John for details on prices and availability

 

Bob Mayhew

We are pleased to confirm the following dates for Bob Mayhew Seminars and clinics.

March 3rd & 4th	Two-day seminar - this is a non-ridden event 'Improve your chances of success at shows - learn what the judge is looking for and what's expected of the competitor.' 11.00 start on the Saturday - followed by light lunch and an afternoon session with tea and coffee break finishing at 6.00. Day 2 - starting at 10.00 following on from the previous days lecture - light lunch - DVD clips -participant judging session followed by analysis of your judging performance by Bob. Bob will be covering Reining, Western Riding, Pleasure, Halter, Trail. Tickets are £50.00 for both days including lunch - youth and students £25.00 Club Members £45 for Adults and £20 for youth members The workshop is designed with riders who have interests in multi disciplines - Trail, Pleasure , Western Riding and Reining.
May 12th	Saturday Multi discipline clinic	Two day ticket - £125………… Single day £75………….. Places are limited so book early to avoid disappointment - payment secures booking. Club Members £112.50 for two day ticket and £67.50 for single day. Places limited to 10 riders per day.
May 13th	Sunday Multi discipline & Reining clinic

 

 Regular Clinics and Clinicians 

We have planned with Bruce, Shane and Lee to provide an extended service through the show season where you will be able to get advice on ironing out problems and help preparing yourself and your horse for shows throughout the show season. Clinics have been planned to coincide with shows BUT not to clash with them. There are both pre-show clinics for preparation purposes and post show clinic for problem glitching and maintenance purposes.


Bruce Lawrence

Bruce is to continue with his regular monthly visits to The Mendip Stud throughout the summer. The format for these clinics is listed below.

Monday 23rd April	Individual hours starting at 10:00 finishing at 7:00
Monday 21st May	Clinic - pre show warm up and preparation - East Coast show - Spring show - following weekend.
Saturday 16th June	Clinic - pre show warm up and preparation - East Coast show - Summer show - following weekend.
Monday 16th July	Individual hours starting at 1:00 finishing at 9:00

 

Shane Borland

Wednesday 28th March	Individual hours starting at 9:00 finishing at 6:00
Monday 30th April	Clinic - pre show warm up and preparation - Quarter Horse 2000 show - following weekend.
Tuesday 5th June	Clinic - pre show warm up and preparation - West Coast Show at the Mendip Stud - following weekend
Friday 29th June	Individual hours starting at 9:00 finishing at 6:00
Monday 23rd July	Individual hours starting at 9:00 finishing at 6:00

 

Lee Rutter clinics to be confirmed




Brits succeeding on the   International scene.

Mel Jackson Success in the US.

Melony Jackson (Mel) who has based herself North Carolina for the last few years in order to pursue her love of reining brought home her mare Lil Ruf Whiz Quiz to take second place and $10,756 in the Intermediate Non-Pro futurity in Oklahoma city with a score of 214. This is another great achievement for Mel and is just reward for all the hard work, commitment and courage it takes to step up to the big stage and put it on the line especially as Mel, with help and advice from Mike McEntire, trained the horse herself ! Well done Mel - Keep in touch. Pictures and information courtesy of Chris Mayhew

Please send in information on any international success from people living outside the UK - thanks J

 

 Shows at The Mendip Stud 

We are pleased to announce two 2½ day shows to be held at the 'Stud' these dates are as follows:
 Friday June 8^th, Saturday June 9^th & Sunday June 10^th 
 Friday July 13^th, Saturday July 14^th & Sunday July 15^th 

These shows will follow the following format:
Saturday's - all classes except reining classes
Sunday's - no classes other than reining Classes

Show secretary - Both Shows - Jane Muir
June Judge - Adam Heaton - Scribe T.B.A.
July Judge - T.B.A.

Both Shows will be affiliated to AQHA, NRHA & BR and will also include special non-affiliated open classes.

Details of classes and schedule will be available in early January 2007. 

• These two shows will be the forerunners for the new 'West Coast Circuit' ^® shows which will be run by The Mendip Stud and take place in 2008. This coming year stables will be limited to 50 boxes and will be available for booking once the schedule is published in January. Please see our website for updates.

 

 

 The Results and Diary Service 

Sponsored by The Mendip Stud - Jo Corringham will be running an extensive online results and diary service from the end of February onwards. The plan is to have a central collection point for all results from Western Shows and activities…Show secretary's will be asked to forward results and photographs to Jo who will then post them on the website. Jo will be writing to or calling show secretaries and event organisers to arrange formats, picture resolutions and deadline dates. Over this year we have identified a need for a well maintained one-stop destination for western enthusiasts in the UK to see who did what, when, and with what score and when the next chance to do it again will arise. The diary Service will provide a show diary section for both shows in the UK and for selected shows in Europe. Results will be posted in the month of the event to sixth place in all classes and to 10th place in national championships and classes with international status. This of course can only work with the co-operation of show organisers and secretaries and we hope that you will all join in and help to make this a success.

We are looking for additional sponsors to help get this underway and to keep it going from individuals, societies, show organisers anyone involved in putting on and competing in shows. Please contact us on 01934 751258. We need numerous sponsors to help cover the cost of Jo's time, internet & website maintenance, postage & printing, cost of production of discs, advertising and subscriptions.

Please step forward if you can.

Our thanks to Oakridge Quarter Horses for immediately agreeing to sponsor the costs of postage & printing for those without online access - thanks Lita.

 

 

 2007 Show Dates and Entry Criteria 

By Jane Muir ( East coast & Garden of England ) with contributions from David Brindley (WES dates), Bill Archer (Quarter Horse 2000 shows), AQHA- Website

You all think with winter on its way you have seen the last of me for a few months and then hey I pop up here, still trying to persuade you all to get organised for next year's shows. With more of the permanent venues changing their arena surfaces the Show organisers are working hard to find suitable venues to enable you to show your horses with the facilities you all need, or want. There are people putting in suitable arena surfaces at their own premises but they also then have to bring in all the support services and be prepared to have their homes and gardens invaded by a crowd of people, horses and all the vehicles that come with them.

Some surfaces in the UK are no longer acceptable in their current format for western riding and as a result either changes to surfaces or new venues are being sought. The East Coast management team is in discussions with the management at Towerlands. They are doing their best to help and are considering suggestions and methods to improve surfaces as well as potentially putting in an outside reining arena. Otherwise we have to rely on privately owned arenas. John is working hard to put in more facilities at Mendip, David Deptford is well on the way to completing his indoor arena, Oakridge is working hard to finalise their facilities and Sterling Quarter Horses will be starting their new indoor arena early next year. John Dunford has an excellent arena and I believe is planning on a warm up arena. So we have the arenas coming online we just have to persuade the owners that they want to be invaded!!!

Although the 2007 season seems a long way off there is plenty of work going on setting up these shows. I have posted dates for east coast shows & Garden of England shows below. WES dates are courtesy of David Brindley. Quarter Horse 2000 dates courtesy of Bill Archer. British Reining is hoping to have shows at Bodium, John Dunford's, David Deptford's, the Mendip Stud, Moreton Morrell, Shane Borland's and other suitable venues………dates time and venues will be available in the next few weeks and will be added to this list. There are of course many other small club shows and other activities which will be pulled together and form part of the results and diary service being sponsored by the Mendip Stud and run by Jo Corringham. Details of the site and service are published in this newsletter.

May 4 - 6	2007 Quarter Horse 2000 Spring Show - venue to be decided. email babill@compuserve.com for details contact Carole Archer.
May 6	Area 2 2007 WES Championship qualifying show at Tushingham Arena, Nr Whitchurch. - For further information contact Christine Broome, Whitestones, Sandfield Park, Lower Heswall, Wirral, Cheshire CH60 9HX.
May 26 - 28	2007 East Coast Circuit Spring Show Towerlands Braintree Essex 2 x AQHA further information www.eastcoastcircuit.net or email EastCoastCircuit@aol.com Jane Muir
June 2 - 3	2007 Westernscene AQHA and WES Show with Summer Horsemanship Camp Email info@westernscene.co.uk Linda Crossland
June 3	Area 2 2007 WES Championship qualifying show at Heart of England EC, Spot Acre, Meir, Staffs. - For further information contact Christine Broome, Whitestones, Sandfield Park, Lower Heswall, Wirral, Cheshire CH60 9HX.
June 10	2007 WES Championship qualifying show at Bishop Burton College , E Yorkshire . - For further information contact Margaret Kemp, Deanery Farm, Melbourne, York. YO42 4QE mekemp@farming.me.uk
June 8 - 10	2007 Mendip stud two-day show. NRHA, BR, AQHA and WES classes. at the Mendip Stud. Badgworth Somerset. BS26 2QA - For further information contact Lou Talintyre on 01934 751258 e-mail lou@themendipstud.com or Jane Muir
June 17	2007 Charnwood Forest WES Championship qualifying show organised by area 7 at Markfield EC, Stanton Lane, Standon under Bardon, Markfield, Leics. LE 67 9TT, Mike Price, 19 Mill Road, Woodhouse Eaves, Loughborough, Leics., LE12 8RD. www.lastoutpost.btinternet.co.uk
June 22 - 24	2007 East Coast Circuit Summer Show Towerlands Braintree Essex 2 x AQHA further information www.eastcoastcircuit.net or email EastCoastCircuit@aol.com Jane Muir
June 30 - July 1	Performance Show at Sycamores Ranch, Llawhaden, Narbeth, Pembrokeshire SA67 8DP - Telephone 0707 9308943
July 7 - 8	2007 2-day WES Championship qualifying show at Hartpury College, Hartpury, Gloucestershire. - For further information contact Brenda Ditchfield brenda@bditch.freeserve.co.uk.
July 13 - 15	2007 Mendip stud two-day show. NRHA, BR, AQHA and WES classes. at the Mendip Stud. Badgworth Somerset. BS26 2QA - For further information contact Lou Talintyre on 01934 751258 e-mail lou@themendipstud.com or Jane Muir
July 21 - 22	2 day 2007 WES Championship qualifying show at Myerscough College, Lancashire. - For further information contact Margaret Kemp, Deanery Farm, Melbourne, York YO42 4QE mekemp@farming.me.uk
July 27 - 30	2007 Garden of England International Show CRI/AQHA(Double Judged/NRHA/BR further information www.gardenofenglandcircuit.co.uk email GOECircuit@aol.com Jane Muir
July 29	2007 Charnwood Forest Championship qualifying show organised by area 7 at Markfield EC, Stanton Lane, Standon under Bardon, Markfield, Leics. LE 67 9TT, Mike Price, 19 Mill Road, Woodhouse Eaves, Loughborough, Leics., LE12 8RD. www.lastoutpost.btinternet.co.uk
August 25 - 26	WES Championship weekend at Moreton Morrell
September 7 - 9	2007 East Coast Circuit Autumn Show 2 x AQHA further information www.eastcoastcircuit.net or email EastCoastCircuit@aol.com Jane Muir
September 8 - 9	2007 Scottish AQHA and WES Championship Weekend, Ingleston Stud, Scotland
September 9	Area 2 2008 WES Championship qualifying show at Tushingham Arena, Nr Whitchurch. - For further information contact Christine Broome, Whitestones, Sandfield Park, Lower Heswall, Wirral, Cheshire CH60 9HX
September 16	2007 WES Charnwood Forest 2008 Championship qualifying show organised by area 7 at Markfield EC, Stanton Lane, Standon under Bardon, Markfield, Leics. LE 67 9TT, Mike Price, 19 Mill Road, Woodhouse Eaves, Loughborough, Leics., LE12 8RD.: www.lastoutpost.btinternet.co.uk
September 21 - 23	AQHA.UK Breed Show/National Championship venue to be announced email thaynes63@msn.com contact Tracey Haynes.
September 27 - 30	2007 Quarter Horse 2000 Championship Show - venue to be decided. email babill@compuserve.com for details contact Carole Archer.

* These dates are correct to the best of our knowledge as at Monday 11th December 2006

For all of you wanting to compete next year you can make sure that all your paperwork is in order well before the season. All NRHA and BR memberships are due on January 1st each year. Do be sure if you are Non Pros to mark your renewals up as Non Pro or of joining for the first time complete a Non Pro Declaration. NRHA will send fax confirmation of membership and ownership but charge quite heavily. AQHA memberships are staggered throughout the year and can run for 1 or 3 years. Do be sure that your memberships are renewed in plenty of time. If you are renewing online make sure that if you are an Amateur you renew as an Amateur - it is a separate section. Novice Amateurs need to have their skill set forms renewed each year - regardless of whether their membership is due for renewal. You can download a form and send it to AQHA there is no fee. You will then receive a letter, with your skill set groups on, a copy of this will need to sent to show secretaries as well as the copy of your membership card. You can also make sure that your horse's papers are in the correct ownership and if not get the transfer done. Memberships can be done or altered at shows but ownership cannot. A show secretary must have documented proof of ownership before accepting any entry for a horse. If you are in doubt it is wise to contact the show secretary before sending entries in and they will advise you of the best procedure.
Winter will soon pass and schedules will be out for the shows, anyone wanting schedules that I have mailed to them please email quarterhorseshow@aol.com to be added to the mailing list. For information on other WES shows and additional details wespublicity@btconnect.com


I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year (ahh that should save me a fortune on cards and postage!!!) and I look forward to seeing you all at the shows next year.


Jane Muir…

 

 WES shows by David Brindley 

WES Council have debated introducing more requirements for show entry but for now there are no specific requirements. We would however ask that competitors ensure they use both their own, and their horses correct names to prevent confusion for the points entries and have a copy of their membership card with them. Members should also ensure that they have adequate third party insurance in case of accident.

It would also be useful for competitors to have a better knowledge of the WES rulebook and class procedures. If possible try to get to one of the numerous clinics being held over the winter months and ask the clinician to go through the requirements for the classes you wish to participate. Make sure you are competing at the correct category and if you are not sure just ask - there a lots of members out their willing to give you the benefit of their experience.

 

 

 

 Help Please 

Reading some post on the western shop ( www.thewesternshop.com ) from newcomers to the sport mentioning difficulties they were having in getting information on the sport and its activities caused me to write the reply below. Since then it's prompted me to pose the questions of:

How can we get more information, to more people, more quickly ?

And

How can we make it easy, very easy, for the newcomer to get access to the information and answers to the simple questions we all had when we first started and now take for granted ?

Please send in suggestions……….

For example Jo Corringham and I are considering a bi-monthly magazine/broadsheet …….is that the right tack or should this be an online publication ?

Let us know what you think…… thanks.

Re: What's going on ?

Over the last year or so I've heard many times that people both new to the sport and those who fought alongside Custer at the 'Little Big Horn' are unable easily to get updates and news of what is going on either within the sport or around the sport. Sadly some regular publications have either failed or have disappeared and that some of the work that is already being done is under used and perhaps not even known about.

The associations websites can at times be slow to deliver up to date information and that can be frustrating. Most sites though are run by members doing so in their own time and for no pay and they have lives and priorities outside of website maintenance.

The excellent AQHA-UK journal is a quarterly publication and fills a real need and is a great source of information and knowledge. I know Jackie would like to do more but her time is given free and it takes a huge amount of effort, time and money to produce a publication of that size four times a year let alone more.....…Thanks to her, Cliff and the rest of the team who put the product together. To that end David Brindley is now producing a monthly WES newsletter and I know he has plans to keep this going and growing as the year unfolds.

Headline information on the European scene can be found at www.qh-today.de This is a multi-lingual site with a readership of over 12000 in Europe alone. It covers all aspects of the sport and pulls together articles from all over the world. The site is aimed at national and international news including up-to-date reports on major issues such as the Olympic bid for reining to interviews with the winners and reports on the major shows around the world. It is run by Europe's top western journalist and winner of many international journalism awards - Ramona Billing.****

As many know we started to produce our own monthly Newsletter just over a year ago to keep our customers and clients in the loop with what was going on - its grown beyond belief to where we have over 1000 readers not only in the UK but from all over the world and are happy to have more - if you'd like to be added to the mailing list let me know. Whilst some of the content appertains to specific events and happenings here at The Mendip Stud we also publish articles by all societies, reports on UK successes and regular features by some of the top names in the industry including Tamra Kyle, Tim McQuay, Pat Faitz, Bob Mayhew, with reports from Europe by Ramona Billing.

There are also some really good UK websites that cater for western enthusiasts - obviously Peter Schwenk and the www.thewesternshop.com features high on the list of places to visit as does Linda Crosslands www.westernscene.co.uk and there are others about too…

New, and as of this coming March we are sponsoring a Results and Diary service. Jo Corringham will be running this one-stop online results and diary service. Over this past year we have identified a need for a well maintained one-stop destination for western enthusiasts in the UK to see who did what, when, and with what score and when the next chance to do it again will be. The diary Service will provide a show diary section for both shows in the UK and for selected shows in Europe. Results will be posted in the month of the event to sixth place in all classes and to 10th place in national championships and classes with international status. This of course can only work with the co-operation of show organisers and secretaries and we hope that they will all join in and help to make this a success. Further details of the site and service and sponsorship opportunities will be published in the next 8 weeks.

Individuals like Terrie Heid-Brazier, Lita Pocock Judith Hubbard and others around the country write regular western articles for the likes of Equestrian Life, Equestrian Now, West Country News and other publications. Chris Kent sends out regular e-mail reports on trail rides and activities. So at the end of the day there is some information and circulation happening.

Enough of it ? …………a categorical ……NO …………and we need more not only to keep newcomers interested and enthused but also to help spread the word of all the good things that are happening to those, and about those, who are involved.

Yes, as we all have heard there are problems, yes, there have been problems and, yes, there will be problems but we need to move on - keep pushing the good things about our hobby and sport whilst not ignoring but resolving positively the problems that exist. But let's not always harp on about problems but rather highlight the good, positive and forward thinking things going on too ! People are investing hundreds of thousands of pounds into the sport with new arenas being built around the country, more shows being planned, more courses and clinics happening, more people taking an active interest in the sport and all this is being underlined by significant successes at World and European level for breeders, horses and individuals. So we, everyone in the sport, are part of a success story and we should go tell the world in as united a way as possible that we are growing and successfully too - No one else will !

It takes time, effort and a fair chunk of hitting your head against a brick wall to get some traction with the press and with the media but the signs are that we are starting to be recognised and with growth and development they will not be able to ignore us for too long.

My apologies to those responsible for places where other information is available that I have not mentioned. I hope what's detailed above helps and let's hope 2007 is one of the significant years of growth for the sport in our country.

Enough rambling - a very happy Christmas to you all.

John Calder

**** [Last month Ramona asked me to handle the development of the UK side of this online news site and Jo Corringham has joined me in bringing news of European and International interest from the UK to that forum.] Please help us by sending any news of international success and merit to Jo at jocorringham@yahoo.co.uk For more information on this site please call me on 01934 751258.

P.S. Apologies to Brenda Ditchfield and Roger Wells for not highlighting their WES publication which sends out a great deal of good, up to date information.

 

 

 Chris Kent reports on the AQHA - UK 
 Trail Programme 

The AQHA-UK 'Hit the Trail' programme has had a promising second year in 2006. We started in April with a ride in the surprisingly beautiful countryside around Luton where a lively band of mostly quarter horses & appaloosas had a great ride and a pub lunch. Also joining us that day was a visitor from South Africa who was setting up an equestrian facility over there and had seen our ride advertised and so came along to see what we were doing. May saw us in Suffolk where we had booked a cottage, stables and fields. 12 of us spent the weekend riding in the forest, eating and sitting about relaxing in the unseasonably warm, but appreciated sunshine. A couple of our more intrepid riders even made it to the beach !! A trail ride and a 'hit the trail' trail competition in conjunction with Western Scenes 5 day camp and show, our weekend in Thetford Forest which was a huge success with 50 people and 30 horses camping merrily for the weekend , Stonehouse Farm near Norwich, Fairies Lodge in the rolling countryside on the Huntingdonshire/Northamptonshire borders and Susan Georges Ride in Pembrokeshire from Sycamore Ranch completed the year. We were blessed with good weather for all of them this year and none were rained off !! The Pembrokeshire ride and Thetford Forest weekend were affiliated to AQHA RIDE PROGRAMME and we raised £800 for our charity this year Lordshousefarm therapeutic riding & activity centre. We are going to help them add western riding to their list of activities- helping out and promoting western riding- good huh ??! By the way does anyone have a trained western horse that may be suitable for them ?

Our HiPoint Trail rider award ,sponsored by the Mendip Stud has been won by Karin Frapporti and her quarter horse Jets My Dad - Karin has supported the trail rides from the start and tries to get to all those she can- supported by her husband Guiseppe - who turns up on a different kind of horse power…a Triumph Bonneville motorbike!! Karin is sometimes the only one who goes out for the second or third ride of the day- even if it is raining- while the rest of us hunker down and drink tea in the dry- so she deserves the very pretty Montana Silversmiths buckle !! She will get presented with it at the AQHAUK AGM next March. The Mendip Stud have kindly agreed to continue to sponsor this award again next year.

Thanks to all those who have supported us this year and here's to a great 2007 out on the trail.

Chris Kent

 

 

 

 Gala Evening Raises over £7,300 ! 

Celia Gadd who runs our traditional riding section here at the stud was delighted to report that the Dressage to Music Gala evening held at The Hand Equestrian Centre on November 17th raised over £7,300 for the BBC Children In Need Appeal. She would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who attended and generously gave prizes for the auction and raffles.

There is a busy schedule of events to take place after Christmas for the traditional riders who come to the stud and there is also a Schoolmaster dressage horse available for lessons with Celia. Private lessons can be arranged and also short, intensive training courses for riders who want to really get things going in the New Year.

Celia is currently a List 5 Judge but is planning to work at upgrading in the New Year and will also be joining the Pyramid Dressage Trainers scheme.

Some of the dates below are open to Wessex riding club or Mendip Stud club members only so please ring Celia for more details on how to become a member of the Wessex riding club or the Mendip Stud club. Membership for the Wessex riding club costs £25 per year and the Mendip Stud Club from £25 a year.

January

Sunday 14th
Dressage Test Riding with Celia Gadd
Maximum 6 people in a session for one hours lesson followed by riding through a test (to be decided) and then judged by Celia with tips on how you could have improved your marks. Therefore allow 2 hours per lesson.
£15 each. (or £32.50 if 3 flat work lessons booked and paid for in advance)


Sunday 21st
Group Training - Special Value Once a month dressage training. £8 per hour.

Saturday 27th - Open Unaffiliated Dressage Day at The Mendip Stud
incorporating the Wessex Riding Club Winter Series and The Wessex Series
Qualifiers.


February

Sunday 11th - Dressage Training at The Mendip Stud with Celia Gadd.
Working on engagement (what is it?), suppleness and lateral work and
exercises to improve contact and obedience. All welcome. Sessions to last
one hour. £15 each or £32.50 for 3 sessions if booked and paid for in
advance.


Sunday 18th Group Training - Special Value Once a month dressage training. £8 per hour.

Saturday 24th - Open Unaffiliated Dressage Day at The Mendip Stud
incorporating the Wessex Riding Club Winter Series and the Wessex Series
Qualifiers.

March

Saturday 10th - Dressage Training. Test riding and movements. Improving confidence and marks. Will practice tests that we are doing at open show on 25th March. Commencing first group at 10am. £15 each
or £32.50 if 3 flatwork sessions booked and paid for in advance.


Saturday 24th - Open Dressage and Show Jumping Competition at
Badgworth Arena, incorporating finals of Wessex Riding Club Winter series
and the Wessex series qualifiers.

 

 

 

 Stud news 

 Christmas Plans at The Stud 

Two weeks to go……………
We've got quite a lot going on over the Christmas period and hope to see as many of you as possible during the festive period.………….

 

 Open House - Saturday 23rd December 

We hope you'll all feel welcome to 'pop in' and say hello, grab a coffee and a mince pie. Please let us know if you are going to attend our 'Open House' there should be a bunch of folk coming and we hope it maybe the kick-start for Christmas proper. There'll be some Christmas spirit floating about as well as non-alcoholic beverages and a host of Christmas goodies from Lou's larder………

 If you already know you're going to be able to attend please let us know so we can get the 
 catering right. Just click here and let us know who and how many - thanks…..

 

 Bad weather in Germany cancels Sylvia Jäckle clinic 

Sadly this last weekend our eagerly awaited clinic with Sylvia was cancelled due to bad weather. Just for a change the weather in the UK was not to blame but storms and high winds in Düsseldorf that caused damage to property and flights to be cancelled. Sylvia has asked us to pas on her apologies and will be arranging new times for next year.

Priority will be given to those who booked last weekend for the new clinic.




 

 

 Last Chance to Buy Before Christmas 

 Western Experience Days 

• A personalised voucher in a gold envelope for a Western Experience Day at The Mendip Stud could make the perfect Christmas gift for the horse lover in the family.

  Day clinics/experiences for those interested in trying the sport. Beginners and novices welcome. A perfect gift or day out for the equine enthusiast.
  
  •    Enjoy a full days western experience
  
  •    Great gift for all occasions - certificates available

  •    About 4 hours in the saddle, using your horse or one of ours, split into morning and afternoon sessions

  •    Coffee or tea on arrival and two course gourmet lunch followed by coffee and biscuits before you leave together with presentation of  your completion certificate.....£125.00

  Click logo for a registration form to find out more.

•  

   

 Sculpture weekend with Gill Parker 

A personalised voucher in a gold envelope for a sculpture weekend with Gill could make the perfect Christmas gift for the art lover in the family.

The topic for this weekend will be 'The Horse'. Places will be limited to 10 maximum at a cost of £250 per person for the weekend. (Finding subjects wont be a problem - getting them to hold a pose may cause a few interesting moments.) Included in the package will be lunch on both days - basic materials -16 hours tuition with one of the world's most respected equine sculptresses. To view some of Gill's work go to www.gillparker.co.uk

If you are interested please contact the office on 01934 751258 and we'll arrange to get the voucher to you secretly so the gift remains a surprise for the 25th ………….

There are only 10 places on the weekend and only four remaining.

Amateur artists only please.

Click logo for a registration form to find out more.

 

 




 Message from Shane & Vix Borland 

Vix and Shane Borland would like to thank all those who sent them cards and gifts on the birth of their daughter Sammi and wish all customers, clients, friends and Newsletter readers a happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

 

 

 

November Caption Competition Winner

"I can tell that you've got the flying change technique off the ground!"

This months winner is Jan Groves from Bawdrip. Winner: "I can tell that you've got the flying change technique off the ground!" Congratulations Jan! You've won a TAGG branded polo shirt courtesy of The Mendip Stud.   Runner up: 'I don't think your cure for my flatulence worked!' Sheila Fitzpatrick - Norfolk Runner up: 'Now I've managed the art of flying - just need the red nose and I'll be ready for Santa's sleigh.' Trish Martin - France

 




 A warm welcome to the following new readers: 

Hayley Murphy	Warwickshire		Helen Hardwicke	Devon
Jane Soulsby	East Lothian		Jude	Glocs.
Clive Sharples			Gina Smith	Vale of Glamorgan
Rebecca Elliott	Kingston Seymour		Basil Fletcher	Jamaica
Sheila Fitzpatrick	Norfolk		Jacqui Mogford	Devon
Fran Conabeare	Devon		Esther	Holland
Larry Cooper	USA		Lewis Stuttard	Rossendale
Pat Faitz	Florida		Sheri Hudson	Somerset