Club Day Pole Clinic Sunday 10th September with Lou Ironmonger 

Our September club day was a pole clinic with Lou Ironmonger.  Riders enjoyed exercises designed to improve stride, regularity, fluidity and balance.  Groups included walk/trot and trot/canter.

In August the club hosted an evening with Brett Tennent-Brown, a vet, a Town & Country Vets. 

Brett shared information on Equine Metabolic Syndrome and nutrition.  He had recently attended an overseas veterinary conference and discussed the results of overseas research and how these can be applied to our New Zealand setting.  

There was a great turn out, lots of questions and sharing of experiences.

Brett outlined three techniques, which we can use in combination, to access and monitor our horses' condition.

• Use the 9-point scale and body score your horse - aiming for a 4-6 score.  (shown below)
• Use the Cresty Neck Score (shown below)
• Measure insulin (there are options for static and dynamic tests to give you a base line)

My other takeaways from this talk were.

• Horses need 1.5% of their weight in forage every day - weigh your hay!
• Keep a diary and use a weigh tape to assess your horses weight every two weeks.  Even if it's not accurate it will still give you trend information.
• Work with your vet on a reduction plan, it takes time (think months), and be prepared to make changes based on results.
• Weigh your feed - it's not a coffee cup of this and a handful of that (I'm guilty of this...)
• For my prone to fat pony - a fat rich diet is better than carb rich, canola is a good oil, use low GI or grain free feed.  Try to prevent insulin spikes by being consistent with feed and pasture access.
• We're all doing our best :-)

Note - Google will help you find the body score and cresty neck information. and descriptions
Note - these are my notes from the talk - if in doubt or for more information talk to your vet!

For our July Club Day, we got the toys out and members got to have a go with our Working Equitation and Cowboy Challenge obstacles.  It was great to meet some new members and a nice low key friendly outing on a cool morning.

To celebrate Matariki club members enjoyed the winter sun on a perfect tide for a ride at Rabbit Island.

Information to follow

Our February Club Day was Working Equitation Have a Go.
We had a great turn out with 19 members attending.  Thanks to the experienced WE members who shared their knowledge and skills.
The session finished with group rides around Rough Island.

Members enjoyed a morning beach ride at Rabbit Island on Sunday 26 February.  

Thanks to all the riders and helpers who came along to our Twilight Jumping Series.
Here's the series placings.

40 / 50cm
1st Kuri Kugler - Summer
2nd Susanne Sexton - Archie
3rd Daniel Kersten - Lil Pony
4th Summer Brereton - Max

60 / 70cm
1st Susanne Sexton - Archie
2nd Kate Hyde - Gryphon
3rd Clara Longuinhos - Rum
4th Lilian Kersten - Valencia

80 / 90cm
1st Kate Hyde - Gryphon
2nd Celia Davies - Time to Fly
3rd = Melissa Harte-Seidl - Bear
3rd = Scarlet Rodd - Lily
3rd = Lilian Kersten - Valencia

​​​Our October Dressage and ShowCross event was a great day out and enjoyed by many.

Thanks to our club members, judges, competitors and volunteers who contributed to the success of the day.
Check out the stunning photos taken by Aimee Jules Photography
​






​


Here's the results
L1 / 50cm 
Dressage
1st Sophie Gill - Tora / 2nd Julie Mckay - Northwood Amazing Dancer / 3rd Sarah Wilkin - Rockarden Ruben
ShowCross
1st Ursula Oakes - Sweet as Bro / 2nd Margie Swainson - Flash (NRC Trophy) / 3rd Sophie Gill - Tora / 4th Lisa Friis - George
Dressage & ShowCross
1st Sophie Gill - Tora / 2nd Julie Mckay - Northwood Amazing Dancer

L2 / 70cm
Dressage
1st Kirsty Lalich - Clodd / 2nd Liz Brown - Gynfello / 3rd Kirsty Lalich - Bojangles / 4th Jolene Rushbrooke - Zeus
ShowCross
1st Kirsty Lalich - Bojangles / 2nd Mia Lalich - Bond / 3rd Kirsty Lalich - Clodd / 4th Jolene Rushbrooke - Zeus
Dressage & ShowCross
1st Kirsty Lalich - Bojangles / 2nd Kirsty Lalich - Clodd / 3rd Mia Lalich - Bond / 4th Joelene Rushbrooke - Zeus

L4 / 90cm
Dressage
1st Sophie Kyle - Dougal / 2nd Kirsty Lalich - Clodd / 3rd Sally AustinPearcey - Atatu / 4th Irene Minchin - Sanssouci BT
ShowCross
1st Sophie Kyle - Dougal / 2nd Irene Minchin - Sanssouci BT (NRC Trophy) / 3rd Sally AustenPearcey - Atatu / 4th Mia Lalich - Polly 
Dressage & ShowCross
1st Sophie Kyle - Dougal / 2nd Irene Minchin - Sanssouci BT (NRC Trophy) / 3rd Sally AustenPearcey - Atau / 4th Mia Lalich - Polly 

Our September Club Day was a lunging session at Stonehurst Farm on Haycocks Road.
It was an opportunity to learn how to lunge and the benefits of all the different lunging equipment. There was the opportunity to practice on a schoolmaster (thanks Archie) and to give it a go with your own horse in the safety of the round yards.  After the lunging we went for a nice ride down around the farm.

​Movie Night
Member and friends enjoyed a night at the movies with a screening of Dream Horse at the Richmond Library. 

Eve Hawes Clinic
We hosted an Eve Hawes XC, this was an opportunity for attendees to gain or further their knowledge in the sport of eventing.  The riding parts of the clinics were suitable for people competing or training at 65cm and above.  The clinic started with an evening session focusing on equine nutrition, fitness management and eventing.  On Saturday groups focused on dressage and show jumping with specific emphasis on cross country type fences.  Then on Sunday they were out on the cross-country course, putting into practice the skills learnt on Saturday

Our July Club Day was all about Show Jumping.  

The club was fortunate to host show jumping judge, Louise Bradley.  This was a popular session and there was a great turnout, including a number of new club members.

We started with a theory session on course design and the rules for show jumping.  A shared hot drink and chocolate biscuit and lots of opportunities to ask questions.  We now know our instant jump offs from our two phases!

Course design / ESNZ rules 

• Have the first jump facing the floats / gate to encourage horses to get underway
• No fills, walls or doubles until fence 4
• Rails are 4 faults (per jump not per rail...)
• First refusal 4 faults, second refusal at some jump 8 faults (total of 12 for that jump)
• Third refusal on course elimination
• Fall of horse or rider is elimination
• You have 45 seconds from when the bell rings to go through the start flags
• Most courses are a figure 8 and include changes in rein

ESNZ Rules for show jumping and show hunter can be found on their website
Jumping and Show Hunter Rules | ESNZ (nzequestrian.org.nz)

We built a simple show jumping course and learnt about distances, related lines and maximum spreads for each height.

Club members and their equine partners then jumped the course.  It was a great supportive environment and the photos below show the fun that was had.

Whilst there was snow on the hills we were lucky with the weather later in the morning, the arena surface was great and there was actually some sunshine.  

In the afternoon non-members were able to hire the course for 15 minutes of schooling and we had four riders who took up this opportunity.

Thanks to Louise for a great session.  Committee members came away with lots of ideas for some fun jumping sessions to offer in the future.

​Thanks Emma Nath for the photos.