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MPEC AT
HARTPURY |
The day of the expedition had arrived, even he grey clouds over South
Leeds could not dampen the spirits of the team. Horses gleaming, wagon packed
to the gunnels we headed south. The weather followed us for about 80 miles but
then, the golden apparition - yes the sun - came out and stayed with us all the
way to Hartpury college. We arrived at 3.00pm, a journey time of 4 hours,
unlike the legendary mammoth journey 3 years previously via London which took 9
hours!!! We knew we'd gone wrong that year when we saw the runway at Heathrow
Airport.
On arrival we dispensed with the paperwork formalities and hastily
unloaded and settled our horses, Finley, Dizzy and Gem. The human element found
their accommodation, ate and found the campus watering hole. An early night
rounded off the day ready for our busy competing schedule on
Saturday.
Saturday came, an early start was to be only the beginning of a
great day, a day which awarded our excited riders and horses four first
rosettes. After a very successful day, the horses were set fair and the team
ate, rested and freshened up for the RDA disco. Oh what a night! (isn't that a
line from a song?) well it was - music, dancing, chat and of course drink. A
very happy bunch of tired people went back to their rooms to recuperate for
Sunday.
This was also to be an early start, but not as hectic. Still, we were
rewarded with an eighth rosette.
And so we packed up, loaded up and made the
journey home, feeling very pleased with ourselves, very tired but very
happy.
Just a mention about Barbara Birchall our dressage organiser -
although she's sort of an "outsider" we really consider her one of us and would
like to thank her for her help and support during the year and the event. Also
a big well done and thank you to RDA head quarters and their staff who
organised the event- It was well run, by friendly, pleasant people who were
only too happy to help.
A wonderful event enjoyed by us all - Bev
Backhouse
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| Photos of Dizzy, Gem and
Finley |
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Hello, my name is Andrew Dufton. On the 19th
July me and a bunch of others set off on a trip across the country with 3
horses in a big horse box. We arrived at 3.00pm and the horses were put to bed
and fed. It was then the humans turn to be fed and watered. On Saturday Finley,
Dizzy and Gem where all tacked up and hacked out so they could get to grips
with their new surroundings. On Sunday, my test day, at 11.38 I started to warm
Finley up in the warm up area for about 20 minutes, then rode him across the
road to the arena - the test went well, the horse worked like a well oiled
horse - so that's my little story but I would like to say thank you to Bev,
Kelly and Sarah for taking the time to make the week end a very special one
Andrew Dufton |
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Middleton Park drove down to Hartpury College to compete
in dressage with three of the centres horses which were Gem, Dizzy and Finley.
The dressage tests were on Saturday 20th July through to Sunday 21st July The
lovely people who helped where Sarah, Kelly, Andrew and Bev. I found it good to
have a laugh with all the people who went down from Middleton especially Sarah
and Andrew who made me laugh most of the time. I enjoyed doing my test and I
think Gem is a little star. Going down to Hartpury gave me the chance to know
some of the team much better. I would like to say thank you to Sarah, Kelly
Andrew, Bev, Carmen and the horses for teaching me my test. -
Danielle
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