BRITISH DRESSAGE SUPPORTERS CLUB

Join us in London for a great night out and help us to support our sport at all levels. Also recognise all those riders who represented GB during 2011 as we present them with c e r t i f i c a t e s f o r t h e i r achievements.

Once again we are returning to the Radisson Portman Hotel and the format for the day/evening will be familiar to many of you.

3pm AGM

7pm Reception & awards

8pm Dinner Dance

Dress will be Black Tie or Lounge Suit.

Annual Ball

Tickets will be £65 per person, i n c l u d i n g c h a m p a g n e reception and 3-course dinner.

Cheques should be sent to Penny Smith using the enclosed form and enclosing a stamped addressed envelope so we can send you your tickets!

Overnight accommodation

The Radisson are offering a rate of £120 per night per standard double room, including full breakfast on the Sunday morning. Superior rooms are also available at an £130 per night. Unfortunately

as a result of VAT increases in January, the price of the rooms has increased slightly.

Book early to avoid disappointment. Please make sure you quote Ref 110129BDSC when booking your room.

Evening entertainment

There will be the usual selection of games to get everyone in the party mood, as well as a quality raffle and auction (so don’t forget your purses!). And of course we’ll finish the night with the ever popular Bulge disco.

AGM and Annual Fundraising Ball

Saturday 29th January 2011

www.bdsc.uk.com MERRY CHRISTMAS

Dates for your Diary

• ANNUAL FUNDRAISING BALL 29th January 2011 SAS Radisson Portman Hotel, 22 Portman Square, London W1H 9FL. Tel 0207 208 6000.

• FEI World Cup Qualifier, Olympia 14-15 December 2010

• National Convention 27-28 November 2010

• European Championships, Rotterdam 18-21 August 2011 BDSC Trip—please contact Lorrie Sisson if interested

AUTUMN 2010

Inside this issue:

AGM and Ball 1

Chairman’s letter 2

Hickstead 3

Aachen Pony Club Championships 2009 Sheepgate U25 Championships National Championships Thank you Albion Para Report Home International 2010 Committee Members Application form for Ball tickets

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

The Ball

Dear Members

Welcome to the Autumn Newsletter.

And how exciting recent events have been when our GB dressage team of Laura Bechtolsheimer, Carl Hester, Maria Eilberg and Fiona Bigwood won a silver medal at WEG, beating the German team for the first time! Laura also rode majestically to take silver in both the Special and Kur. Congratulations to the whole team, and congratulations to our para riders who enjoyed great success also in their competitions.

BDSC have again had a very successful summer, thanks to the efforts of the committee and other members who have worked so hard on your behalf. It began with a wonderful trip to Aachen, organised by Lorrie Sisson, a report of which you can read later on in the newsletter. Once again we had a hugely enjoyable time at Aachen’s wonderful venue.

At Hickstead and the Nationals we had our usual marquees, and many members and friends met up to enjoy our hospitality of light refreshments and wine. At the Nationals the BDSC rugs were presented to Edward Chanin on Radamanthus (Paras), Jo Barry on Rameau II (Open Novice) and Lucy Pincus on her pony Sheepcote (Restricted Novice) – congratulations to them all!

Sherry Belton of Albion Saddlery again very generously presented a snaffle bridle, stirrup leathers, girth and numnah to the two winners of the annual prize draw – Kathy Marsden and Charley Wright.

I’m pleased to report that Lorrie has again been persuaded to organise a trip to next year’s Europeans in Rotterdam, so do get in touch with her if you are interested in joining us. And talking of next year, here’s an important date for your diaries: Saturday 29 January 2011. This is the date of the BDSC AGM and Ball – the fun event of the dressage season, and not to be missed. As usual it will be held at the Radisson Portman Hotel in London’s West End. At the champagne reception we will present certificates to all those riders who have represented Great Britain internationally and nationally. Please bring friends and family; help us raise funds for our sport, celebrate our successes at WEG, and have fun yourselves.

It’s been a real pleasure meeting so many of you at the Spring and Summer events and I look forward to catching up with you all in 2011. In the meantime let me be the first to wish you a very Happy Christmas.

Best wishes

Penny Smith

Chairman’s letter

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Congratulations to all our team riders for their successes at WEG

The marquee at Hickstead

THANK YOU to Derek and Ann McGrath of Delanns Jewels for many years supporting our annual ball with gifts for the raffle.

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The BDSC marquee at Hickstead this year was very popular. On Thursday, an unprecedented number of members visited us and had the pleasure of watching famous riders and beautiful horses in the warm up while experiencing the BDSC’s world famous hospitality!

The Hickstead management team, headed by Dane Rawlings, has created a first class venue and it is a great place to be for the shopaholics who can indulge their habit in the dressage shops and then saunter along to watch show jumping and continue a bumper spending spree there!

Hickstead 2010

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BDSC marquee overlooking the warm-up at Hickstead

Lorrie, Penny, Amanda Bond, Liz West and Pauline Vetten Inside the marquee at Hickstead.

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Just after ten o’clock on the balmy last night of the World Equestrian Festival held at Aachen Laura Bechtolsheimer entered the hallowed arena . It w a s a n e l e c t r i c atmosphere, a packed audience already having enjoyed a high level of inventive choreography and varied music. Laura and Andretti looked immaculate, calm and elegant , Their test was so smooth, the music fun and original and all the B r i t i s h D r e s s a g e Supporters could watch without apprehension it felt that nothing was going to go amiss. There was an explosion of applause as she finished and as we were now becoming accustomed to it we anticipated the special salute Laura gave us. We were in splendid seats

forming a three tier block and colourfully adorned with very many Union Jack flags. She b e a m e d a n d acknowledged us, her arm held aloft and waving. Then the score which for a little while looked like a tie with Helen Langehanenberg from Germany but Laura triumphed.. Last to go was another good test from Victoria Max-Theurer from Austria but Laura held her position. Well then!!! After a 52 year gap. the British had won a first prize at this most prestigious event - Mrs Joan Gold had achieved this accolade in 1958 We were already feeling a real part of this Festival as Great Britain was in third place in the teams our riders had all performed well and they a cknowl edged ou r presence in the stands on leaving the arena with extra warmth to their smiles and greater reach in their raised arms.

No rushing off to catch our bus back to Valkenburg we were on cloud nine and going to savour the prize giving to the full. But where was the Union Jack? There did not appear to be one waiting under the

Aachen Grand Prix Kur 2010

… after a 52 year gap the British

had won first prize.

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flagpole. Our seats were near the flag pole which after the prizes are presented the riders take a quarter turn to face. and the national anthem of the winner is played and their flag hoisted. Kathy who had the very big Union Jack was quick to realise that perhaps it was needed and she and Brona were able to access a first row place in the perfect spot where they held it firmly aloft. As our National Anthem was played and we sang God Save the Queen the whole stadium was u p s t a n d i n g . T h e emotion and pride we felt was very special.

And to think that we had the Sunday morning Kur to look forward to where Laura and Mistral Hojris shared the prize giving with Edward Gal and Totilas and Adelinde Cornelissen with Jerich Parzival !!!!

The best trip ever then with all our grateful thanks to Lorrie and Penny for steering us members of the BDSC so steadfastly towards this most satisfying experience. WE WERE THERE.

Hazel Williams

Laura Bechtolsheimer and Andretti.

The standard is now very high at

this event ...

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Carr & Day Pony Club Championships 2010

Once again Draycott house in Derbyshire was the venue for the Pony Club Championships in August. With rainstorms threatening all day it was the prize giving that took the full force of the weather. The team event was won by the Mendip Farmers Hunt unfortunately due to the severity of the rain their team ended up minus two horses. So with loose horses, slipped saddles and newly awarded rugs flapping it was certainly a prize giving to remember! Fortunately the sun soon shone again and order was restored.

BDSC Training Grants were awarded to the following members

Natalie Ireland Oxenholme Cherokee Brave

Chloe Vell East Cheshire Northlands Royal Performance

Joshua Hill Eridge Hunt Seren Benfro

Amy Blount Ludlow Hunt G Kar

The standard is now very high at this event so congratulations to our members who did so well with Natalie Ireland and Joshua Hill winning their arena and going forward to the ride off. This consists of the top two from each arena and was won by Alex Armstrong riding Prince Paranga representing the Mendip Farmers Hunt.

Lorrie Sisson

These championships take an amazing amount of organisation which is very capably undertaken by Sarah Payne and the Grant family team. Over one thousand two hundred tests were ridden and that means a lot of hard work for all the team over the five days that it was held.

The BDSC were very pleased to sponsor four classes including the much coveted BDSC Pony Championship.

Sheepgate Under 25s Championship 2010

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This class is run under FEI rules over two days and includes the FEI Pony Team Test and the FEI Pony Individual Test. It was won by Erin Williams riding Danny Boy B who were unbeaten in both tests and the freestyle to music. They managed to score an amazing three nines in the Individual Test. Second was Chloe Vell riding Danger 36 with third place going to Megan Carpenter riding Pablo S.

Samantha Thurman Baker went one better this year and was the winner of the Hortech Systems Junior and Aerborn & Falcon Feeds Young rider championships having been runner up last year.

Congratulations to all our members who were very well placed in many classes.

Lorrie Sisson

Prize winners at Sheepgate

Erin Williams and Danny Boy B

Erin Williams

and Danny Boy

scored an

amazing three

nines

oddities of animal lovers but insists that 98% of the people she meets are lovely as for the rest , well one just learns to ‘grin and bear disasters’.

Natasha has worked for two years at Stoneleigh and has been waitressing for four years overall. At the moment she is a student at The Royal Agricultural College studying Land Management. She is in her final year and aims to be a Chartered Surveyor. She does not have a particular interest in horses but enjoys Lacrosse and is captain of her team.

Good luck and best wishes to them both.

THANK YOU TO BERYL AND NATASHA

Beryl Herring and Natasha Barr ( pictured here) have been providing almost non-stop coffee and tea for BDSC members at our Stoneleigh marquee for several years as well as looking after the other guests at the show. Beryl has spent 10 years in the catering business and in addition to working at the National Championships she has also worked at Warwick race course and the Hebbing point-to-point course. In earlier days Beryl worked in her brother’s veterinary practice in the office. She could probably write a soap opera about the

National Championships 2010

Lucy Pincus riding Sheepcote Sandmartin. Winner of the BDSC rug for the highest placed member at the Nationals in the restricted Novice class

Jo Barry on Rameau 11 winner of the BDSC rug for the highest placed member at The Nationals in the Open Novice class .

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Thank you to our staunch supporters Albion Saddlers

The British Dressage Supporters Club would like to thank Paul and Sherry Belton of Albion Saddles for their many years of generous support. Over the years the club has been given wonderful prizes for the Annual Draw and for the Ball raffle, including saddles, bridles, girths, leathers, whips and brushes.

Sherry was kind enough to take time out of a busy day at the National Championships to describe the extraordinary developments at Albion which began with Paul, Sherry, a cutter, 2 saddlers and a machinist following a visit by Paul, in 1984, to the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. When he returned to the UK he could not find a saddle suitable for training dressage and riding horses. Inspired, and with the advantage of being a design engineer, he created his own winning formula. Now 55 people are employed and the business has 20,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing floor space. From small beginnings the company has grown and grown and now operates in thirty four countries.

Paul and Sherry were approached by several top riders from around the world who chose Albion saddles in the belief that that their designs are the best fo r horses . Consequently, riders are sponsored by Albion in the UK, USA, Holland, & Germany

Recently in the short space of seven days Sherry has visited all of the company’s sponsored riders including Laura Bechtolsheimer, and Klaus Balkenhol’s beautiful chestnut gelding, Dablino, ridden by his daughter Anabel. Albion has worked with Klaus for 15 years. Next Sherry went to the yard where Edward Gall and Hans Peter Minderhoud keep their horses, to ensure that his mare, Nadine’s saddle was a perfect fit. From there she went to the German Fair and

then back to the Nationals. Then, in preparation for WEG, she visited William Fox Pitt to check that his saddles were up to the mark for the World Equestrian Games.

One of Sherry’s most illuminating experiences happened recently in Norway, in a new purpose built saddle-fitting yard, where Sherry was invited to train the fitters. Sherry is used to working with big moving top dressage horses, who need careful adjustments to the fit and balance of their saddles, so she was intrigued to be introduced to what seemed to be an ordinary 15.2 h.h. 5 year old gelding, looking like a plump Connemara pony - charming and very sensitive. A saddle was fitted and several changes were tried which did not work well - the horse’s paces still remained c ramped , bu t She r r y was d e t e r m i n e d t o m a k e h i m comfortable so finally the point straps were removed with a super result! One small change and an everyday boy became a confident and beautiful horse. This rewarding experience reinforced Sherry’s belief in the importance of attention to detail and in the overriding need to make horses comfortable.

The Future:

A lb ion has invested in a computerised pressure testing system and can now prove that the contact is correct. This wonderful technology shows where the rider is sitting at all times and plays a significant part in forwarding the business aim of making horses comfortable. Sherry emphasised the importance also of working with the best trainers and riders in the world, who all share information with Albion so that saddle designs can be changed to reduce pressure and friction. This has become more and more important since, in a relatively short period of time, horses have changed shape and Paul has altered and developed trees to suit the current ergonomic development of the dressage horse to allow for the movement of the horse and for the rider to be in balance.

It was fascinating to talk to Sherry – her passion for and dedication to providing a first class product which contributes to the improved performance of all horses was clear.

Sherry and Annie Belton

Para Report At Millfield competition, inter regional, Natasha Adkinson, grade III riding Tribal Indian, and Ruth Macarthy, grade IV riding Vamiro, were awarded BDSC rosettes as the highest placed members in their grade.

At Stoneleigh, in the KBIS Para Championship, grade II rider Edward Chanin was the highest scoring BDSC member and was awarded a rug. Anyone who was in the marquee during that competition will remember his increasing excitement. He has been in para

competition for several years after a devastating accident in a racing yard and is a member of the BEF Start and Potential Squad. He really deserved to win the rug having worked so hard to achieve his current position.

The team for WEG comprised Sophie Christiansen, Anne Dunham, Emma Sheardown, Lee Pearson, Ricky Balshaw, Jo Pitt (BDSC member) and Sophie Wells.

Juliet Seal

Para winner of BDSC rug at Nationals, Edward Chanin

2010 Home International

Wow – what a fantas c weekend at the Home Interna onal! Sian Sheridan (pictured right) won the superb BDSC rug!

There was a great gala party on Saturday night! Several top judges and trainers were dancing on the tables – unfortunately we don’t have any photos of that!

Louise Clark

A big THANK YOU to all the photographers who contributed to this newsletter—Cathy Wright, Debi Woods, Louise Clark, Sarah Payne, Anthony Smith and Mark Heaton

GIVE A BDSC GIFT VOUCHER FOR CHRISTMAS

TREAT YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO A VOUCHER TO BE USED FOR A MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTION (£20) OR STOCK. £10, £15, £20 vouchers available, or choose your own value. (Voucher cards courtesy of Sally Martin).

Examples of stock may be seen on the BDSC web site: bdsc.uk.com

Membership forms are down loadable.

Stock may be ordered from Gill Gallagher: phone number and address on page 10

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2010 COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Subscription reminder!

Individual £20

Life £200

Family/company £50

Please change your standing

order if you have not already done

so!

CHIO Aachen

BDSC raffle prizes and stock

The BDSC’S (des britischen Dressur-Unterstut Club’s) trip to Aachen was reported in the German newspaper ‘DIE SEITE DREI’ (see below’). We now know what Lorrie ‘sagt’ and Penny ‘gibt’ that caused such controversy!

Weltfest des Pferdesports www.CHIO Aachen.de Das Herz des “britischen Dressur-Unterstüzer-Clubs” schlägt für einer adere Starterin: Emily Baldwin, die sich noch drei Plätze vor Klimke auf Rang 2 geschoben hat. “Das war toll”, sagt Lorrie Sisson, die den Ausflug in die Soers für die 31-köpfige Reisegruppe aus London geplant hat. Von Reisestress ist bei den “Unterstützern” keine Spur. Warum auch? Es gibt hier alles, “was das Herz begehert: Tolle Wettbewerbe, gutes Bier, leckeres Essen. In Großrittannien gibt es keine vergleichbare Veranstaltung”, gibt Penny Smith dem CHIO den Ritterschlag.

Chairman

Penny Smith Flat 4, 160 Sutherland Avenue, London, W9 1HP

Tel: 0207 286 1536 Mobile: 07768 958774

Vice Chairman

Ann Dugdale 3 Taylors Hill, Hitchin, Herts, SG4 9AD

Tel: 01462 457957 Mobile: 07552 166126 Fax: 01462 615207

Treasurer Denise Hulse Byways, Stebbing Green, Dunmow, Essex, CM6 3TE

Tel: 01371 856023

Para Representative

Juliet Seal The White House, Dean Hill, West Dean, Salisbury, Wilts SP5 1HN

Tel: 01794 885795

Pony Club & Trips Abroad

Lorrie Sisson The Hawthorns, Vicarage Lane, North Weald, Essex CM16 6AL

Tel: 01992 522721 Mobile: 07740 473345

Membership Jane Kendall Pilstye Farmhouse, Rowhill Lane, Balcombe, West Sussex RH17 6JN

jken611970@aol.com Mobile: 07762 310194

Hospitality & Newsletter

Gill Gallagher Leyfield, Chalky Road, Great Abington, Cambs, CB1 6AT

Tel: 01223 893777

Other members

Cathy Wright Willow Barn, Hall Farm, Shelton, Newark, Notts. NG23 5JG

Mobile: 07776 233539

Karen Luetchford Tel: 01438 869519

Northern Representative

Debi Woods 4 The Stables, Weeton Lane, Dunkeswick, Nr Leeds LS17 9LP

Tel: 01132 458744

Please note that tables are available to seat up to 10/12 people.

Those not booking a full table will be able to place their names on a table plan on the day of the AGM meeting or at the drinks reception.

Wine (not included in the ticket price) can be ordered on the evening.

Tickets for this event will, as ever, be in great demand. Please note that tickets will be sold on a first come first served basis.

I ENCLOSE THE FOLLOWING:-

Please tick

Cheque payable to British Dressage Supporters Club

Stamped addressed envelope

Please send this form to:- Penny Smith, Flat 4, 160 Sutherland Avenue, London W9 1HP

Tel: 0207 286 1536

TICKET APPLATION FOR ANNUAL FUNDRAISING BALL 2011

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TEL …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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Please send me …………… tickets @ £65 per person. Total ………………………………………..

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JoarcTypewriterTICKET APPLICATION FOR ANNUAL FUNDRAISING BALL 2011