British team hold nerve to capture bronze

Less than two points separated the top three teams.

Team gold went to to French (157.7 penalties) and silver to the Irish team (157.8) with the British squad adding a team bronze to their European championship record, finishing on a score of 159.2.

Sam Ecroyd also won individual silver, riding his mother Penny’s grey mare, Three Wells Breeze.

The team members were Sophie Beaty (Done and Dusted); Janos Blackman (Cregaan Scenic); Sam Ecroyd and Grace Walker (Noble Springbok).

Plumbaa Goess-Saura and Madeleine Taylor represented Britain as individuals.

Three of the British riders finished in the top 10 in the dressage phase and the team then had six clear rounds across country, putting them in contention for gold.

There was a setback on Sunday, however, when the FEI ground jury decided that Noble Springbok was not fit to compete in the show-jumping, despite the fact that the British team’s managers had no concerns about the pony’s soundness after the cross-country. Sam and two of the team’s debutants, Maddie and Janou, went on to put in faultless rounds.

Their trainer, Sarah Hancox, said: “The riders really held their nerve on Sunday for the jumping and I am delighted with the result that they achieved.”

Most Pony Club summer camps have a reputation for fairly basic accommodation, which tends to be all part of the fun.

At least that’s the memory for many older riders when they recall what a good time they used to have at “camp.”

But for the young riders from the Holderness Hunt Pony Club there has been no question of roughing it in tents. For many years they have been holding their annual camp at Bishop Burton College where there is plenty of purpose-built accommodation on hand.

The college has just been playing host to 41 Pony Club members for their most recent camp – which marked 20 years since the Holderness Hunt first started using Bishop Burton

District commissioner Pam Ireland has accompanied the youngsters on each visit and claims to have enjoyed every minute.

“Accommodation was becoming a key issue so we were looking for a venue that could provide us with proper sleeping quarters,” said Pam. “That’s when the college became available and we have never looked back.”

In the last few years, the club has been able to host the youngest members and the seniors at the same camp.

They are split into six rides based on ability, ranging from the five and six-year-olds, who are just off the lead rein, to the 16 and 17-year-olds who are show-jumping and eventing to quite a high standard.

The college itself has grown considerably in the 20 years Pam has been associated with it. For her, the happiest memories are always seeing a child achieve something they never thought was possible – “like going into the water on the cross-country course or jumping when they always said they couldn’t, it’s enormously satisfying.”

A group of disabled riders from Yorkshire enjoyed a week’s riding at Middleton Park Equestrian Centre in Leeds, working towards their gold, silver and bronze RDA Proficiency Awards.

They were joined by a Scottish RDA group of riders, instructors and helpers from Glenfarg.

Four of the Yorkshire riders won gold proficiency awards – Sam Dowson from the Richmond and Catterick RDA group; Claire Pope from the Bedale group; Mandy Schofield from the Middleton Park RDA centre and Kathryn Wheelock from the Otley and District group.

Sam, Claire and Mandy, who is blind, have had excellent results at the RDA Nationals in recent years and Kathryn has ridden for Ireland.

This year, she rode at the Internationals in France and at the British Para International at Hartpury where she took fourth and fifth places at Grade III.

The riders were all tested on their stable management knowledge and rode a dressage test on the last day of their five days at Middleton Park. All the riders rode for two hours each day on a variety of horses and did two hours of stable management.

Winners of the silver RDA proficiency awards were: Bernadette Spellman, Otley and District group; Lindsey McLaren and Paula Quirie, Bedale group and Catherine Mackay, Glenfarg.

Bronze awards went to: Pauline Bryson and Paul Coulthard from Glenfarg; Georgina Woodcock and Lynne Burnley, Middleton Park and Naomi Tudge, Stokesley and Unicorn RDA centre.

A recent carriage driving event at Allerton Park was hit by wet weather but competitors still managed to enjoy themselves.

Over 70 drivers took part over two days when the North Eastern Driving Trials group hosted the regional event for those hoping to qualify for the British national championships in September.

Kim Usher, from Richmond, turned in a solid performance in the Novice pony section on the Saturday to be the overnight leader going into the Sunday marathon section.

A good round over the 16km course and through some testing obstacles made sure she booked her ticket to the championship by winning the class.

But it was Judy Hilditch from Wakefield who blazed through the whole event in the Open Horse class to win not only the class but also rosettes for the lowest overall score of the day, the fastest marathon and a voucher for £50 from Baileys Horse Feeds for the driver posting the fastest time through obstacle seven.

At the other end of the scale, in the pre-novice class, Diana Mcrae from Halifax enjoyed her first win over the Allerton course.