After a little rain during the week to soften up the grounds, Sunday 22nd October arrived with sunshine and a light breeze. A perfect day to be out and about! Everything had been set up on the Saturday, so it was all ready to go. Dressage arenas ran smoothly, with two lovely judges, Michele Christiansen and Kelly Morrow, and the show jumping was underway by 10.00am with our guest judge Georgia Sedgemen.
A large contingent of volunteers made the set up very easy, and the day run to schedule. Thank you to everyone, we can’t do it without you. Some non-members came to compete, and we put 25 horse/rider combinations through their dressage phase and then their show jumping phase. Results were posted quickly, and receivers of ribbons were very excited with their achievements. Those receiving prizes as well, from our very generous sponsors Horseland and Coprice/Nutririce, were delighted. All in all, a very happy and successful day for everyone!
We hosted an information evening on 24 October 2017 with a great turn out and some very interested newcomers. The evening complimented the series of clinics which had been held during the year. Paul Cairns was challenged on the night on what information to leave out as there was so much to cover! The general feeling was that we need to know more about this new method of training dressage. GEC is the only club to offer Légèreté training and we are so proud of this distinguishing feature.
It’s a Wrap! We hosted our final Légèreté dressage training clinic on 12 November with a record turnout and a whole bunch of new riders trying out the system. There were smiles all round. We even had our very own equine therapist on site, Penny Pronin. The introduction of Légèreté dressage training has been such a success this year that we are going to do it again in 2018. The first event will be a full day of theory and demonstrations (A Légèreté Demonstration Day) on Sunday 4 March 2018, followed by a series of clinics.
Our last Horsemanship Fun Day was also held on 12th November and was well attended. Members and their horses got to play with an assortment of our horsemanship obstacles etc., we had tarps, extra-large soccer balls, hanging noodles and lots more that the horses could walk over, under and around and some horses even played soccer with their friends! Suzanne Bellette was there for guidance and assistance and gave us all some challenges to complete. These were first done on the ground and then ridden. It was a very social fun day for both horse and human. Looking forward to more of these days next year!
A huge thank you to our sponsors, who so generously support our club throughout the year. Horseland Dural for always supplying great prizes for our dressage and jumping competitions, and Coprice Nutririce for the many bags of feed for prizes. Our thanks, also, to the “Galston, Glenorie and Hills Rural News” for publishing our articles every month which keeps the local community informed of what our club and riders are doing. You are all much appreciated!
Thank you to the committee who work hard to organise a variety of events and interesting talks for all our members, so there is something for everyone. Thanks to the volunteers, who help behind the scenes setting up arenas and jumps, running the canteen and in a myriad of ways to keep things running smoothly.
We still have a few more events before the Christmas break… see below. Our first day back next year will be Sunday 11th February, and information on club registration is available on our website.
The committee wishes you all a very happy and safe Christmas and look forward to another exciting and fun-packed calendar in 2018. See you all then!
Upcoming events :
• 26 November – Funkhana
• 30 November – Scott Mitchell – “Healthy Hindgut-Healthy Horse” evening presentation at the Galston Club
• 4 December – AGM
• 10 December – Presentation and Christmas Party
As usual, please check our Facebook page and our website for up to date information on all our events. http://www.galstonequestrianclub.org.au/
