Less than a week and counting...

[alwaysfallingof]

'Til our regional RDA dressage qualifiers.

Just spent the best part of 2 and a half hours trying to work out the logistics of having 10 riders and 5 ponies going, most of the riders are doing 1 test as well as the 'walk in the countryside', but some are doing 2...all in the space of about 4 and a half hours. Trying to make sure that each rider will have an instructor to mount them at the right time and enough people on the ground to help as well as having people left back at the lorry to tidy ponies, tack up etc = MAJOR headache.


Can't wait though:D

[shoniedaspony]

you are insane...

my idea of hell...

enjoy though...sorry i couldnt be there ;)

good luck to all the riders xxx

[8-legged-pony]

I'm so jealous! We were hoping to take some of our riders to our regional comp this year, but our new pony isn't quite ready to meet lots of other horses and crowds yet, next year we should be competing though :D We went last year for the first time borrowing a pony from another group (ours were all privately owned and the owners not happy with how they'd react in a strange place - too much of a risk to take!) and one of our riders qualified for the nationals. It was quite scary though as it was only me and my friend whose another group instructor there to represent our group for the regionals, and only my friend there at the nationals!

Good luck to all your riders, and to you organising it! Hope everything goes smoothly :D

[alwaysfallingof]

Argh...2 days.

Tomorrow we have all our riders coming at half hour intervals to run through tests and handy pony courses.

My day tomorrow will start at 6, and on Wednesday I'm going to have to be at the yard by 4.30...in the morning. Ouchie.

@ 8-legged-pony: really...only you and your friend? That must have been scary. At least I know that I'm not the one with the final say in everything - I'm one of 5 members of staff going, and we'll have a veritable army of volunteers I'm sure (some more useful than others...but we love them all really:p )

[alwaysfallingof]

Well:D :D what a day we had.

One of our riders just didn't show up:confused: (after being to all the practices)
But...8 out of the 9 that rode qualified for the nationals:D

3 qualified for the horse, pony and rider competition
2 qualified for the partially sighted open Grade 2.
1 qualified for the physical disability section of Grade 1a
1 qualified for both the open and restricted Grade 3 tests
1 qualified for the w/t/c Grade 3 test.

All in all, a very very successful day. Watching the riders that I have seen battling to achieve what they have, and having to fight SO hard in some cases, riding through their tests brought tears to my eyes.
If I ever need to remember exactly why I chucked in university to take up a job with the RDA, thinking of their faces as the results were announced will convince me.

I love my job:D

[8-legged-pony]

:D Excellent results! It's so nice to see riders finally get a reward for all the work they've put in. Good luck to everyone at the Nationals - wish I was going, fingers crossed that next year will be our year!