Area 8: (Berks., Hants., Isle of Wight, Kent, Surrey, Sussex) Pauline Brimson
County Rep. Kent: Juliet Smith
I have loads of ideas for clinics, shows, pleasure rides and summer camps that I hope to put into practice over the coming months. If there is anything that anyone particularly wants to see happen in their area then please contact me and I’ll see what we can organise. I really want your input. I’ve put my contact details at the end of this newsletter.
Area Meeting
I will be organising an Area Meeting soon, to which all Area 8 members are invited. Our Area is large and I know it is difficult for some members to travel but it would be great to see as many of you as possible and I will try to choose a venue that is easily accessible to as many people as possible. I’m currently looking at somewhere central, possibly around the Farnham area. In future, we can move the meeting around the various counties to try and make it fair.
Clinics
I’m very keen to give members as many opportunities as possible to have access to regular, quality instruction.
The first clinic is booked with Susie Anderson at our yard in East Peckham near Tonbridge in Kent on Saturday, 13th May. Susie should need no introduction to WES members and I’m sure everyone will benefit from her enthusiastic approach and international experience. Depending on numbers, participants may be split into groups of a similar standard but will have a minimum of 1½ hour’s instruction. In addition, there will be the opportunity to ride in the other arena for as long as you wish or watch the rest of the groups work. We have two outdoor schools, one a 20m x 60m fenced arena, the other a purpose built 80m x 30m reining arena plus a round pen. There is hard standing for lorries and trailers, plus a comfortable tea room, toilet facilities, a tacking up area and wash down stand. There will be tea and coffee available and I might be able to persuade my mum to make some of her delicious cakes! We hope as many people as possible will be able to come along to either ride or watch. Rider places will be £40 per person per day to include one groom/spectator. Additional spectators £5 per day. A booking form is enclosed.
We are going to run regular self-help clinics at a minimal cost, starting with two at our yard on Saturday, 8th April and another on Sunday, 25th June. You can come along and ride all day or just spend an hour or two working with your horse amongst like-minded individuals. As a WES judge, I’ll be there to give any guidance I can on ringcraft, competition rules etc and David can help to answer any queries you might have about trying out the exciting sport of reining. We hope to have a trail course set up to give you the opportunity to practise in an informal and relaxed atmosphere. I’m sure a lot of other people will have valuable knowledge that they can share with the other participants. Cost £15 per rider per day. 10am – 4pm. Please complete and return the enclosed booking form as soon as you can. A Ploughman’s Lunch will be included in the cost so we need to know numbers.
I want to set up clinics in other parts of Area 8 and if anyone has suggestions for venues, then please let me know.
County Reps
We are rather short of County Reps in this Area and if you are keen to promote western riding in your county, then please get in touch. I know everyone is terrified of volunteering for fear of being inundated with work, but you will get a lot of backing and support from me and a lot of thanks from the rest of the members. All you need is a phone, a love of western riding and a lot of enthusiasm!
Area 8 Summer Camp
One of the first things I did when I heard I’d been elected was to book the superb facilities at Plumpton College, near Ditchling, West Sussex for a four day WES Summer Camp from Thursday, 3rd August to Sunday 6th August. I’ve used Plumpton before and the facilities are really great. Two indoor schools, one of which is suitable for reining, hacking around the College’s extensive grounds plus direct access to the South Downs for longer hacks with the most stunning views imaginable! A ride across the Downs on a beautiful summer’s evening cannot be beaten!
Included in the price of £180 is American barn stabling for the horses with integral feed mangers and hay racks and comfortable on-site accommodation for riders. You will also enjoy three cooked meals a day with continental or cooked breakfast and a choice of cooked dishes at lunchtime and evening. There is always a fantastic salad bar available and a vegetarian option. Plumpton also provides us with a common room on site for our exclusive use where we can meet up at the end of the day to relax and have a drink while we reflect on the day. There is a locked and alarmed tack room and wash down areas. Plumpton can provide us with hay to purchase at £2.50 per bale, which saves a lot of organising and makes more room in the trailer! Additional shavings can also be purchased from the College, although the beds were nice and thick last year.
I hope to set up a permanent trail course in their show jumping field and we can ride through their cross-country course and try out the water feature!! There will be a minimum of 1½ hours daily instruction by WES instructors, as well as the opportunity to ride all day long and practise your skills in a more informal atmosphere. All levels of rider will be welcomed so even if you’ve just started riding western, you will not feel out of place. Equally, it is an opportunity for the more experienced riders to work on more advanced techniques. If people want, we will run a mock show on the Sunday and additional lectures, demos and instruction can be included on request.
Go to www.hadlowridingclub.co.uk to see photos of the Summer Camp I organised at Plumpton for english riders last year. I hope to book the same photographer to come along for a day at our WES Camp where he will take formal and informal photographs of all participants. The photos will be available to purchase the same day. The cost of £180 represents exceptional value when you consider there is no added expense of B & B or food. Places are going to be limited so make sure you get your booking form and deposit cheque off straight away. I can guarantee you won’t regret it!!
Trail Rides
I have a couple of books from the BHS, which gives some great circular routes for trail rides in Kent and Sussex. If anyone is interested please let me know. Don’t forget you can gain hours towards the Trail Award Scheme. This scheme is open to any member of the Society who hacks out for pleasure (training and schooling do not count) with the horse tacked out with a Western Saddle. If you come to Summer Camp, you can log all those hours you spend riding out across the South Downs!!
Sponsorship
Putting on the shows and clinics can be an expensive exercise and I’m anxious to build up sufficient funds to be able to offer subsidised clinic places to Area 8 members whenever possible. One way of increasing revenue is by sponsorship, which can be anything from a cheque for £25 to cover the cost of a class worth of rosettes, to vouchers or goods from local feed or tack shops. Many people are reluctant to volunteer their services at shows for fear of being lumbered and some simply don’t have the time to spare. If you can’t contribute your time to help the Area, then maybe you would consider asking your local tack/feed merchant for vouchers or even contribute some cash yourselves!! I know several friends who have cajoled husbands and partners into a little bit of sponsorship!! I’ve never dared ask what they had to do in return! It will all help to promote and encourage western riding in our Area.
Shows
We are hoping to organise at least one more show in the Area for the coming year and again, venues are needed in the different counties. I am happy to use our facilities for a show in the summer but we are always a victim of the weather and a good indoor school is a real bonus and encourages more entrants in the spring and autumn. Just get in touch if you know of anywhere suitable.
Miscellaneous
I plan to send out a Newsletter on a bi-monthly basis, reminding everyone of what is happening in our own Area and those bordering us. If you have anything that you want to contribute, whether it’s a favourite photo from a show, or an advert for tack, etc, please email me and I will make sure it gets included. Email is an easy way to keep in touch, so if you have an email address please let me know.
Contact Details
Pauline Brimson
276 Tonbridge Road,
East Peckham
Tonbridge,
Kent
TN12 5LA
Home: 01622 872301 Not after 9pm please!!!
Mobile: 07860 868022
Email: chloe276@aol.com
County Rep. Kent: Juliet Smith
I have loads of ideas for clinics, shows, pleasure rides and summer camps that I hope to put into practice over the coming months. If there is anything that anyone particularly wants to see happen in their area then please contact me and I’ll see what we can organise. I really want your input. I’ve put my contact details at the end of this newsletter.
Area Meeting
I will be organising an Area Meeting soon, to which all Area 8 members are invited. Our Area is large and I know it is difficult for some members to travel but it would be great to see as many of you as possible and I will try to choose a venue that is easily accessible to as many people as possible. I’m currently looking at somewhere central, possibly around the Farnham area. In future, we can move the meeting around the various counties to try and make it fair.
Clinics
I’m very keen to give members as many opportunities as possible to have access to regular, quality instruction.
The first clinic is booked with Susie Anderson at our yard in East Peckham near Tonbridge in Kent on Saturday, 13th May. Susie should need no introduction to WES members and I’m sure everyone will benefit from her enthusiastic approach and international experience. Depending on numbers, participants may be split into groups of a similar standard but will have a minimum of 1½ hour’s instruction. In addition, there will be the opportunity to ride in the other arena for as long as you wish or watch the rest of the groups work. We have two outdoor schools, one a 20m x 60m fenced arena, the other a purpose built 80m x 30m reining arena plus a round pen. There is hard standing for lorries and trailers, plus a comfortable tea room, toilet facilities, a tacking up area and wash down stand. There will be tea and coffee available and I might be able to persuade my mum to make some of her delicious cakes! We hope as many people as possible will be able to come along to either ride or watch. Rider places will be £40 per person per day to include one groom/spectator. Additional spectators £5 per day. A booking form is enclosed.
We are going to run regular self-help clinics at a minimal cost, starting with two at our yard on Saturday, 8th April and another on Sunday, 25th June. You can come along and ride all day or just spend an hour or two working with your horse amongst like-minded individuals. As a WES judge, I’ll be there to give any guidance I can on ringcraft, competition rules etc and David can help to answer any queries you might have about trying out the exciting sport of reining. We hope to have a trail course set up to give you the opportunity to practise in an informal and relaxed atmosphere. I’m sure a lot of other people will have valuable knowledge that they can share with the other participants. Cost £15 per rider per day. 10am – 4pm. Please complete and return the enclosed booking form as soon as you can. A Ploughman’s Lunch will be included in the cost so we need to know numbers.
I want to set up clinics in other parts of Area 8 and if anyone has suggestions for venues, then please let me know.
County Reps
We are rather short of County Reps in this Area and if you are keen to promote western riding in your county, then please get in touch. I know everyone is terrified of volunteering for fear of being inundated with work, but you will get a lot of backing and support from me and a lot of thanks from the rest of the members. All you need is a phone, a love of western riding and a lot of enthusiasm!
Area 8 Summer Camp
One of the first things I did when I heard I’d been elected was to book the superb facilities at Plumpton College, near Ditchling, West Sussex for a four day WES Summer Camp from Thursday, 3rd August to Sunday 6th August. I’ve used Plumpton before and the facilities are really great. Two indoor schools, one of which is suitable for reining, hacking around the College’s extensive grounds plus direct access to the South Downs for longer hacks with the most stunning views imaginable! A ride across the Downs on a beautiful summer’s evening cannot be beaten!
Included in the price of £180 is American barn stabling for the horses with integral feed mangers and hay racks and comfortable on-site accommodation for riders. You will also enjoy three cooked meals a day with continental or cooked breakfast and a choice of cooked dishes at lunchtime and evening. There is always a fantastic salad bar available and a vegetarian option. Plumpton also provides us with a common room on site for our exclusive use where we can meet up at the end of the day to relax and have a drink while we reflect on the day. There is a locked and alarmed tack room and wash down areas. Plumpton can provide us with hay to purchase at £2.50 per bale, which saves a lot of organising and makes more room in the trailer! Additional shavings can also be purchased from the College, although the beds were nice and thick last year.
I hope to set up a permanent trail course in their show jumping field and we can ride through their cross-country course and try out the water feature!! There will be a minimum of 1½ hours daily instruction by WES instructors, as well as the opportunity to ride all day long and practise your skills in a more informal atmosphere. All levels of rider will be welcomed so even if you’ve just started riding western, you will not feel out of place. Equally, it is an opportunity for the more experienced riders to work on more advanced techniques. If people want, we will run a mock show on the Sunday and additional lectures, demos and instruction can be included on request.
Go to www.hadlowridingclub.co.uk to see photos of the Summer Camp I organised at Plumpton for english riders last year. I hope to book the same photographer to come along for a day at our WES Camp where he will take formal and informal photographs of all participants. The photos will be available to purchase the same day. The cost of £180 represents exceptional value when you consider there is no added expense of B & B or food. Places are going to be limited so make sure you get your booking form and deposit cheque off straight away. I can guarantee you won’t regret it!!
Trail Rides
I have a couple of books from the BHS, which gives some great circular routes for trail rides in Kent and Sussex. If anyone is interested please let me know. Don’t forget you can gain hours towards the Trail Award Scheme. This scheme is open to any member of the Society who hacks out for pleasure (training and schooling do not count) with the horse tacked out with a Western Saddle. If you come to Summer Camp, you can log all those hours you spend riding out across the South Downs!!
Sponsorship
Putting on the shows and clinics can be an expensive exercise and I’m anxious to build up sufficient funds to be able to offer subsidised clinic places to Area 8 members whenever possible. One way of increasing revenue is by sponsorship, which can be anything from a cheque for £25 to cover the cost of a class worth of rosettes, to vouchers or goods from local feed or tack shops. Many people are reluctant to volunteer their services at shows for fear of being lumbered and some simply don’t have the time to spare. If you can’t contribute your time to help the Area, then maybe you would consider asking your local tack/feed merchant for vouchers or even contribute some cash yourselves!! I know several friends who have cajoled husbands and partners into a little bit of sponsorship!! I’ve never dared ask what they had to do in return! It will all help to promote and encourage western riding in our Area.
Shows
We are hoping to organise at least one more show in the Area for the coming year and again, venues are needed in the different counties. I am happy to use our facilities for a show in the summer but we are always a victim of the weather and a good indoor school is a real bonus and encourages more entrants in the spring and autumn. Just get in touch if you know of anywhere suitable.
Miscellaneous
I plan to send out a Newsletter on a bi-monthly basis, reminding everyone of what is happening in our own Area and those bordering us. If you have anything that you want to contribute, whether it’s a favourite photo from a show, or an advert for tack, etc, please email me and I will make sure it gets included. Email is an easy way to keep in touch, so if you have an email address please let me know.
Contact Details
Pauline Brimson
276 Tonbridge Road,
East Peckham
Tonbridge,
Kent
TN12 5LA
Home: 01622 872301 Not after 9pm please!!!
Mobile: 07860 868022
Email: chloe276@aol.com
