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Hayfield
News
April 2004
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Gar Ling NG will be competing at the National Championships
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Aberdeen
University teams are winners again!
The Aberdeen University teams are “Back on the map” having
done amazingly well this winter at all levels. With Mika helping
with their dressage riding and John their jumping and polo they
have made great improvements and deserve their every success!
Starting
her year by winning the Shell UK award for the 'UK's Most Enterprising
Student' Gar-Ling then crowned that by becoming one of only 5 riders
who competed over the winter to qualify for the National University
Championships in Uttoxeter on the 6th of April. Gar-ling commented
“Without any doubt, growing up riding all of Hayfield’s
different ponies and horses gives me the edge over the other competitors”
Gar-Ling will be the only native Scot flying the flag for Scotland!
Laura
Fairbairn, Miriam Doe, Anna Dickenson and Eilidh Fawcett produced
a wonderful display of show jumping to steal victory and win the
Sir Graham Davies equestrian cup at their inter university competition
in Glasgow. Captain Laura remarked that even with a pole down they
had been faster in the turns which allowed them to snatch the prize.
Our
Uni. Polo team beat the socks off the Fife Uni team in an exciting
Sunday friendly competition
All
fired up from their early success with plans to go south to compete
in the British Universities Polo League, they will get some coaching
from Chris Crawford at his Oxford base. Better watch out though
guys! The Robert Gordon’s University team has you marked out
to beat you!
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L-R. Laura Fairbairn and Miriam Doe both got their hands on this
handsome trophy by beating some tough competition
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A young Gar-Ling, Muffin and Percy the pigeon |
Missie, Bill Byfield and Humphrey. |
Three
great old-timers quietly slide into Retirement.
Bill Byfield and Humphrey have both taken the plunge into retirement.
Bill fairly knows how to retire when he is ahead having won a recent
dressage competition outright on Missie. He told me in great detail
how he practiced each move and as the judge on the day I can tell
you his efforts paid off! Humphrey on the other hand is just enjoying
munching grass.
Missie
although too old for full work is looking for a new owner and judging
by the performance of past retirees we would not be surprised if
she was still “Riding the Range” ten years or more from
now.
Pom
may also be slipping off to Orkney to avoid the summer rush and
madness.
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Above- Smiles all round at presentation time. In particular for
Natalie Smith who rode Buzby to become the overall winner in her
group and to Hannah Lawson on Samson who won the advanced group.
Well done girls!!!
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Games
extravaganza
On 27th March both indoor schools were brimming with the excitement
always expected by those who love Gymkhana Games. The mauve - green
group were with Sadie in the small school and the older green to
blue standard riders were in the big school with Laura Murray. As
always there was a lot of screaming, messy flour, musical poles,
bareback, buckets and chase me Charlie !!
Gymkhana Games originated in India where riders of all ages loved
to show off their skills on horseback while generally having a lot
of fun. So it seems that nothing much has changed then!
Points
winners.
Advanced.
1st
Hannah Lawson - Samson 2ndKirsty McPhee—Honey 3rd Alicia Marples
-Nipper 4th Sophie Addison - Dan 5th Chelsea Duguid - Freebee
6th Emma on Buttons.
Juniors.
1st
Natalie Smith - Busby
2nd Natalie Lawrence - Dilly.
3rd Maree Dalgarno - Rockette.
4th Chloe Sangster-Jethro
5th equal Vikki Hellinghs on Bamber and Lauren Watson on Sam
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February
Show Jumping Results
Well done Catriona Stevenson, who in her first ever Showjumping
Competition scooped up both a 1st prize in the Intro and won the Best
Turned Out!!! Catriona, you are setting new standards to beat!
2nd
Amy Simpson – Wesley
3rd Kirsty McPhee – Dietsmann
4th Luise Smith - Bamber
5th Marie Sutherland - Dilly
1st to 3rd in the next two classes were won by Martin, Sadie and
Laura with Laura coming 3rd on two different horses.
Novice
1st Martin Dargie – Abbey
2nd Sadie McLenan – Ricky
3rd Laura Herschell – Jubilee
Open
1st Martin Dargie – Abbey
2nd Sadie McLenan – Ricky
3rd Laura Herschell – Hugo
4th Frankie Sim – Gonzo
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March
Show Jumping Results
The March competition brought us more good jumping as Alicia Marples
on Jubilee went on to win the Intro class. Good performances too from
her fellow competitors:
Intro
Class.
1st Alicia Marples –Jubilee
2nd Marie Sutherland -Dilly
3rd Sarah Merret - Copper
4th Hannah Lawson - Wesley
5th Stephanie Breen - Tyden Wood Tamara.
Novice
1st Samantha Breen – Sultan 2nd Mika Malaska – Sky
3rd Sadie McLenan – Ricky
4th Louise Smith – Hugo
5th Mhairi Munro – Jethro
6th Louise Cassie – Gonzo
Open
1st Helen Beattie – Macey 2nd Martin Dargie – Abbey 3rd
Sadie McLenan – Ricky
Thanks
from Martin to all those who helped!
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Stable
Management and Horse Care Courses.
Easter
Course.
Have a hopping good Easter holiday……….saddle up your steed
for Stable Management …….
Stable Management 2 is on the first week of the Easter Holidays, all spaces
have been filled; and we were so inundated with enquiries we are running
another Stable Management 2 on the 2nd week, alongside our Stable Management
3 course ….fingers crossed for good weather and some wild outdoor
riding!!!
Easter
Clinics.
Blue+ /Yellow riders why not join Martins Show Jumping Clinics on the
8th and 9th April? Learn the techniques and some of theory which make
Martin a winner!
2 days with lectures and riding. £50.00
Mika’s Junior dressage clinic (for green ribbon and above). on the
12 / 13th April. Or Mika’s adult clinic, on April the 15 /16th or
the 18 /19th. Same format as jumping clinic.
Summer Courses
Best to book now for summer stable management courses Just pop into Reception
for information or to make a booking which suit your holidays.
Join Saturday’s horse and Pony Care courses starting just after Easter.
Put your name on the list to be included and Sadie will phone you to let
you know the exact time to come.
Don’t forget - to help on yards you must have done a course before
we can sign you up to our helper system.
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Hayfield
becomes a Pony Club Centre
Hayfield becomes an approved Pony Club member Centre. This means
that all of you who ride with us and don’t own a pony get to
join the real Pony Club and do their tests proficiency badges not
to mention games and better still on your favourite Hayfield pony.
In charge of the new Pony Club will be Laura and Kirsty so if you
want to join up see either of them or Sarah in reception.
Both
Laura and Kirsty grew up having fun with the pony club but were
lucky enough to have ponies of their own. They are both delighted
to be running it and as Laura said (pictured far right) “We
had great fun in the pony club and I just know that everyone will
have a ball with it, and maybe we can even get a games team going.
Well
if there is going to be a games team then without a doubt Natalie
Smith and Hannah Lawson (above) will be in it. Laura will be meeting
with Pony Club official Alison Fellows on Tuesday as she checks
out Hayfield, the ponies. Only then do we get the sign of approval
to add to the many others we have on the reception wall. If you
are about on Tuesday why not come along for the press photo and
meet Alison and if you are not join up yet do it on the day!.
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| Polo
is on the rise.
Pictured
here right, the team nearest in white is St Andrews (and no Prince
William was not playing) and in the darker blue tops is Aberdeen
University team with coach John in Red. The Fife team were a good
bunch, demonstrated a good understanding of the game and they had
good tactics but Aberdeen rose to the occasion and found the goals
to win.
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First ever university competition to be played in Aberdeenshire.
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John’s
son Christopher, now a two goal professional will coach our Aberdeen
University players in Oxford for the National finals. Pony Club Polo
in Scotland is run by Katy Coward who is a Hayfield pupil who John
used to teach long ago. This year Katy has been bombed out with children
all wanting to play at the Alloa polo clinic where John will be one
of the coaches. Anyone wanting to get in on the action is best to
get their names down for a mini polo camp at Aboyne on the 4th of
June. |
Easier
assessments this May.
For
over 30 years Hayfield has followed a progressive programme of learning,
a copy of which will be up on the reception wall for all to see soon.
Our system has been so successful that it has been copied by the British
Horse Society and we still keep tweeking it now an then so that our pupils
continue to get best advantage from it.
The
main difference this time round is that our instructors have already been
looking to see if all of you who ride with us are doing everything correctly
and so the number of riders who achieve a higher level at their next assessment
should rise.
A
note for parents.
The
primary importance of assessing riders is rider safety in that the assessments
help to band riders into classes of similar ability. The second role of
assessments is to check that our coaches are following the right tracks
to ensure best learning. For instance, inexperienced coaches often teach
jumping before the children are secure and often this results in unnecessary
falls resulting in loss of confidence.
Finally,
if a rider is not making progress the assessments provide an opportunity
to identify why and what to do to get back on track following a safe yet
progressive ladder of activity and learning.
So
what has changed?
Not
very much really, the new chart will show how our system dovetails with
the Pony Club and BHS tests and exams.
Assessments
from Yellow upwards are now to be done in a private assessment as we feel
that there needs to be a more searching assessment at this stage.
There
are a few changes where stable management comes in to each level because
we feel that being able to care for the horse or pony and understand the
equipment is important.
The
stable management levels now dovetail in with the BHS horse ownership
tests as we feel that they prepare riders well for the day when they might
own their own horse.
Aberdeen
College .
Glowing
reports from Her Majesties Inspector of schools and Colleges when they
came to inspect. The inspector remarked that Lindsay Campbell had obviously
done much to forge good working relationships between her students and
Hayfield benefiting them both. Hayfield horses and facilities got the
thumbs up and Lindsay’s teaching was rightly praised.
Beginners
Courses
Equiworld’s
chairman John Crawford is firmly of the opinion that the first 10 to 20
weeks of learning to ride are the most important. For that reason Hayfield’s
early learning training programme is second to none and this summer we
will be running special short courses where rider can either come in daily
or stay in the Hayloft.
What’s
happening!
John
Crawford has been elected chairman of a sub committee of the Scottish
Equestrian Association (SEA) to assist the promotion of riding at grass
routes level and assist them to market their association effectively.
Martin Dargie came 3rd at Loanhead on Wednesday evening—but what
was most impressive was Abby’s turnout and his riding style—well
done!Equiworld has created the “Premier Equestrian Alliance”
Partners In the alliance so far are Hayfield, Cobham Manor in Kent, the
Kill International Equestrian Centre just outside Dublin and Unicorn Trails
who arrange amazing riding holidays all over the world.
Helen Beattie on Macey One of two fine horses we have for sale right
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SAVE
THE WOODS.
On
Monday 3rd of May.
Enjoy
taking part in the Aberdeen Colleges gymkhana in the morning and
ride to save the woods Countesswells woods in the afternoon!
Ride
with a friend - Entry and sponsorship forms from the Office soon.
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Come
to our OPEN DAY SUNDAY 9th MAY
Ride
the mechanical SEA horse! Invite your friends up to enjoy a pony ride
on our open day.
Ask
your instructor how you can join in with the fun.
PETERCULTER
GALA GYMKHANA.
On
Saturday the 15th May.
Peterculter
Gala has chosen Hayfield as their preferred venue for their Gymkhana.
Classes
for everyone, just collect a schedule from the office!
Dates
for your Diary.
5th
and 6th of April. Mark Maher Jump Clinic.
8th
and 9th April. Martin Dargie Clinic
10th April. Games
12th and 13th.Junior Dressage Clinic.
17th April Saturday Evening Dressage Competition..
14th & 15 April - Alloa.Pony Club Polo Clinic
18th & 19th April .Adult Dressage Clinic
19th to the 26th April John teaching in Finland
Stable Management.
Stage two—5th—9th May.
Stage three—11th—16th.
Saturday evening 24th May. Show Jumping Comp.
Mon. 3rd May.Aberdeen College Gymkhana
Afternoon of the 3rd May. Sponsored Forest Ride.
Sunday the 9th of May.Hayfield Open Day.
Saturday the 15th of May Peterculter Gala Gymkhana
May 26th. stage 3 exam
June 8th British Horse Society Instructors stage 2 exam
Schools
activity weeks in June (ask your school)
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