Dengie Pony Club Winter League 2010
This year’s final was as exciting as ever and Dengie would like to congratulate everyone who took part. We thought we would take the opportunity to find out more about the winners and their horses and ponies.
Winner of the Winter League Show Jumping Final
Name: Sarah Adamson
Age: 16
Pony Club Branch: Iveagh, Northern Ireland
Pony’s Name: Persian Blaze
Sarah has been riding for 8 years and her favourite discipline is eventing. She rides every day and is lucky as there are seven horses and ponies in her family. Her ambition is to ride in the Olympics and she is already competing in British Eventing at pre-novice level.
Winner and second place in the Winter League Open Show Jumping Final
Name: Kerry Grimsters
Age: 23
Pony Club Branch: Garth Hunt, Berkshire
Pony’s Name: Retreats Watch This and All Rise
Kerry has been riding since she was 3 years old and so has already got a lot of experience under her belt. Her grandmother encouraged her to join the Pony Club at the age of 5 years old and she now works on a yard so fits in a lot of riding. This all seems to be paying off as not only did Kerry come first and second but she also won the horsemanship award too.
Winner of the Winter League Novice Dressage Final
Name: Becky Bolam
Age: 16
Pony Club Branch: Holcombe Hunt, Lancashire
Pony’s Name: Arcas aka Rolo
Becky has great fun with Rolo as he is a very cheeky character with stealing peoples watches just one of his party tricks. Having been riding for 12 years Becky’s ambition is to reach the HOYS Working Hunter Final one day. She is starting British Dressage this year and with her result at the Pony Club final looks set to do very well!
Winner of the Winter League Open Dressage Final
Name: Jessica Gundry
Age: 14
Pony Club Branch: Cotley, Devon & Somerset
Pony’s Name: Griffin
Like the other winners, Jessica started riding at a very early age and joined the Pony Club as her mum recommended her to. Trained by Adam Kemp, Jessica competes in lots of different disciplines including British Dressage at Novice and Elementary level as well as Pony Club Eventing. As well as being multi-talented, Griffin is also very adept at opening stable doors which keeps Jessica on her toes.
Thanks from Dengie Winter League Competitors!
Dear The Pony Club and Dengie.
I would just like to thank both The Pony Club and Dengie for organising and running this year’s Dengie League Winter Dressage Championships as being able to compete in this years competition is an experience I will never forget.
I have only recently begun competing in dressage after having a difficult horse and losing our confidence. With help from an instructor we slowly built our confidence and began competing in riding club level prelim dressage. I rejoined the Pony Club this winter after nearly a 3 year break due to not having a suitable horse and rider relationship. My Pony Club Branch, The Atherstone Hunt Branch, ran three qualifiers for the Dengie League. We qualified in February after coming third in the Novice test. The regional finals were held at Field House Equestrian Centre in Marchington, Uttoxeter. I had a new test to learn and put all my efforts into the competition. When the day finally arrived all the hard work paid off and everything went smoothly and I ended up winning with a score of 70%!! I was over the moon as the standard was high with over 40 in the Novice class. I never dreamt I would even get this far in the competition and winning the area finals really boosted my confidence. Being given the chance to ride at the championships at Moreton Morrell was incredible. We rode a nice and relaxed test and came 11th just missing out on a rosette. I also competed in the dressage to music competition which was running on the same day and I came second in the novice section. Again I would not have had a go at the dressage to music if it wasn’t for the Dengie Dressage. I feel that my success at the Dengie League this year has helped me to believe in myself and has given me the confidence to continue to compete on my horse. The hard work and dressage training has helped settle my horse as she is now much calmer and relaxed and seems to enjoy dressage. Our growth in confidence has even resulted in us competing in show jumping competitions and are now looking forward to next years Dengie League when I hope to enter both the dressage and the show jumping!!
I would just like to say a huge thank you to Dengie for all the rosettes I won and the fabulous numnah I received for winning at the area. I now wear it with pride whenever possible when competing in dressage competitions. Finally I found the Dengie stand at the finals very helpful as it gave me the opportunity to look at all of the feeds. I did not have time however to speak to the Dengie representative but after some research on the Dengie website I have swapped my horse from Hi-Fi onto Alfa-A Oil and she struggles to maintain her weight and condition. She seems to be enjoying her feeds much more and now clears her feed bowl and is gaining some weight. Alfa-A Oil seems like a much more suitable way of helping her gain weight as most cereal based products tend to make her fizzy.
Finally again I would like to say a huge thank you to Dengie and the Pony Club for organising the Dengie Winter League as it has not only been a great enjoyment but it has helped me to understand the discipline of dressage much more and both my riding, confidence and my horses attitude has improved incredibly. Thanks again and I am looking forward to next year’s competition!
Thank You
Yours sincerely
Sarah Jane Rutter
Dear Dengie,
I'd just like to say a belated thank you for the wonderful competition and prizes that you sponsored at the end of March for the Pony Club. 'Pod' and I had a lovely day and came home with a pleasing result.
Many thanks,
Fiona A M Mellink
