Having qualified at the Regional Championships, our rider Adam Lester took part in the National Championships on one of the hottest days of the year. Riding our pony Liquorice, Adam came 4th in the Show Jumping, 3rd in the dressage, 2nd in the Countryside Challenge, and 2nd overall. It was 34 degrees in the arena, and in a jacket and tie it must have been exhausting. Well done, Adam!
The Sun shone on us for Fun Day this year and we were delighted to welcome some of our sponsors and supporters to join us for the day. Most of our schools attended, and enjoyed playing games on horseback. Our volunteers enjoyed themselves too! The annual prizes were presented by our Chairman, James Baxter, and every child received a rosette for effort during the year.
At the end of last year we applied to Santander Bank for a grant from their Community Foundation to purchase a larger horse for our older riders. They very kindly gave us £4,000. Since then we have been looking for a suitable horse, which took some time as good RDA horses are hard to find. At last we have found one and he arrived at Little Brook a couple of weeks ago. His full name is Renkum Art Award but we call him Archie. He is dark bay, about 15.2hh, and of Anglo-European breeding. He has a super temperament and is fairly unflappable. At the moment he is working well and getting used to his new home. He has been introduced to the noise and movement of our disabled riders and has taken all in his stride. He has the special quality we need for working with riders with disabilities and we hope for a long working life with him for our larger riders.
Thank you Santander!
For the third year running, our rider Adam Lester, riding one of our own ponies Liquorice, has qualified for the National Championships at Hartpury in Gloucestershire. The qualifying took place at the Regional Challenge, held in early May at Felbridge Showground. Adam and Liquorice won the Countryside Challenge qualifier, the Overall Countryside Challenge, the Combined, and came second in the dressage. They also won the tack and turnout. Well done Adam!
RDA National Video