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MSRC New Year Newsletter 2023

Dear Member,

Happy and Healthy New Year to you all

2022 has thrown everything at us weatherwise. We were longing for rain and some cooler weather and then when the rain came it didn’t know when to stop and then freezing temperatures that seemed to go on for ever and now we are back to the levels looking like the sea!

Falling membership has meant that we have been unable to run any competition days but instead have majored on our training. We have kept the stalwart flatwork clinics with Gill Longhurst, Amanda Edmonds and Sue Petty and have added some test riding days with Frances Turner at Half Moon Stud, and a notable success have been the pole work clinics at WHW taken by Margaret Millward. Our thanks to Helen Roberts for this initiative. Helen is also planning some sessions for those who want to leave the ground!

Carol Plested has completed another highly successful year with our dressage teams but now feels it is time to hand over to someone else. We are so grateful for what Carol has done to put Mid Somerset back in the forefront of Area 12 and will miss her from this role and sadly the committee as well. So we are desperate to find a new team manager for the dressage teams – either one person or maybe a job share? Alys Matravers is team manager for anyone contemplating leaving the ground and this year we should have some new combinations looking to do 70/80cm and possibly area only. As Alys is so busy it is probably safest to make your interest know to Andrea.

Our dressage teams did well at Area level and we also qualified for the SWWRC championships at Hartpury again in August. Sadly this year we did not get placed as a team but had a couple of individual arena placings. It is always a fun day out.

Our AGM will be at Long Sutton Village Hall at 7.30pm on January 25^th – Please put this date in your new diary!

We are organising the evening in a different manner this year with the speaker FIRST before the business AGM – as she has an early start every morning. The speaker will be Sarah Whittington. Sarah was an active member of Mid Somerset for many years and was a member of our winning show jumping team at the Nationals at Lincoln. Her first foray into course building was to build for us at the Sparkford Mini jumping days! She has worked extremely hard and is now a level 2 course designer and now works at many prestigious events and were in not for Covid was included in the team for the Tokyo Olympics. She is now booked as course designer for the Modern Pentathlon World Championships at Bath in 2023. Her talk is guaranteed to be both insightful and fascinating. Not to be missed!!! You will then get a free supper and the business part of the meeting will follow.

From the Quiz Night in December 2021 we presented a cheque for £300 to the Injured Jockeys Fund at a morning at Harry Fry Racing, which was much appreciated by the IJF and we had a really interesting morning at Harry’s new yard at Crockermoor. We also presented Mole Valley vouchers for £100 to Glenda Spooner Farm.

The Quiz night in October 2022 was another really successful night and we now have presentations to make from the proceeds. There will be £450 to the IJF, who are always incredibly grateful for our continued support and again Mole Valley vouchers for Glenda Spooner Farm, thus ensuring that the money is used locally and doesn’t go into the general WHW pot. Our thanks to all who made the running of this evening such a success and we already have teams trying to book for October 2023!!

Membership fees will stay unaltered for 2023 and you are reminded that membership must be paid by the 31^st January. Affiliation fees and insurance have seen a big increase and £30 does represent good value. After asking the question about membership fees in Area 12 at the area meeting recently – many clubs were shocked to realise that they were not even covering the costs of actually being a BRC affiliated club. We need to work hard on our membership level and so do encourage friends and yard mates to join us. Our training represents excellent value and new members soon recoup the membership outlay and of course benefit from the BRC insurance.

On a very sad note, in August 2022, Julia Down died after s short illness. Julia had been a member for well over 40 years and Treasurer for a good many of those. She was also a very respected BS judge and commentator.

Finally, for any of you contemplating team participation this year – don’t forget that the hat rules change, and your hat will need to be re-tagged.

Another test riding day can be planned before the area festivals and the regionals – if you let Marian know that you are interested – as a minimum number of 6 people need to commit before venue and trainer bookings can be made – do this asap if you are interested – don’t wait until the AGM!

If there are any other things you would like your club to put on – the AGM is your chance to come and tell us what other things you would enjoy.

Until then – keep safe and enjoy your riding!

Your Committee

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Main Club Contacts:

Chairman: Andrea Jones – 07841 747 359
Margaret Peverley – 01935 473 188
Secretary: Marian Draper – 01458 241 506 / 07885 301 898
Treasurer & Membership: Judith Hall – 07940 826 000
e-mail programmes: Alex Green – 01460 281 032 / 07766 885 965
Dressage Competitions: Jane Surmon – 07771 548317
Facebook: Andrea Jones & Helen Roberts ( https://www.facebook.com/Midsomerset-Riding-Club-325517404818403/ )
Website: Emma Doyle – msrcwebmanager@gmail.com ( www.msrconline.co.uk )