I don't know where the month has gone, time seems to have flown by, and summer, still waiting for the good weather!! The results for affiliated and unaffiliated dressage are on the results pages at last. We had some good entries for the NPS qualifers.Good luck for all those that qualified at the final ( 5th April 09 ) and those that used it as a warm up before HOYS next week. I have been playing catch up with every thing after the summer holidays. Milly and I had a day off and went to Newbury show first time in ages and the sun shone too.

May 

Affiliated Dressage 

April 2008

The Badminton Young Dressage Horse of the Future this Sunday 27th Class 7
Championship QUALIFIER
Sponsored by Derby House

Open to 4 and 5 year old horses born on 1st January 2003 and 2004.
Only horses 15hh and over may enter

Phase A: Free-style dressage test

* Test to comprise Walk, Trot and Canter on both reins lengthened stride in trot.
* Salute at finish of test only.
* Test must be under 4 minutes

Phase B: Final judging for the top ten horses, ridden this is only at the final on the 16th July

Qualification:
Top three horses will qualify for the Finals at Badminton on 16th July
(Plus the top 4 Year Old, if it is not placed in the top 3)

Those who gain qualification and wish to enter should send a S.A.E. for a schedule to:
S. Michael, 3 Jockey Row, Badminton, GL9 1EW
(Entries close 1st July and any late entries will be returned)

Well done to Vicky White who went onto win Novice M&M over 138 at the NPS Champ, Jane Weller winner of Part bred and also Sarah Gorman who won M&M under 138 and to Sam Roberts who won Pre under 138 and went onto be Res Champion all of which qualifed here.

I am still taking entries for the Derby House Young Horse 4/5 yrs old as entries are still very small for the 27th, and also the Affiliated on the 13th Only have two entries in the first prelim !!

Side Saddle shedule is now completed

Affiliated Dressage went well and managed to stay dry all day long, dispite a bad forcast! Thank you to Judges Roseanne, Linda and Aby and writer Catherine, Liz and Toni who came up and help put some scores in. The day ran smothly and Parking too that Chris even had time for sleep !

March 2008

The last Winter Woolies 2nd March, we had good entries in the afternoon classes - thank you to Jenny, Donna and Jackie who came and Judged for me, and to all those that came and supported us. Well done to the winners and Champions of the day, have a good summer.

Affiliated Dressage had good entries despite the foul weather forcast we were very lucky and the rain held off. Sorry for the delays of the results on to the news pages but I've had to get to grips with a new computer which not easy for me as I am a real techno phobe, which is probably what has made Peters hair go thin !

29th and 30th Unaffiliated Dressage was a great weekend and well done for all those that qualifed for the Badminton Horse feeds finals on 17th July .

February 2008

The last winter show went well, but unfortunately with small entries, but with the cold wind we had it was no wonder- and made it bitterly cold here. The results will be up on the show pages by end of the week. Thank you to judges Donna and her daughter who kindly came and stewarded, Ann and Lizzie, and not forgetting Jenny who was promoted from pot lady to chief steward all in one day !! and of course Chris, who kept everyone in order in the car park.

It is confirmed that we will be running a Side Saddle Summer show on Sunday 18th May with lots of qualifiers... watch out for the schedule which will be out soon. If this is a success we will try and run it as a annual show. Anyone who is interested in sponsoring any classes, please contact me.

10th Affiliated Dressage went very well with good entries in the Novice classes. Thank you to Judges for the day Sheelagh, Linda, Aby and writers Colette, Catherine, Gemma and Frances, who did a great job with putting the scores together. It was great to see so many of you enjoying the sunshine.

23rd and 24th Unaffiliated Dressage was a great weekend with no rain, and there were some new faces, which is always good to see, they came up to support the Pony Club Novice qualifier,which was held on Saturday.

Well done to Tedworth member Sarah Gorman, who did a lovely test, and to Frances Nash riding her horse Danny, who also won the walk and trot test, after a year off work after fracturing his pedal bone. This was the pairs first competition.  Thank you to Judges Aby Latham Moore, Helen Clark, OH, and writers Catherine Stevens and Lynda Yeardly.

For those local competitors with x race horses can you do this yet? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Vm2o67ZTkw

I have amended the walk and trot test and the Lead Rein test which is now a little easer for the leader!

January2008

6th Winter Woolies show went very well with good entries in all classes except the inhand, thank you for all of you who came and supported the day. Big thank you to the judges of the day Dave Bright, Alison Duck and Blanch Miller, and to Aimee Hoare who stood in at short notice due to Gill who normally stewards had been hit with flu - Hope you get better soon. Jennie Seymour who was on a break from judging had a new role and did a great job with bacon butties and sausage rolls. The standard of all the classes was very high. I hope you all enjoyed the day, and maybe we will see you back in February for the winter show or in March for the last winter woolies show.

Affiliated Dressage 13th amendment please Note it should read A/M 93 still taking entries as they are small at the moment.

Unaffiliated Dressage schedule is now up on the schedule page rest to follow. Sorry for the delay ( I for got about TD at school !! )

13th Affiliated Dressage day went well and we were very luck as the forecast was awful for the day, but the rain held off till late afternoon, well done to local rider Soraya El Khazen who won both Medium and advanced medium classes. Thank you to the Judges for the day, Linda Waller, Aby Latham-Moore, Alison Duck, Carolyn Gardiner and not forgetting the writers Jo Hawkins, Gemma Austin, Frances Nash and Wesley Morrison.

Chris is now on email chrishurst@live.co.uk please let him know if you are competing on you own.

DTM work shop went well and if any one is interested we will aim to do another afternoon on 22nd March please contact me emma@eastsoley.com If anyone has any questions that they'd like to ask Lindsay please feel free to email her lindsayjenkins@btinternet.com   The following is taken from www.lindsayjenkins.co.uk 

Jan 20^th East Soley I have just done a Dressage to Music clinic at East Soley 2000, which was super.  There were 15 riders, each having an individual session with me, doing whatever the riders wanted to help them with their dressage to music!  All the riders were so enthusiastic about dressage to music it was a pleasure to teach them, and they were of all ages and levels.

The facilities were great with a really friendly atmosphere.  Emma and Peter Dove have everything so organized and make people feel really welcome.  The day was so successful that Emma will be running another one in March, so do give her a ring.

 26th and 27th  Unaffiliated Dressage went very well with no rain both days and feeling more like April than January. Thank you to judges Linda Weller, Joanna Jeffreys, OH and writers, Jayne Ryan, Kath Gorman, Collette Sanderson, Aby Carter. The Pony Club Novice class was disappointing with no entries but hopefully will have some next month.

The weather has been so good this week that I chain harrowed the fields today!! Felt a little odd doing it in January but then daffodils in the garden are out too. I've just seen the weather forecast and they recon it will snow by the weekend!

December 2007

1st Pre Olympia & 2nd two day PUK and NPS show unfortunately was a wash out with bad weather and entries very disappointingly small. Due to having run at a loss, we have made the decision to not run any more winter shows next year 2008/9 unless any one would like to sponsor a day. If any one would be interested please contact me emma@eastsoley.com This decision has not been made lightly but we can not afford to carry on making a loss. It is hard to run events when very few pre enter and to not knowing if there will be no entries or millions the night before.

9th Affiliated Dressage Very few competitors entered the classes and all were small with forecast of bad weather. Thank you to judges Alison Duck, Linda Waller, Aby Latham Moore and writers for the day Joanna Jeffreys, Catherine Stevens, and Chris who had a quite day due to very few competitors. Well done to Rosemary Collins who won both Prelim classes, and to those that were having ago at there first ever affiliated event.

We will be running some DTM clinics with Lindsay Jenkins on the 20th Jan. Lindsay is an experienced Competition rider and BD list 1 Judge. She has an excellent eye and ear for picking the type of music that suits your horse or pony and she has quite a wide repertoire of music to give you ideas to develop a routine at your level of competition. Lindsay will work with you to find music that you like and that suits your horse's paces and character. This is the aspect of DTM that makes each combination's performance unique and fun. You would have a 45 Minute one- to -one session with Lindsay. It is in the indoor school with mirrors, which is very useful so that you can see how your horse moves with the rhythm of the music ( and a bit warmer). There are out monthly competitions here too so you could put all your hard work into practise!!

The DTM day on the 20th is now booked solid but if any one is interested please let me know and we will try and book Lindsay for another  date.

Monday 17th Colin Thomas and his team had a presentation evening for Agility and obedience dogs with soup and nibbles for all which was a great success with Gina Pink and her dancing doglet did a fantastic display and gave a few tips too.

Wednesday 19th Native Connemara pony  Ri along with his team called in on there way up to Olympia for a schooling session before his last big day in lights - Peter and Milly will be there to watch and so excited.

Thursday 20th Well Done to Bunowen Castle Ri, Mathew and Jackie at Olympia today.

Unaffiliated Darbys Winter Championship went well with good entries and some very good jockeys in fancy dress costumes, even Chris joined in and played Santa, while helping out with the car park. Well done to all the Champions and thank you to Judges Gemma, Jo and Peter and writers Toni, Cath, and Sally. Good luck to Prelim Champion Lucy Butler who flew off to Australia that evening for a year.

http://www.soleyphotos.com/WinterChamps07/index.htm link for pic of champions

November 2007

4th Winter Show we had a very sunny and warm day but it was a quiet affair due to a judge change at short notice. A Big thank you to the following judges Debbie Shilston ( and Annie who was steward for mum ), Patsy Miller, Dawn Cunningham Reid and Lottie Webster who all  that stood in at very short notice. Well done to Christina Stewart and her young pony Fidra Moonraker, who took the final Championship beating two horses that had been to HOYS. A lovely pony and one to watch next season. Next show will be a two day one on 1st Dec Pre Olympia and 2nd Dec winter show. Schedule are now on the website .

11th Affiliated Dressage yet another quiet day with small entries - Thank you to judges Aby Latham Moore and writer Catherine Stevens who judged and wrote the first three classes and to Pat Watts and Lorna Fraser that judged  and wrote in the afternoon. The afternoon classes eventually went well but had a small delay due to Judge, Writer and some competitors held up on the M4 which was closed off due to a RTA.- luckily they all arrived safely. Watch out for a full report in Nag and Dog by Helen Trigg.

At long last and after many hours on the phone finding judges who all seem to be in great demand and lead such busy lives, I am very grateful to all those that have agreed to judge this winter. Both the winter show schedules are now on the website and have been cleared by PUK and NPS as ok. I do have a few stables available for those that would like to stay over please email me if interested.

17th NPS area 17 had a good days training by Mathew Lawrence - full report to come from a committee member.

Due to being over subscribed for the unaffiliated dressage events at the end of the month yet again, I have done 2008 winter schedule with lead rein, walk and trot test and a prelim test on Saturday and on the Sundays I will be running Prelim, Novice, Elementary /Medium and Novice Music classes. This will mean that classes can start at a respectable time of 9am 10ish instead of starting at 7am !! I will also be running Qualifiers for The Pony Club Dengie winter league Dressage series, Badminton Horse Feeds and Badminton Young Horse of the year, Ponies Association (uk) series, and National Pony Society series. The new schedule will be on the dressage pages in the next 3/4 weeks.

For those lucky competitors that managed to get in this Sunday, if you would like me to post your score sheets on to you and save you having to wait till the end of the class, which can be a three hour wait if competing at the being of the class please can you leave a SAE and I will be happy to post on you're sheets. results as always will be on the dressage results pages.

I can now confirm that Mr R S James from Staffordshire has very kindly agreed to judge the class in the afternoon for the Pre Olympia show. Please see the schedule that is up on the showing page.

25th Unaffiliated Dressage went well with no rain and a full day of entries starting at 7.30 am with lead rein and finishing with Novice in the dark at 4.30.Well done to late entry Sam who came in last and beat Junior Sarah Gorman who was in joint first place with Wesley Morrisssey by three points. Chris did a great job as always helping cars and lorry's to park sensible. Stephen did an equably good job serving cups of tea and putting score sheets in laptop- thank you. Competitors were very keen to compete with a couple of children making the trip from Dorset for there first dressage event to compete at 7.45 in the morning! Well done to those that were having a go at there first dressage event. Thank you to Judges OH, Joanna Jefferys, OH again and Lorna Fraser and Writers Judy Harwood, Sally Manning and Catherine Stevens. Next months Winter Fancy Dressage Championship Lead rein classes through to Medium classes Get those costumes and tinsel ready for a great day !!

October 2007

Affiliated Dressage was a very quiet day with only 3 entries in second novice class! 

The Unaffiliated Dressage meanwhile made up for it with millions of entries.... well a lot any way! Sparsholt is still closed due to  foot and mouth restrictions and also being half term these were undoubtedly the reasons that we had more entries than the norm.  To accommodate as many as we could we had a early start with the first competitor in at 7.15am and the last on in at 5.15 pm. Thanks goodness the hour had gone back on the clock, which everyone remembered. We ended up running two prelim and Novice classes to enable all competitors to compete with out waiting for hours for the next class. Despite the fowl weather in the afternoon we had no one dropping out and it was good to see so many juniors enjoying having a go at there first dressage test.

The Judges for the day were Gemma Austin (who not only was she here at 7am to judge the first class came back to write for the last classes.) Joanna Jeffries, Rosanne Fitzgerald, Debbie Poynter and Aby Latham Moore. Helpers for the day were Liz Broomfield who did a great job and wrote all morning, Stephen who not only came and washed up wrote too, Catherine Stevens and Colette who very kindly came and helped with the scores and the filling in cards for the NPS Q . Chris was kept bust down in the car park for most the day from first thing to the end of the day which made the whole day run smoothly with no one getting stuck and everyone parking sensibly. His tent was an interesting sight for some of the four-legged participants. To those competitors that I had to ballot out I offer an apology but please try again as it is not always this busy.

  Peter left early to take photos at Hartpury for BWBS stallion grading all day and had an equally busy long day and gone back to work for a break !

6th The Winter Woolies Show schedule has been added to and will now have large breeds as well. Please see the amended schedule for details that differ from September's posting. We're expecting a fun day for everyone even with the competitive part of the proceedings, so do come along. With Autumn upon us, the Harvest Festival season finds Milly delivering a reading at the school's event and the pumpkins growing like mad on the land where the colts Nelson and Dollar plus permanent guest Gallacher live. Last year there were about twenty, but this time around it seems double that won't be an underestimation. Tinkerbelle is growing fast, although is still very young in the head, and I'm thinking about where to send her for the winter, somewhere with another young female to do a bit of growing up. Then with the various offers to cover Tessy available, I have to consider what to do next for and with her. She's been a fantastic mum and it would be a shame to not make best use of that. 

September 2007

I have taken on the never ending quest to make sure Peter isn't bored, so as well as ensuring he's busy with the day job, he completed a photo shoot on the 1st with Mary Wanless for her new book which will be out soon. For more details about her workshops and books www.mary-wanless.com

Affiliated Dressage was a great day with small entries in the Novice classes but the Medium class making up for it. Many people seemed to be having a break after the area festival earlier in the week. I'm pleased to say that a full report will be in Horse and Hound, written by Helen Trig. Thank you to Judges Aby Latham- Moore, Debbie Poynter, and Alison Duck. Writers for the day were Lyn Kent, Stephen Yeardley, Joanna Jeffries and Catherine Stevens.

The unaffiliated dressage was a busy day with first competitor in at 8.00 am and the last one out at 6.50 pm. We had some great ponies competing in the NPSQ and well done to winner Olivia Bartlet. The day went smoothly and thank you to Judges Linda Wellar, Helen Evelyn Wood and Peter Dove who all  judged big classes for me, not for getting the writers for the day were Colette Sanderson, Catherine Stevens, Lizzie Paget, Dawn Cunningham Reid (with Lizzie and Dawn both competing then coming back to write), Ruth Watson and Liz Broomfield. Chris was a great help as always helping in the car park and mending ! ''Dear Chris tied up  my exhaust for me'' just one of the many comments that I get about Chris. Only one lorry that would not start got left behind but luckily managed to get horse home .... apologies to all those that had to be balloted out but did not think we ought to be running classes in the dark! Stephen arrived later in the day which was great, as it was just as we were beginning to flag, so making us all tea and putting in the scores for me was just what was needed. Plus he dealt with the sudden run on bacon butties. Thank you for all, as with out you're help the day would not have run so smoothly.

Due to our first show taking place the same week as HOYS the schedule will be limited for only small breeds classes only and inhand. I will aim to get the schedule uploaded by the end of the third week of this month, hopefully with confirmation of a judge too. Entries will be able to be taken online the same as the dressage entries, through paypal. We will be taking late entries up to the day, as always, but encourage you to sign up early.

The first of the Winter Woolies schedule is now up on the showing page when judges have been confirmed and booked I will put the other schedules up too. Now is the time to email any requests!

August 2007

Finally the sun came out for real and the Affiliated Dressage went well as a result, with good entries in all classes. Thank you to Judges Aby Latham Moore, Debbie Poynter, and Sam Amos. Writers for the day were Catherine Stevens, Jennie Seaborne (who at the 11th hour agreed to write) and Joanna Jeffries. With Peter away in Denmark for the weekend moonlighting taking photos of some very nice horses for Mary Wanless for her new book and rider Heather Blitz, it was good to have the help of Stephen  who kept the scores and made a good cup of tea too. And as always Chris stewarded with his usual style and efficiency.

The unaffiliated Dressage schedule has been altered to include National Pony Society/Top Spec Southern Counties Dressage Trail qualifiers. These will run throughout the next two schedules with the first one due at the end of August and the last chance to qualify in March 2008. For all the details about these days are on the above link.

Well done to Barney, Sam, Gill and Aimee who went to BSPS at Peterborough and Qualified Barney for HOYS - good luck for the final in Oct. Which unfortunately for us is the same weekend as our first winter show so anyone that not going to www.hoys.co.uk and would be able to cover for Gill who normally stewards for me here would be very welcome - please drop me a line, even if its just for the morning or the afternoon, I'd love to hear from you.

The unaffiliated dressage weekend was yet another busy time as Peter was away at the British Warmblood Society Grading show at Hartpury www.bwbs.co.uk , taking photos all weekend seemingly without a break. Photos of the event are on his web-site www.soleyphotos.com and are well worth a look, not least as he managed to predict the champion before it was announced just through his pictures. Milly and I went to help on the Saturday and enjoyed a picnic whilst on the Sunday we left him to it, as we had the event here. Judges for the day were Emma B and Breanne who was a Canadian groom and also a Canadian YR studying at Hartpury. Writers for the day was Dawn Cunningham Reid and Catherine Stevens - thank you all! 

And as a bonus on top of taking the very well-received photos, Peter also won a fantastic prize in the raffle; a covering from the www.woodlanderstud.com with a choose of any of there stallions. He passed this generous prize on to me rather than take up the offer personally, but now I do not know which stallion to use for my mare as he also had the offer of a covering from a stallion in Denmark while he was there earlier in the month.

July 2007

The Affiliated Dressage day was a big relief in that the sun came out early, stayed out all day, all lorries and trailers were able to park in the top field and the outdoor arena dried out in time allowing everyone to properly warm-up for a change. This was no mean achievement as on the preceding Monday it was still underwater and a duck swimming on it at one stage!) Thank you to Judges Aby Latham Moore, Alison Duck and Helen Clarke; writers for the day were Colette Sanderson, Catherine Stevens and Toni Besley

East Soley then had the privilege of playing host to the Canadian FEI World Para Dressage team and act as its training camp before the Championships took place at Hartpury later on in the month. Peter and his team a team of helpers also undertook the official dressage scoring, on a system developed by Peter that had been put together for the Nationals that had been held at Hartpury the week before.

Initially, two horses arrived from Canada in preparation for the training camp, with just the six more arriving the following week, which made for a full house. The usual residents, Tessy Bear, Tinkerbelle, Finley and Fresh were all very interested in these new rather splendid-looking arrivals, whilst the to-and-fro of the training regime also entertained them.

LRT arrived one morning close to the event to take the Canadian team up to Hartpury, including all eight horses in one lorry and the kitchen sink! As you can imagine, they just about all fitted in. The yard suddenly seemed very empty and quiet once they had all gone. A few came back here after the championships, for a chill before they flew home. At the weekend Peter, Chris, Frances N, Catherine and David Stevens, Milly and I spent the time working up at Hartpury with the help of two photographers Dave Middy from London and Henry Dougherty from Belfast. Photos of the event can be seen on www.soleyphotos.com Peter left the following Tuesday for the Worlds.

Peter was away again this time working at the world Paras using his software to do the big score board  and PDAs to enable the scores to show for the spectators It was a long week for him and his team of Frances, Chris, and Cliff with classes starting very early and finishing very late in to the night for several days. With all the rain that they had many of the helpers had difficulty getting into Hartpury so everyone had very long hours to work.

The three expected horses returned here from Hartpury for a few days hols before they flew home. The Canadian team had done well, generally having as good a week as expected, although they all talked about how they could've done better despite riding wonderfully.

July then decided to do an impression of June, but the Unaffiliated Dressage went well despite all the rain we had, although with fewer entries than usual, although that could have been because I had not printed any schedules so only those with internet access to web-site could enter!

Well done to Vicky White and her lovely cob Wadard Dobson who qualified with her. They went to the Badminton Horse Feeds final, and came 4th, along with Helen Homdon, who came 11th. Fantastic results for the pair of them as the standard was very high.

June 2007

Our first big event of the month,  the Affiliated Dressage , was a very busy day; with Peter in Milwaukee in the USA until the end of the month (but back in time to take photos for unaffiliated Dressage Summer Championship, see below) I found I was having an awful lot of  blonde moments when it came to transferring data from the main computer to the laptop upstairs for all to see in our usual way. I finally gave in and ended up doing it all downstairs, which ended up a bit of a bonus as it was a lot cooler down stairs and the exercise was good for us!

Thank you to all those that helped, especially judges Sheelagh Roberts, Debbie Carpenter, Aby Latham-Moore and Alison Duck. Writers for the day were Amanda Fitzgerald, Nardia Murray, Catherine Stevens, Amanda Hart, and Emma B and Linda Y, who also deserves thanks for helping sort out my printer problems.

Our Unaffiliated Dressage Championship was kindly sponsored by Darbys Solicitors LLP Equine Law Team. Well done to all those that braved the wind, rain, sleet, hail, hurricane... OK, it wasn't quite that bad, but it certainly felt like it for June! Click here for Photos of  all the winning horses and their riders

Peter arrived home just in time to go off to the annual Warwickshire College Summer Ball and his entertaining task of taking photos of all the party goers from the start of the bash, late into the night and then even a picture or two of the survivors on the steps of the main hall in the morning around 6:00 a.m. This was followed by a dash home to ride and teach in the afternoon followed by an early night before an early rise to take photos of the Champions for our Summer unaffiliated dressage. (Is that Chris in the suit? Yes that's right!) Although the weather wasn't very 'summery' - 'June' and 'flaming' didn't seem to be going hand-in-hand this year.

DSC0656.jpg This is a photo of Chris, a H&H 'Highly Commended' British Dressage Steward for the year, in a suit! 9Surely not twice in one decade?) A real rarity, with prize winners of the lead rein class and local judge Linda Waller congratulating him.

Soleymagick Tinkerbelle    Pentrefelin Temptress (Tessy Bear) finally had foal, a cracking chestnut filly with four white socks, on Wednesday 6th June. The picture was taken of her when she was 6hrs old. I'd sat up for the last fortnight and checked her every night apart  from the one night she had it! Very tempted to send Tess back to stud with the hope that she'll produce the same next year.

May 2007

Sunday 27th unaffiliated dressage took place even as we had foul weather all day long, but then it was a bank holiday weekend! Well done to Primus Van Cumul (hope this is correct!) and Frances Hoar who won the dressage to music and was a joy to watch in the pouring rain.

I had a phone call  from David Holmes of British Dressage to inform me that Chris has been nominated for an award and been invited to receive it on the 6th June (watch out for pictures of this day)

 I have been asked to have the Canadian team to stay for the week for team training before they go to Hartpury for the World Paralympics. I have just a few weeks now to clean and empty yard and then get our eight stables ready for the training camp that will be based here. As the Nationals are also taking place that week (and they need a base for training before the paras.) it means this year Peter will have to be as busy as ever at Hartpury covering both events, both with photography and dressage software and the following week our new big score board for the world Paradressage Championships.

My mare is due to foal at the end of this month and we are still waiting, but with all the rain we have had these last couple of days I hope she is very late and she has it when the sun is shining otherwise it will need webbed feet.

Affiliated dressage ; watch out for full report in next week's Nag and Dog .

April 2007

unaffiliated Dressage yet another good day with lots of good entries, a big thank you to are judges Debbie Carpenter and Tina Yates who both competed then rushed back to judge and to Andrew Robins. Writers Colette Sanderson, Catherine Stevens and Linda Yeardley.

Affiliated Dressage today went well with the sun shining all day long and the parking of all the lorries all in the top paddock for the first time this year. A big thank you must go to a local junior rider Nadia Murray, who did a fantastic job and wrote for all the classes 9am -2.30 pm due to so many of my usual writers understandably spending Easter Day with there families. Linda Waller and Aby Latham Moore both judged two classes each as not many judges were available due to family commitments . I will try and book judges and writers a year in advanced next time we have a event on Easter Sunday !

I am now selling on competition days British Dressage 2007 Laminated Dressage Tests ( for those that forget the test or are in need to up date sets) single test sheets for Preliminary test and Preliminary, Novice and Elementary- Medium Laminated packs with all the current test in. Gloves and Bridle no's too.

After last Months Highland study day we now have two staying with us, one for schooling and one to sell on behalf of breeder/owner. If any one looking for a future M&M star Brittle Caledonian he is well worth a look.

Charity Dog Show here on the 12th May at 2pm more details will be on the Doggy page.

March 2007

Well, let's work backwards through the month, just for a change. As ever, lots seemed to be going on, with Spring finally sprung and horses coming and going ( mostly coming) like nobody's business!

Sunday the 25th was and unaffiliated Dressage session, including Badminton Qualifiers. It wasn't too busy a day, but considering what the Saturday had been like that wasn't such a bad thing, and it was busy enough in the circumstances.  It was always good to see new competitors and there were quite a few introductions to the East Soley way of doing things. A hearty ' Well done!' all those that qualified and good luck with your competitions, where ever they may be. As ever Chris will be busy with the multitude of trailers coming and going, but wasn't called upon to round up any loose horses this time. Hopefully at the next event we will be able to park everyone in the top paddock, and do so for the rest of the summer, as it's been so dry. The idea to give all the competitors a lot more room, although the fact the field hasn't had enough rain over the winter is another problem in itself!  Where is the spring grass!?.

Saturday  the 24th found us hosting a Highland Pony Study Day, which went extremely well,  with both good weather and  a good turn out of Judges  as well, It seems many had travelled down from Scotland.( for a Highland event - surely not I hear you cry ). I have to give a big' Thank you!' to Amanda Hart and Lynn Larkman who came up trumps on the food front and helped feed every one lunch and tea; they helped to make the day run smoothly for all who came along. Compliments were too many to record here, but I know favourable comments were made throughout the day. The day was well supported all -round with us even managing to be advertised as the 'Event of the Week ' in the Nag & Dog.

Saturday the 17th was a chance for one of out increasingly  popular 'Dressage Practice' days, Peter working as hard as ever to give those extra hints and tips to a host of eager learners practising their skills. The sessions all went well; with tests ranging from lead rein through to Medium, many of those who came along turned up with lovely young or new horses experiencing their first outing. Details about these days are on the dressage page.

Affiliated Dressage on Sunday was a real joy, with the sun shining all day and a gentle breeze blowing across the Berks/Wilts border- bliss! Catherine Burrel, who trains with Natalie Hobday, was a late entry due to the  cancellation of a horse trial and ended up having a spectacular day by winning the two Novice classes and the Elementary, along with two seconds, with the three horses she brought along.  Lucy Straker and her partner Lionheart won the Advanced Medium class; this is a pair that has come back brilliantly considering Lionheart nearly died from colic surgery in September. A real inspiration to all of us who have difficulties with our ponies and wonder what we are ever going to do. Elizabeth Peerless, another late entry, (due to the forecast suddenly being good and previously not being keen on facing  another soaking )  won the Medium class. Another of Natalie's pupils!  

Thank you to judges  Aby Latham - Moore, Sara Jane Lanning, and Alison Duck who kindly judged today, and of course writers Jane Ryan, Su Elsden as well. Plus I give the usual appreciative mention of  ''Mr Parking man helper'' Chris who helped  with lorries, horses,  making teas and stewarding. Local judge Roseanne Fitzgerald called in to support the riders that train with her on the Natalie Hobday clinics that she runs, and help make the odd cup of tea too! Watch out for a full report  in H&H. Any one interested in training with Natalie should contact Roseanne.  Natalie comes over from Germany once a month.  She's on the International Big Tour and has qualified for the last two Olympics as well as riding/qualifying for the World Equestrian Games since their inception in the '90's.  Roseanne's email address is : roseanne.fitzgerald@btopenworld.com

The last of the Winter Shows went very well despite heavy rain all day long. Peter left us to it and was away for the day, as we'd expected it to be very quiet due to a very bad weather forecast. How wrong we were ! Chris was here as usual to help with parking and sign autographs after his recent shoot to fame in the nag and dog.  Jenny who was fresh back from judging in Australia was also here to help out with making the odd cup of tea and the flood of late entries.  A big thank you must go to Gill who has kindly given up her time to steward for all our winter shows and to Jackie Webb and Debbie Spears who came and judged for the day.

Fosterhouses Finale is a Sec A  pony that lives here is very happy pony as he has a new play mate that arrived on Sunday same day as winter show called Durleyhall Silver Dollar (Sec B colt.)  The first couple of days he was very shy but now coming out of him self a bit more, as you can see.

February 2007

Thanks to Peter's sterling efforts, added and abetted by Chris (possibly soon to be a star of national media in Horse and Hound after a display of Action Manesque proportions rescuing a horse and calming the owner), we now have floodlights for the car park and outdoor school. With so many entries to this month's Affiliated dressage - a pleasant surprise and great to find out how far afield many pairs had came from - these lights allowed us to extend the start and finish times to this and all future events, meaning there is less chance we won't be able to find a time for you.

As a result we had lots of new faces and who were very keen to get horses out despite the snow we had the week before and the non-stop rain the night before. As regulars can possibly picture, the outdoor school resembled a swimming pool at 5am on the day of the competition, something we usually normally only dream of, but thankfully most of which had drained off by first horses warmed up at 7.30am. Peter, currently taking the Basingstoke programming community by storm, mentioned that he was going back to work for a rest .....he had worked like a Trojan getting the outdoor arena workable for first horse. Stephen, psychically linked to our electrical equipment to the extent that he manages to always call in for a cuppa on the sound of the kettle going 'click', showed great timing on suddenly appearing to help with making the teas and put in a few score sheets just as the last class was finishing which was very much appreciated, not least because I'd been up and down the stairs every seven min since 7.55am! As ever, results are up on our dressage page.

The last weekend's unaffiliated dressage competition was a little thin on entries, which wasn't surprising considering the weather of the previous week. We also challenged everyone to try two new tests, which weren't the easiest to remember but are a good test of how well horse and rider are 'getting on' together. Whether any one actually had time to clean all the mud that magically gets attracted to manes, tails and feathers is debatable, but every one had really tried hard to look their best. Wadard Dobson (Dobbo to his mates) and his rider Vicky White did particularly well on the day, winning two classes. We also had a lot of young horses out making their debuts, which was lovely to see.

Congratulations to our show steward Granny Gill Gould - most of you who show will know that her daughter Sam has had a healthy baby boy. Sam, Simon, Aimee and Granny Gill Gould were happy to say that Oliver was delivered safely on the 2nd Feb - weighing in at 8lbs. 2 oz.. Mother and baby both doing well.

Here's a Local Medical test - always good to do with so many colds at this time of year.

January 2007

Our first unaffiliated dressage seemed particularly popular, with everyone wanting to get their horses out and active as soon into the year as possible. If we'd've had floodlights, I reckon we'd have gone on all night! The second weekend was again a busy one, with Peter away on the Saturday lecturing on photography, leaving Milly and me to deal with the arenas for the Sunday.

It was so good to see some lovely horses in the Darby young horse class. And well done to Debbie Carpenter for winning on her first time out with her young horse Verman, to junior Sarah Gorman for winning the first Prelim on Jane Ryan's pony Mr Mufti and to junior Georgina  riding her own Little Bear for winning the Novice class. As always Chris was on hand to help everyone park up safely and hold the odd horse or two. Peter and Frances successfully tried out the new system, displaying participants' scores including a running percentage for individual riders as they completed their test. This is the system which will be used at the World Paralympic Games this summer at Hartpury. So it was a good day all round, with the rain keeping away being an added bonus.

However, with the onset of the torrential rain and stormy wind, wind and more wind ... we ended up with no light, no heat and no water (provided by an electric pump from our well) for 36hrs...the above picture seemed the ideal solution while it looked like the world was coming to an end - time for a nap and dreams of summer!

game33.swf Here's sometime to occupy a tea-break. Thanks to Michael Norton of www.saddledoctors.co.uk Can you beat 51 sec?

Well, it's a new year and the yard has some new things to tell you about. Hopefully you can see the first, that the email address is now emma@eastsoley.com , so keep an eye on your in-box for that.

Secondly, we have a new logo especially for the dressage side of the yard, something that will clearly identify our days from others. It has been designed for us by local artist and fellow dressage competitor Linda Yeardley and will initially be used for the dressage pages on our website.  Lets us know what you think. Some of Linda's work can be seen on the balcony above the indoor school and we feel the logo captures the fluidity and grace of a horse and rider working as one.

And I'd like to remind you of our 'Horses on Holiday' service. Most high-turnover or busy yards will benefit from releasing space if a horse needs to be inside for an length of time, so whether it's some box rest along side the indoor school, a short period of turn-out time with one or two of our calm, welcoming permanent residents or a stay for a series of schooling sessions with Peter, the chance is there for you to give your horse a well-earned break away from the everyday routine that they can easily become bored with or complacent about. And with the forthcoming mini cross-country course due soon, it's a perfect time to find out more from us, either from the website (http://www.eastsoley.com/) or by dropping us a line.

In between mud, more mud, rain (very watery mud?) and pooh picking (often indistinguishable from the mud) the website has been updated with the new dressage and showing dates for 2007. The schedule for year ahead looks busier than ever as the requests to compete here continue to grow! With Highland ponies becoming very popular we have a couple of dates booked for Highland Breeds. The first one, March 24th, is being organised by Debbie Spears, whilst the second will be at the other end of the year in December, this time being organised by local breeder Dawn Cunningham-Reid. We're all quite excited at the prospect of these feisty creatures showing us their paces and the days promise to be a lot of fun for competitor and audience alike. More information will be available about these days nearer the time, so keep checking the site.

And lastly, the first of the winter shows for this year went very well with a huge number of competitors. Chris, who many of you know through him marshalling the car park for us, was sorely missed as it got very, very busy. In particular, the Lead Rein classes had a bumper entry, whilst classes throughout the whole day proved to be extremely well supported, so thank you to everyone. Perhaps a larger car-park will have to be an addition for this year as well! Also, I know you all appreciate the efforts of many the volunteers that support these days and, whilst it's often not possible for you to speak to them at the time, I do pass on the messages of gratitude I get from some of you after the event.

So the year has started with a bang and we intend to make it even better. If there is anything we can do for you, just let us know. In the mean time, take care and happy riding!

 December 2006

The last of the unaffiliated dressage for 2006 went very well with some very good fancy dress competitors despite the fowl weather with some very good tests. Thank you for those of you that have judged and written for me over the year if it was not for you're help I would not be able to run these events every weekend.

Went to Olympia yesterday and had a great day out watching the NPS M&M Ridden Final along with Shetland Grand national and many other events with a bit of Christmas shopping. I am thinking about getting a block booking for next year 2007 doing the same and go up from East Soley in coach, giving local people chance to park at East Soley and go up. If there are any local people out there that would be interested can you e-mail and let me know.

 Peter has now put a link for competitors to pay the dressage and showing entry fee via pay pal. I have also updated the unaffiliated schedule for 2007 classes with 4/5yr Badminton Young Horse of the Future qualifiers and Badminton horse Feeds Dressage qualifiers.

  Wow! Another year is nearly done and dusted, Christmas Day is rapidly approaching and the party season is in full swing, with people falling over themselves to have some festive fun all over the place (clip of video of people at parties).

The Christmas Angel went up and we decorated gallery in time for the Affiliated and unaffiliated dressage Championship. Our Pre Olympia two day show went well, with results on the Showing pages and gossip about show on http://www.horsegossip.proboards54.com/index.cgi

Remember that your favourite hairy friend deserves lots of thanks for twelve more months of hard work for you, but steer clear of the mince pies and cream. A New Year visit from a vet or dentist probably won’t be appreciated by your mount, your bank manager or you during this budget-busting season. Some rolled oats are sure to be much more welcome all round.

The initial training for our visiting dogs has been going extremely well, with all class members on their best behaviour, humans included. So much so, they will be starting on their agility work in the New Year. The sessions will still take place on a Monday night, so if you feel that either you, your pooch or maybe both of you are in need of running of some of that Christmas pud and egg-nog, why not come and give it a go. It’s great exercise for everyone who takes part as well as lots of fun.

We have also managed to stage a bit of a coup on the dressage front, with the probability of an unparalleled horse and rider visiting the centre sometime between now and the New Year. We’re still in negotiations at the moment, but we’re hoping to put on a special display of ‘unique and exceptional’ horsemanship, demonstrating skills rarely seen in a dressage arena. Watch out for further news on this truly individual, never-to-be-repeated event. Pictures and a video will be made available.

So if you aren’t visiting us between now and January, have a great Christmas and New Year, and enjoy your riding.

November 2006

Once again we had a very busy unaffiliated dressage event, with lots of old friends – you know who you are and thank you for your support - some new faces, who are always good to meet and we hope you enjoyed your first time out with us, as well as a few horses and riders who we had not seen for a while, so welcome back.

It was a day of real energy and lots of effort from everyone, with almost all of you wanting to get out and make sure you qualified for the Christmas Dressage Championship. The Dressage-to-Music workshop that had taken the day before was a great success despite the torrential downpours and generally terrible weather! We managed to resist the urge to use ‘Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head’ or get up to any Morecambe and Wise-style versions of ‘Singing in the Rain’ but ‘damp but not disheartened’ is a fair description of the response of everyone there.

And having been so well received this time, Lindsay Jenkins will be putting on some more in the New Year, so watch out for dates on the dressage page. Having just got over tonsillitis that generally wiped me out for several days I am hoping to be fit enough in mind and body to have a go at the DTM next month myself.

Take care and see you all soon!

Every Wednesday night, between 7pm - 9pm, we now have dog training here at East Soley. If your hound won't 'Heel', your doggie won't 'Down!' or your pooch isn't light on its paws, or maybe you think you are in need of some extra help and support giving confidence to your best friend, the expert team of coaches will work with you to get the best out of your relationship with your canine companion. There is no need to book, just turn up and give it a go! If you'd like to see the team in action they are happy for you to drop in, come and watch  a session to see what they get up to and ask any questions you may have. There are classes for puppies too, designed to encourage your youngster from those all-important early training days.

Click here for picture of some of the students taken 15th November 2006.

absolutely_dressage.wmv This is how it's done!!

Sunday went to Church and said a prayer

October 2006

Peter went up to Hartpury College to do the photography for the Warm-Blood Society Mare and Stallion Grading (and I think to sneak away from the enjoyably hectic day we had at home!) It was a unusually busy day here with a full programme of unaffiliated dressage, not least because we had a packed field for every class, with the first people in at 8.15 a.m. completing a lead rein test and the last competitor finishing at 5.10 p.m. doing 'Dressage to Music'. An account of today's events taken from a different angle - Mud & Mayhem !

We have just installed four more cameras in the indoor school to use as a video system and audio recording on clinic days or for customers who are keen to buy a recording of their dressage tests on event days for training purposes away from Peter's sessions and help gain those all-important extra few marks. You will need to give us prior notice to book a recording by telephoning 01488 686232 or by e-mailing peterd@soleyphotos.com

A Good friend brought a welsh colt foal on my behalf at the Royal Welsh Cob Sale at Builth Wells Showground having had a weekend staying at the show ground and then a night at friends yard Tynbryn Nelson arrived here looking non the worse for wear four days later, with great pedigree.

September 2006

Local vet Richard Gillatt came to scan my  mare (Tess) and the great news is she is in foal to TB Dancing Spree. I was not expecting her to have taken as she was only covered the once and everyone concerned is very pleased.

Peter went up to the National Dressage Championship at Stoneleigh Park, using his software to operate the Large Arena Scoreboard. A fantastic success, particularly as this was the first year it had ever been employed, with positive comments all round and much interest in it being used at other events!

August 2006

Went to the local Hunt show with my cob mare. Peter rode her around, as she'd not been to a show since a foal. They both found it very exciting. We stayed all day, with Peter and Milly taking part in the local lead rein (they came 5th, which isn't bad as there was 18 in the class and Peter is not really into showing!) Peter did the photography for the Warm-blood Society.

July 2006

Had a very busy weekend at the  RDA Nationals at Hartpury. The RDA were using Peter's dressage software for scoring and we were also commissioned to do the photography again with the help of Frances Nash, Dave Midi from London and Henry Dougherty, who came over from Ireland to help once more.

June 2006

I sent my mare (Pentrefelin Temptress) of to Manor Farm Stud to be covered by Dancing Spree. Her 15 minutes of fame since winning as a foal at the Royal Welsh is that she was covered at the same time as mares from the Princess Royal's yard.  She had not shown in season for the whole summer. Her first swab was dirty so had to be washed out, she was injected to come into season and was covered. So it was fingers crossed that she had taken.

Peter did the photography at Warwickshire college summer ball again but this time with the help of Stephen Yeardley and had a boys night out and arrived back the next morning at 9.30am having taken photos all night until the small hours then printing them off for party goers to go home with them after breakfast at 6.30am