Competition

See Results page under Competitions

A HUGE thank you to all who helped – the area has not run these competitions together before as Winter Intermediate is a new qualifier this year. We worked hard to get all the organisation as perfect as possible (we always do, of course, but somehow running a qualifier is a bit more daunting – like fence judging at Badminton instead of Fair Oak – well sort of!). Diane Williams did all the necessary health and safey paperwork and Sharon did a valiant job in getting helpers. We wanted Meon in key positions so we could be sure they would be up to the jobs required. All the other clubs had to produce a helper per team and thus we covered all the other areas with them from 10am and just Meon for the warm up classes. The day started extremely cold and frosty with hard arenas (we ran the intermediate outside and both warm up arenas). Delaying the start of the warm up classes helped as the ground unfroze quite quickly. The morning was not too bad but then the wind and rain set in with a vengeance around lunchtime, leaving stewards’ class lists in tatters and the poor riders and helpers extremely cold and wet. They were all terrific and seemed to manage to keep smiles on their faces and everything running like clockwork. We had excellent judges too and initiated score reporting after each round so we had live scoreboards in the café all day. Lots of feedback afterwards from helpers and clubs to say how well run the day was and well up to the standards which are expected from Meon, also how friendly we all were.
Of course we had our own riders who did well. Novice teams – Meon Diamonds came third – Elsbeth Jeffery/My Peggys Diamond, Ellen McGibbon/Tiptoe All Said’n’Dun, Laura Kannangara/Lord Brunello and Jackie Rixon/Colour Me Danny. Meon Stars were not placed but did some good rounds – Shirley Medgett/Harry, Barbara Wood/Naael, Debbie Dean/Cill Chonaill and Laura Kannangara on Sue Jehan’s Echron as Sue had a back problem on the day. Our intermediate team was 5th – Gen Lodge/Bambajazz,
Briony Stevens/Double H, Sarah Pook/Top Pride.
Must be mad!! – we have volunteered to run it again next year so 21 February 2016 is the date to note. Penny Briggs