Planning Permission for New Classroom
Due to our success in achieving 'Centre of Excellence' in conjunction with 'Horse Power Training' and Myerscough College, South Lakeland District have given Bigland permission to build a new timber framed building for use as a classroom/offices. This building will replace the existing Porta Cabin and will allow the existing offices to be converted to a members lounge and cafeteria. We hope to begin building this summer.
Combined Training 13th June 2010
Despite the pouring rain and threat of postponing the jumping, all competitors enjoyed themselves and managed to dry off over a cup of tea after it was over! A well done is in order to everyone who turned up and battled through the weather!
Results are as follows
Class 1 (Prelim 7)
1st - Ellie Dwan on Smartie
2nd - Catherine Bloom on Chloe
3rd - Megan O'Donovan on Derby
Class 2 (Prelim 10)
1st - Alison King on Jasmine
2nd - Lucy Bennett on Baileys
3rd - Joss Stewardson on Flash
Class 3 (Prelim 12)
1st - Catherine Bloom on Chloe
2nd - Tish Scott on Pinky
3rd - Michelle Fox on Aero
Class 4 (Novice 25)
1st - Vicky Scott on Pinky
2nd - Alison King on Jasmine
Zara wins at Myerscough College British Dressage
Congratulations to Zara and Ren who won their section in the Novice class at Myerscough College on 26th May. This then placed her an incredible 2nd overall. In the Elementary class Zara was 2nd in her section and was 3rd overall.
Combined Training 30th May 2010
Congratulations to everyone who competed at the combined training on Sunday. Results are as follows -
Class 1 (Prelim 7)
1st - Catherine Bloom on Chloe
2nd - Ellie Dwan on Smartie
3rd - Holly Ransom on Guiness
Class 2 (Prelim 10)
1st - Alison King on Jasmine
2nd - Lucy Bennett on Flash
Class 3 (Prelim 12)
1st - Michelle Fox on Flash
2nd - Fiona Foy on Red
3rd - Tom Jackson on Aero
Class 4 (Novice 25)
1st - Alison King on Jasmine
Pony Club Treasure Hunt
This was a combination of 1 adult riding club member and 2 pony club members. 4 teams were fielded on the day (plenty of room for more if you think you've got what it takes!)
Mounted Section - The first section was a mounted trail around our Estate Ride finding places where the clues were hidden through arial photographs and pictures of objects and landmarks on the route (this meant even the youngest member of the team had to have an imput!)
On Foot Section - The clues were numbers that made up grid references (six in all). Now it was time for the adults. On returning to the yard, thr group had to plot their six grid references onto a map to find six letters distributed round the land. Much searching ensued with horses looking very confused as to why people were milling through THEIR fields.
A clear winning team soon emerged, Janet Campion, Hannah Woodburn and Megan O'Donervan were first to return with all the letters and first to solve the anagram, PELHAM, which the Pony Clubbers seemed to get quicker then the adults! The second team in was Lisa Strange, Daniel Woodburn and Catherine Bloom. The first prize was a £10 Voucher for each competitor to be spent at the centre and the second prize was a £5 voucher.
All this was followed be a BBQ (inclusive in the entry costs). Overall the sun shone, a good challenge and everyone really enjoyed themselves. We plan to hold another in the Summer so watch this space for details.
Pony Club National Championships
This year we will be selecting a team to represent us for the Pony Club National Championships that will be held on the 17th August at Draycott Manor. The team will consist of two 12 years and under and two 13 years and over members. We will be holding 3 qualifying competitions over the next few months. The four riders with the highest accumulative scores over the 3 competitions in their relevant class will be given the opportunity to represent our Pony Club at the National Championships. We will also be looking for sponsorship for the team and will be holding fund raising events to help cover the costs of the National Competition, so all help will be greatly appreciated!
Hilary Wakefield Clinic
Hilary Wakefield came to us on the 9th January to do a dressage clinic and with her, she brought some very new and inspiring ideas! Many people came up (despite the snow and ice) and thoroughly enjoyed their lessons. She made sure everyone worked hard and we all saw some very red, but happy faces! Hopefully she can come up again to do another clinic in the near future and give us all another grilling about our riding!
Zara wins Todds Junior Championship at Lakes
On Sunday Zara on 'Dark Legend' won the Todds Junior Championship, the Open Chase Showjumping and second in the Working Hunter Championships. This combination is not just about dressage they can turn their hand to it all
For those interested in showjumping there is a showjumping clinic at Bigland with Simon Buckley 11th October ring to book.
Zara, Dawn, Bev, Sheelagh UKCC L2 Passed and Qualified.
On Monday we all of the above went to do our UKCC level 2 exam. This is a coaching award that is recognised throughout the country as a national standard qualification for all sports coaches. The qualification is an equine specific one which tested their ability to teach riding. This is not an easy exam and required several months of study and preparation. Our intrepid team all passed with flying colours. We are now one of the few yards in Cumbria with qualified UKCC teaching staff. Come along for lessons and learn the right way!!
Pony Club D+ Test Training
D+ test training will be held at Bigland Hall Equestrian on each Friday evening for 5 weeks commencing on the 25th September, finishing on the 23rd October. There will be one hours riding lesson and one hours management lesson in preparation for the exam to be held on the 30th October. This is open to anyone who is part of the pony club. If you want your child to participate in the D+ Test Exam on the 30th October than please ring and book separately from the training days.
Please book in advance.
Pony Club Members Compete at Trailblazers Nationals!
Two of our top Pony Club members, earlier this year, manage to qualify for the Trailblazers National Championships at one of our 2nd round competitions held here at Bigland Hall. Alison King and Catherine Bloom had little competing previous to these qualifiers (only Catherine's 2nd competition!) so both did very well to achieve this standard.
The next few months were spent in training and working hard to take that next step towards the nationals. The ponies they were riding, Lakeland Jazz and Glorious Silver Sixpence (Jasmine and Chloe as we all know them!), were both ponies from our yard who have both been on the competition circuit many times before. As part of their training this team went down to Barton Equestrian to do a small dressage evening. Both did well and Alison was placed fourth in the prelim class.
After all the hard training and great support from their parents and the staff at Bigland, they finally set out to the nationals. The supporting crew accompanying them were Zara, Mike & Sheelagh Myers and all the families of both competitors. After a grueling four hour journey, they all finally arrived at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire in good weather (for a change!). They set up camp and gave the horses some exercise before the big competition the next day.
After a loverly 6am start (and Sue's brilliant breakfast!!!) getting the horses prepared and tarted up, the riders readied themselves for the biggest competition of their lives so far. Alison performed first and rode a nice test and scored 61.3% in her first Prelim class. Later that day she went on to score 59% in the Novice class. Catherine, who only had the one prelim test that day, also rode well with a score of 54.7%. The standard was very high and the marking hard. Even though it was very tiring but good day, everyone still had enough energy to let their hair down at the disco that evening.
The second day, both were competing for the consolation prize to be awarded at the end of the day. Alison was the first to compete in the ride offs with her novice test scoring the respectable score of 56%. Catherine performed in the prelim next and managed a good score of 61%. Alison also competed in this class achieving an impressive score of 64%. Catherine was awarded the prize of Youngest Rider in the whole competition recognising her valient performance as a mere 8yrs old.
We also had another rider at the championships Fiona Foy riding her own 'Stormin Norman'. Fiona was just out of the rosettes in eleventh place in her arena. Well done.
Both riders learnt so much throughout the whole competition and to qualify for a national competition was a great success for the yard to have three horses qualify for a national championship. One must remember most of the riders their would be on their horses that they train with daily. Well done to all of them for there collossal effort and good luck for the future!
Summer Gymkhana Success
On the 25th of July we held our first major summer gymkhana to the great enjoyment of all. Competitors of all age s had a go at the three main disciplines: Equitation, Working Hunter and Show Jumping.
The Equitation took place in our spacious indoor areana and our judge for the day was Maggie Longley. Classes ranged from lead rein riders competing at their first competition to the well experianced entrants in the over 16yrs class. All put on a great show and a well done to the winners!
Working Hunter is a class we have not held at Bigland before so it was a great pleasure to set up the corse in a fenced off area of our Hay Field. Our judge for the day was Bev Whitehead BHS AI and it was great to see so many people trying something new.Our younger competitors did really well and interesting detours during the novice horse class making it a day of great entertainment.
The Show Jumping was run by Mr Myers and was held in the Stallion Paddock (without the stallion) A well designed course and a variety of jump styles and fillers made this an intresting round. Clear round was held in the morning to give people a chance to compete against the course rather than each other then classes in the afternoon offerd a range of difficulties from minimus to open allowing something for everyone.
Well done to everyone who took part and a big thank you to all the judges and stewards for keeping the day running smoothly. The results are available here
Pony Club News
What a fantastic Pony Club Camp we had from 20th July to 23rd July!
Sixteen very enthusiastic pony clubers joined us for 4 days of horsing around! They all enjoyed the opportunity to care for horses on a day to day basis. They mucked out to a extremely high standard each morning (remind them of this next time you ask them to tidy their bedrooms!), they groomed, tacked up and rode.
We had a session on road safety and everybody had the chance to ride around a mocked-up road system in the saftey of our indoor school. It gave riders the chance to practice some all important road sense.
We also had a session of pony club gymkhana games. There is nothing to beat pony club games when it comes to developing riders balance and effectiveness!
On Thursday Bev (one of our resident BHS AI instructors) had the great pleasure of examining all participents for their E and D Tests. These are the first in a series of tests set by the Pony Club and are recognised worldwide. The Pony Club training structure encourages people to take these tests enabling them to learn progressively about horse and pony care and riding.
On Thursday morning everyone made a huge effort to present themselves and there horses in a very smart and proffesional way for the tests and I am pleased to say that everyone achieved an award. Six of our members passed there E Test and ten members passed there D Test. Very well done to all of you!!
We also had a points system each day. Points were awarded for the various tasks that members carried out as well as being awarded to individuals for outstanding effort, achievment or enthusiasm. The group with the highest number of points by the end of the week were Rachel, Elenor and Hannah! Second were Katie and Holly and in joint third were Ellie and Ioanna with Alison and Isobel!
We look forward to seeing you all at our weekly Pony Club sessions and will inform you of future camps and activities!!
Zara and Trigger Eventing!
Zara was chosen by Oxenholme Pony Club to take part as one of their team members at the Pony Club area 4 Qualifier Novice Eventing on Dark Legend (Trigger as he is fondly called). The dressage section went well, as it should with her experience at BD dressage, and she managed to achieve 2nd in the dressage in her section. This is a competition with all the Pony Club in Area 4 so the is only the best of the best present at these competitions. The Showjumping phase was next and all was going well until Trigger took out the last pole. The next phase was the Cross Country section Zara and Trigger have had limited experience in this phase but their bond is so strong that once Trigger grasped the idea of what she was asking for took hold and flew round the course clear. This placed Zara overall 3rd in her section and the highest placed Oxenholme rider in the Novice team. Unfortunately the team overall did not achieve the scores needed to qualify but a good effort by all.
Zara's Dressage Career
Zara has been having a busy few months gaining success after success in dressage throughout the county.
Last Sunday she was invited to compete for the Oxenholme Team at the Regional Championships. Guess what, the team of three one the whole thing!! Clair White and Natalie Ireland were the other team members. The team should have fielded four members but Megan Tomlinson dropped out therefore the team did an exceptional job to win as the other teams all had four members. Our trusty three musketeers manage to all score above 65% in all their tests which gave them the overall winning score. They are now preparing for the National Championships at Draycot Manor. Lets keep our fingers crossed that they can take the national trophy!!
The Sunday before she won the Elementary Restricted Class at Blackdyke at the British Dressage Competition with Ren. Pretty good as this was Ren's first real effort at Elementary. Ren performance also placed her overall third in the Open class as well. On the same day see also won the Novice test.
The Oxenholme Winter Series saw her win Champion and Reserve Champion (on two different horses Dark Legend and Steadhall Reniasance (Ren and Trig to us) in three different classes! See her trophies in the office.
Mares in Unison
Easter surprise for Pony Club as Mums learn to ride
Bigland Hall Equestrian has just held an early Easter Gymkhana, but what made it so special was the surprise in stall for the Pony Club members! During the last few weeks the Mums had secretly learned to ride and put on a horseback display for their children. Dressed in bunny ears they performed to the tune of “Run Rabbit, run rabbit, run, run, run.
Bigland Hall Equestrian holds a regular Saturday Gymkhana and the Mums stand by dutifully watching. In recent weeks they began to feel left out and wanted to learn to ride themselves so they booked secret midweek lessons so they could surprise their children at the Gymkhana.
Senior Riding Instructor Dawn Younger BHS AI put them through their paces and also helped them create the short musical demonstration. The ladies who took part named their team ‘Mares in Unison’ and decided to wear the bunny costumes to create even more amazement for their children.
Sheelagh Myres who owns Biglandhall equestrian said “It was fantastic to see the Mums get so interested in what their children do at the Saturday Pony Club and they really enjoyed learning to ride. Now they can now ride out with their children - fresh air, exercise, fun and the chance to spend time together as a family, what more could you ask for. The ‘Mares in Unison’ team was a huge success at the Gymkhana and received a standing ovation and they are already thinking about doing a demonstration at the Summer Gymkhana.
More ‘Pony Club Mums’ are welcome to join “Mares in Unison”, learning to ride and performing for their children. If anyone is interested in finding out more, please contact Mrs Dawn Younger BHS AI at Biglandhall Equestrian on 015395 30333.
Beth Irwin came 2nd in Para National Championships
Beth achieved 2nd in the Nationals in the Junior competition with a score of 64.2% and was only beaten by Stephen Wagland from the South Bucks RDA group on Forester who performed a stunning test and achieved 71%. Both these juniors achieved percentages that placed them 1st and 3rd in the overall class category which included over 20 adults. So well done the Juniors for achieving such stunning results and thanks again to our trusty steed Flash for taking such good care of Beth in the scary and complex surroundings of a major competitions. WELL Done both of you.
 
Beth Irwin riding 'Flash' one our Bigland Horses at the Para National Championships at Hartpury College, Gloucestershire.
Special News - Tesco have linked with Bigland
We offer you the opportunity to use your Tesco Clubcard Points here at Bigland go to the Tesco Web site and their Clubcard Deals or click on our link on the index page.
Gift Cards
We have also linked with GTP to offer you the opportunity of purchasing your own special gift cards. These are rather like you pay as you go top up cards. You can purchase units of £5 plus to send to a friend or use yourself. Through the GTP website you can view your account or top up more.
Horse Owners Level 1
Congratulations to all those who have passed their Level 1 Horse Owners. We look forward to seeing many of you for your Level 2.
Mike Myers team member for Great Britain
Two Cumbrian riders Mike Myers and Anthea Kendrick travelled out to Germany to compete at the World TREC Championships. Thirteen countries sent teams with over 100 riders competing. The five Senior team members put up a good show with Jenny Free riding her Arab mare managing to achieve second on the POR phase of the competition but was unfortunately outclassed by the French riders on the PTV and control of paces sections bringing the team result down to sixth out of the thirteen countries.
 Mike and Trigger before Parade.
 British Team on Parade
D+ test training will be held at Bigland Hall Equestrian on each Friday evening for 5 weeks commencing on the 25th September, finishing on the 23rd October. There will be one hours riding lesson and one hours management lesson in preparation for the exam to be held on the 30th October. This is open to anyone who is part of the pony club. If you want your child to participate in the D+ Test Exam on the 30th October than please ring and book separately from the training days.
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