Please keep any negative comments to yourself unless you think there could be a Health and Safety issue, as organisers may decide that it’s just not worth their trouble to continue putting on rides in return for the hassle they get.

Hope to see you all at the Awards Evening, even if you’ve only ridden a few miles you may still get a mileage rosette, if you’ve done over 80k. So send in your trophy cards. We’ve also got a small horsey gift for all those members who attend.
Jackie

Editor's Note
Hope you like this new look newsletter. I thought it was about time we updated it. I would like to try to make it a bit more colourful but will be struggling unless people send me their photos to put in – so please send me your favourites. If there are any funny ones we could even run a caption competition.
Well the nights are drawing in and hours for riding are getting fewer – just an ideal time for you all to write those articles you haven’t got round to during the summer when you were so busy competing! It would be especially interesting to hear from people who have managed to solve horse behavioural or health problems – it is always easy to think that you are the only person out there who has to struggle, but this is very rarely the case, and it helps to know that there are others in the same boat and how they have overcome their problem.
By the time this newsletter comes through your letterboxes, we will have held our Group AGM, I hope that lots of you made the effort and attended. Just to remind you – EVERYONE is welcome at ALL committee meetings – so do try to get to at least one in the year – even if only for the free chips and sandwiches.
Flick

Report from the Derbyshire Group AGM
A really interesting and lively meeting took place at the Royal Oak on Wednesday 1 November. The main points were as follows:

• Minutes of last meeting – approved
• Chairman thanked all her committee for their hard work and support over the past year and expressed her willingness to stand for a further twelve months.
• Jean Collins stepped down as newsletter editor after a busy two years – Flick offered to take it on for the next twelve months.
• All other committee members present said they were willing to serve for 2007.
• Rachel Dennett stepped down as Publicity Officer. If anyone is interested in taking this job on there is a PR seminar scheduled soon which is very interesting and informative – contact Rachel for details.
• The Group Liaison Officer, Tracey Brown, read a report from the last National Group’s Meeting which dealt with lots of interesting issues. One of the main ideas is to try to standardise much of what the groups do – ie newsletters, social ride formats and associate membership criteria. The full minutes from the meeting will be available on the EGB website sometime in the future.
• Treasurer’s report – Kath Silson sent her apologies but had provided an up to date set of group accounts.

Balance of accounts year ending 31 October 2006
Brought forward            £199.14

Profit for the year - £1189.51

• Two new committee members were elected – Paula Lynam and Julie Brown.
• Dates were set for the Presentation Evening and the venue confirmed as the Waterloo PH, as last year.
• Newsletter subscriptions were discussed and voted on. From now on all Derbyshire EGB members will receive free newsletters.
• Associate membership subscriptions will remain at £12 for the year – this will include newsletter subs.

Tickets cost £12 each and all tickets go into a special prize draw. We also hold a raffle every year so we would be very grateful for raffle prizes which can be brought along on the night.

New Year's Ride
Trish Forrester has again volunteered to run the coldest ride of the year.
I think anyone who helps at this ride deserves to be awarded double mileage points – but then when did anyone get what they deserved?
Date for this year’s ride is 7 January and the venue is the Bull’i’Thorn pub, just outside Buxton. Hot soup and mince pies will be provided as usual for anyone taking part. An entry form is enclosed with this newsletter.

Proposed National Ride Dates 2007

• Foremark – Sunday 20 May
• Peak District – Sunday 1 July
• Bakewell – Sunday 15 July
• Carsington – Saturday 11 November

These dates are subject to confirmation by the Rides office.

2007 Social Rides Planning Meeting
The normal Derbyshire Group meeting on 7 February will be a special meeting to plan the social rides calendar for 2007.
Anyone who would like to be involved in running a ride is welcome to come along. If you feel you haven’t got the experience to run a ride on your own, you could put yourself forward as co-organiser and work alongside someone with more experience who can help you sort out route planning, entries, maps etc.
A big thank-you to everyone who ran a ride in 2006. Anyone who hasn’t done it probably doesn’t appreciate the mixture of hard work, nerves, exhilaration and satisfaction which it entails. For a further insight – read the following article sent in by Rachel following her running of the Derwent Ride – a ride which turned out to be a little more eventful than she expected.

A Ride Organiser's Diary by Rachel Dennett
May 2006

• Decide to put on social ride at Derwent Valley again in October. Husband tells me to pull myself together (or words to that effect)
• Ride proposed route
• Prepare form for submission to the Upper Derwent Valley partnership asking for permission to hold ride on proposed date.
• Prepare risk assessment

June 2006

• Receive permission to hold ride but with some queries from Park Ranger re: terrain on part of the route.
• Re-ride route and change mind completely
• Prepare revised form, map and risk assessment for revised route.
• Resubmit revised route plans
• Start to ask good friends to be marshalls on the day of the ride.

 July 2006

• Receive permission to use revised route.
• Re-ride revised route and change mind completely (again)
• Discuss new route (number 3) with Park Ranger and get permission to use it.
• Send details of ride to other groups for inclusion in newsletters/ websites etc
• Speak to Martin (radio/communications expert) about route.
• Realise that I haven’t got enough good friends to cover all the gates/radios required. Start to ask family to be marshalls on the day of the ride.

August 2006

• Walk route (horses out of action) to work out where we need marshalls to provide adequate radio coverage and open narrow gates.
• Worry about the number of marshalls required.

September 2006

• Start to receive entries
• Try (without success) to find details of the number of vehicles that fitted into the car parks last year.
• Panic about size of gates on route
• Prepare maps and talkrounds
• Speak to caterer at venue re: refreshments on the day
• Realise that even with good friends and close family, we do not have enough marshalls. Start to ask/bribe ex-neighbours and B&B guests to help on the day.
• Worry that we will have too many trailers/lorries and not enough space in car parks

October 2006

• Collect signs.rosettes and bibs
• Send out details of ride to entrants
• Receive Martin’s briefing notes for radio team

5 days before ride

• Start checking the BBC 5 day weather forecasts. Forecast for Glossop not acceptable (big black cloud). Try other areas e.g. Sheffield (big black cloud with rain coming out of it), then try Hope Valley (another big black cloud).
• Begin to panic that all riders will get lost on moor in thick fog.

4 days before the ride

• Check BBC 5 day forecast on internet. Glossop (big black cloud), Sheffield (same cloud), Hope Valley (another big cloud).
• Consider changing the route back to original one to avoid the fog on the hilltops

3 days before ride

• Decide that BBC 5 day forecast on internet is flawed. Check teletext for weather on Saturday – big black cloud. Try to look on bright side.

2 days before ride

• Check BBC 5 day forecast – large sun, not a cloud in sight - hooray
• Trip to cash & carry to buy drinks and snacks for helpers
• Ring Park Rangers to check we are still okay to hold event.
• Prepare enough chilli to feed 16 adults and 6 children (it has become traditional for me to provide helpers with food and wine after event)

Day before ride

• Check BBC 5 day forecast – sun gone, big black cloud back. Consider ringing BBC to complain. Husband advises me to “pull myself together” or words to that effect.
• Walk (horses out of action again) route and mark with tape.
• Check Martin (radio team) is happy with everything
• Tape off car park late in the evening to prevent public parking there
• Begin collecting friends/relatives – decide if we have most of them trapped at our house they will not have an excuse not to turn up

Day of ride

• 2.30am Wake up worrying about everything from car parking to thick fog.
• 6.00am Get up and peep out of window to check weather.
• 6.01am Mild optimism that it might not rain
• 7.00am Arrive at venue just in time to watch sun rise.  Realise that I need the toilet but decide to wait until others arrive.
• 8.00am Helpers arrive for briefing session on use of radios
• 8.10am Helpers begin to make their way to positions
• 8.15am First rider arrives
• 8.30am Mild panic that we will not fit everyone in car park
• 9.00am First riders set off
• 9.30am Rain starts (luckily just a small shower)
• 9.45am Last trailer fits into car park – huge relief. (Should have gone to the toilet at this point)
• 10.00am Last riders set off.
• 10.40am Hear over radios that someone has fallen off and is badly hurt. (This has happened at probably the least accessible part of the route). Remember that I have needed the toilet since 7am
• 10.45am Position of rider ascertained. Ambulance and mountain rescue advised.
• Injured rider’s horse is returned to venue. Untack horse, find rug and pass horse to another rider’s husband to load into trailer.
• 10.50am ETA of ambulance is 20 minutes
• 11.00am Mountain rescue doctor arrives at venue. I jump into his car and give details of casualty as we drive up a forestry track to get to injured rider.
• 11.05am Met by Ranger to guide doctor to rider
• 11.10am Doctor begins to assess injured rider. Mountain rescue team members begin to arrive on the scene.
• 11.15am Doctor and mountain rescue team start to get injured rider comfortable enough to be moved. This took a long time due to the nature of her injuries.
• Other riders are held on track to allow injured rider to be treated.
• Make sure injured rider’s husband has been informed.
• 12.30 Injured rider on stretcher and moved to waiting ambulance on mountain rescue trolley
• 12.45 Injured rider on way to hospital
• Advised the held riders to continue on route.
• 1.00pm Back to venue (got a lift in the ambulance)
• 1.30pm Last riders arrive back at venue
• 2.00pm Met helpers in car park. Huge “thank you” to everyone. Went to toilet.
• 2.30pm Collected cones from car park and tidied muck from venue
• 2.45pm Picked up signs from around the route
• 3.30pm Arrived home and began cooking for helpers
• 3.31pm First bottle of wine opened
• 3.45am Advise EGB Derbyshire Chairperson about accident
• 4.00pm Continue to cook for 22 people
• 4.30pm More wine opened
• 4.45pm Answer multiple phone calls about injured rider
• 5.00pm Serve dinner (with wine)
• 6.30pm Helpers begin to go home
• 7.00pm Sit down (with wine)
• 7.30pm Start to unpack car
• 8.00pm Remember I have 2 children and put them to bed.
• 8.30pm Check weather forecast – this has obviously become a habit
• 10.30pm Go to bed

 Day after ride

• Deliver huge tin of chocolates to Peak Park Rangers to thank them for their help
• Remove marking tape from route (again on foot, horses still out of action)
• Visit injured rider in hospital
• Answer multiple emails asking how injured rider is (great that so many people are concerned)
• Start to clear the debris that amasses when you have more than 20 people for dinner. Realise that empty wine bottles will not be collected for another week and so drop them to Tesco for recycling.
• Begin to think about doing it again next year…………………Husband tells me to pull myself together or words to that effect!

Kath Silson – (herinafter called the “injured party”) adds her own account to the above.

• Had an excellent ride until the accident, lovely views over Ladybower, brilliant canters over the tops.
• Has to say a heartfelt “thank-you” to all involved in the quick response and recovery of myself and horse from the hillside

Is at present sitting in armchair with arm in a sling thinking about riding plans post-recovery……. Husband tells me to pull myself together or words to that effect!

Peak District Ride Results
68km Graded Ride

Grade 1:      Ginger Spice - A Harrison, Sassan - J K Clare
Grade 2:      Kensington - D Brew, Zarra Mandees - R Tweddle
Grade 3:      Bonnie Bonito - K Fellowes, Flurrie - J Gilbert, Squire - G Jones
Grade 4:      Viche - R Wood
Completion     Oban Dancer - K Raper, Sundance II - N Ghetler, Templeton Cyhida - J H F Dovey

52km Graded Ride
Grade 1:      Eshamal - K Counter, Sylvanpark Scallywag - L Parker
Grade 4:      Dwyran Fair Ghazala - D S Brookes, Solitaire's Star - J Martin
Completion     Just Jasper - P Guerin

52km Graded Ride (Novice)
Grade 3:      'Chant' (Old Dad's Enchantment) - J Stewart

42km Graded Ride (Novice)
Grade 1:      Cheeky Charlie - Carol Counter
Grade 1:      Spice Up Your Life - K Atkinson
Grade 2:      Ansbacher - J E Collins, Dorocina Valiant Be - C Edmondson                Oakthwaite Elsadyr - A Russell
Completion:     Just A Mo - S Martin, Llynfivally Rocky - V Edwards, Miss Dandi -
Z Dodd

34km Graded Ride
Grade 1:      Lady Eleanor II - T J Walthall
Grade 2:      Nasser - J Searle, Razzmatazz - C Curtis
Grade 3:      Buckskin Shadow - J Evison
Grade 4:      Dorocina Zebedee - A E Farley, Khozama - L J Cantrill Moody Blue - G Grieve, Risley Fancy Pants - B A Housley
Completion     Guadalcazar - E Young, Phineus - S Whiteley, Rosy - G Corcoran

34km Graded Ride (Novice)
Grade 1:      Chi Lin Tashiq - H Ingram, Madison     - P Ingram, Oxnead Wheatear - S A Farrall
Grade 2:      Jo Mouse - C Freear, Ltf Kalisha - S Headland
Grade 3:      Pillheath Royal Paddy (Paddy) - B Corcoran, Silvretta Napoleon - S Priest
Completion     Jazz III - K Silson

34km Set Speed Ride
Hildith Dream Delight - J Scott

34km Set Speed Ride (Novice)
Scarlet - S Norman

Foremark Ride Results
42km Graded Ride
Grade 1:      Buckskin Shadow - J Ratter, Doyenne - K Curry, Fly - J Ivens, Lady Eleanor II - T J Walthall, Mustique Moniet - B Parker, Pink Floyd -
R Blane
Grade 2:      Flurrie - J Gilbert, Ginger Spice - A Harrison, Lettie - B Reeves, Woody - G Urquhart
Grade 3:      Dorocina Zebedee - A E Farley
Grade 4:      C A A Khalil - E Martin, Dwyran Fair Ghazala - D S Brookes, Faleh - L Reeves

32km Graded Ride
Grade 1:      Karmedu Ali Khazan - J Thompson, Khozama - L J Cantrill, Muharaam - M Amies, Nasser - J Searle, Risley Fancy Pants -
B A Housley
Grade 2:      Daniel Dee - G A Comley
Grade 4:      El Shalmeil - S Fox, Highfield Meadow Trump - M Beck, Rosy - G Corcoran

32km Graded Ride (Novice)
Grade 1:      Chi Lin Tashiq - H Ingram, Flash Of Darkness - A Lockett, Troy II - R Butler
Grade 2:      Jasper - A Hingley, Madison - P Ingram, St. Flannans Niamh -
G Hasberry, Voyager - J Williams
Grade 3:      Golden Romany Honour - T Robson, Pillheath Royal Paddy (Paddy) - B Corcoran
Grade 4:      Whitney - Z Werndly

Carsington Ride Results
84km Graded Ride
Grade 1:      Sassan - J K Clare
Grade 3:      Vlacq Khamul - T Hirst

67km Graded Ride
Grade 1:      Eaglespring - E Martin
Grade 2:      Millennium Chorus - A Harrison, Solitaire's Star - J Martin
Completion     Rapport - S Gager-Tomkinson

42km Graded Ride
Grade 1:      Perfeq Hidden Challenge - L Hams, Ravensdale Singer - E M Finney
Grade 2:      Floriferouz - F Edmeston
Grade 4:      Dwyran Fair Ghazala - D S Brookes

42km Graded Ride (Novice)
Grade 2:      El Sabio - A Masterson, Perfeq Camilla May - C Cherry

Bakewell Ride Results
52km Graded Ride
Grade 1:      Sassan - J K Clare
Grade 2:      Kensington - D Brew

52km Graded Ride (Novice)
Grade 3:      Remolino - A Masterson

40km Graded Ride
Grade 1:      Cassis - A Evans, Sylvanpark Scallywag - L Parker
Grade 2:      Irishtown Yerman - P Bird, Pillheath Royal Paddy (Paddy) - B Corcoran
Grade 3:      Dorocina Zebedee - A E Farley
Grade 4:      Rostreamer - L J Burrows
Completion     Crystal Eyas - S Marriott, Dwyran Fair Ghazala - D S Brookes

40km Graded Ride (Novice)
Grade 1:      Elina Of Rushbank - E H Dawson, Pembrey - V Cammock
Grade 4:      Hawthorns Fire - N Walton

TROPHY WINNERS
Top Open Horse – Janice Clare on Sassan
Top Horse (40k) – Lesley Parker on Sylvan Park Scallywag and Val Cammock on Pembrey
Top Novice – Annette Masterson on Remolino
Top Junior/Young Rider – Danielle Brew on Kensington

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