FROM THE CHAIR
We held our Group AGM on 7th November and all committee members including officers were reinstated, we also welcomed Jenny Doxey onto the committee.

15 group members attended the AGM including committee. I now have my final year as Chair to look forward to and, I’d like to thank all the members of the Derbyshire committee, who as usual, have been dedicated and supportive throughout the last twelve months.  I’d like to thank Catherine Wheatcroft our Publicity Officer for producing this newsletter and to welcome Bethan Reeves on board, she has volunteered to produce the newsletter from February 2008. Catherine has now completed our website, so have a look at it on www.derbyshire-egb.org.uk there’s lots of useful information and news items on there which will be updated as necessary.

It’s been a disappointing year for some, with trophy cards not as full as we would have liked, unfortunately we lost the Peak Ride to the floods and the Hardwick Social Ride, due to F & M.  But hopefully we’ll have a full calendar next season.  They say every cloud has a silver lining, and Flick has a great new venue with some hard-standing for Peak – so it can rain as much as it likes, and Val has a new route over newly opened trails, cutting out roadwork at Hardwick. We start the group’s new season with our ever-popular Kids Santa Ride on 2nd December and New Year Ride on 6th January – see flyers enclosed.

Again we’ve had our share of successes this year – congratulations to the Derbyshire Inter-Group team who came away from Delamere as the overall competition winners and also the Junior prize winners – well done!

The new national Associate Membership will be launched at the national AGM on 1st December, further details to follow.

Hope to see you all at the Awards Evening on 12th January 2008, raffle prizes gratefully appreciated on the night please.
Jackie

EDITOR’S NOTE
Well I think Jackie has summarised things pretty well, we have had a great year despite a few set backs. This is my first attempt at publishing the Newsletter and I hope you all enjoy reading it!

As Jackie mentioned, I have been busy getting our new website up and running, which is a good thing as I have not done much on the riding front this year…sadly. But I am back in the saddle and looking forward to getting fit for our busy schedule of rides in 2008! Sounds like we will have some new routes to look forward too as well!

Hope you enjoy this issue and please feel free to send any articles or stories for us to include in future issues.

REPORT FROM THE DERBYSHIRE GROUP AGM
We had a really interesting and productive meeting at our Annual AGM at the Royal Oak on Wednesday 7th November. The main points were as follows:

• The minutes of last year’s meeting were approved.
• Committee members were re-elected and stay the same for the following year. The Chair thanked everyone for all their hard work and commitment throughout the year. Everyone agreed that without this the group would not be as successful and enjoyable as it is.
• Bethan Reeves has kindly offered to become our Newsletter Editor from the February issue.
• Kath Silson provided a Treasurer’s report and up to date set of group accounts.
• It was agreed that we would now offer advertising to businesses through both our newsletter and website.
• One new committee member was elected – Jenny Doxey.

Balance of accounts year ending 31 October 2007
Brought forward            £1398.65

Loss for the year            £1,119.37

Balance in current acc            £279.28

PRESENTATION EVENING
This year’s presentation evening will take place on Saturday 12th January 2008 at the Waterloo, just south of Buxton.

We have had some brilliant evenings here in the past and last year’s buffet was fantastic. Lots of variety for all tastes, plenty of it and lovely desserts! Please do book tickets and come along as it is a great night out and you will meet other members that you usually pass on horseback!

There is a vast array of rosettes, prizes and trophies to be won based on the mileage you clocked up throughout the year on your mileage card.

Tickets cost £13.50 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. Please contact Rachel Dennett to book your tickets on 01457 861086 or email rockfarmbandb@btinternet.com

SANTA’S SOCIAL RIDE
We are having our enjoyable Santa Ride for children aged 16 and under at our favourite venue, the Royal Oak pub, Hurdlow Nr. Buxton. The ride will take place on Sunday 2nd December and anyone wanting to come in fancy dress or festive gear will be more than welcome! The route is a gentle five miles on the High Peak Trail and very quiet lanes with the chance to see some lovely scenery.

An entry fee of £10 per pony includes commemorative rosettes for all and hot refreshments.

NEW YEAR RIDE
Our New Year’s Ride will be held on Sunday 6th January 2008 at the Waterloo Pub, Taddington. The route is 14 miles on tracks, bridleways and quiet lanes round Taddington, Flagg and Monyash. Hot soup and mince pies will be provided for anyone taking part. An entry form is enclosed with this newsletter.

PROPOSED NATIONAL RIDE DATES 2008

• Foremark – To be confirmed – hopefully July
• Peak District – Saturday 17th May 2008
• Bakewell – Sunday 15th June 2008
• Carsington – 11th October 2008
  These dates are subject to confirmation by the rides office and further details can be found on our website at www.derbyshire-egb.org.uk

2008 SOCIAL RIDES PLANNING MEETING
On Wednesday 6th February 2008 we will be having our special meeting to plan the social rides calendar for 2008.

Please do come along and join in or provide feedback on the rides we hold throughout the year. It is your chance to help plan an exciting agenda of rides for 2008. The meeting is held at the Royal Oak pub, off the A515 at 8.00pm and refreshments of sandwiches and chips are provided for all!

Even 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 2007.

The website includes everything you need to know about pleasure and endurance riding, whether you are new to it or a seasoned competitor. We have included a News section that is regularly updated, all the latest dates for Events and Rides and a Useful Links area listing other websites of interest.

You can download ride entry and membership forms directly and we can post ride venue details and entry numbers for each ride too.

We hope to continually evolve the website and are happy to receive articles and suggestions from all. Please forward this information to Catherine Wheatcroft at cmw@wheatcroft.info who has kindly designed and created the website for our group.

REMINDER ABOUT POSTAGE RATES
Many of you are now sending back your Trophy Cards for the season, but we must remind you to please check that you have enough postage on your envelope. This is really important, as we have had to make several trips to the post office to pay postage shortfalls due to insufficient being used!

The Trophy Card is A5 in size, so if you take an A4 piece of paper and fold it in half – that is the size of envelope you need and will cost you 34p first class. If you use anything bigger you need to be putting enough stamps on the front for 44p.

THE PENNINE BRIDLEWAY TRAIL
In March this year we (Nicola Humphreys riding Barnaby Truffles and Sylvia Plant riding Saca Rabos) took part in the EGB Dark Peak Ride and picked up a brochure about Pennine Bridleway Trails from the venue.  This described a three night holiday with accommodation for horses and riders, all food and drink included plus baggage transfer.  We thought this sounded fun and not too difficult, as neither of us had done this type of holiday before.

We decided to book for mid-August and arrangements were duly made.  As the date approached fingers were tightly crossed that nothing would go wrong with the horses.  Taking advantage of the baggage transfer service offered, we packed every luxury for both horses and riders. 

Our starting day was a Sunday. We met at Nicola’s stables in Alport, went for a ride for an hour or so and then travelled to Upper Oldhams Farm at Arbor Low just a few miles away, the starting point for our holiday.  This is a lovely farm just below the stone circle and we were given a great welcome by Nicola Dick and her four children who proved to be experts at making a coral when I decided the quantity of grass in the lovely field on offer would be too much for Saccy’s girth.  Stables were available if we preferred, but the horses seemed very happy in the field and the weather was fine.

The accommodation was lovely, great views in all directions, two separate rooms, own bathrooms, lounge and dining room. Nicola won the toss up for the ensuite double room.   Later we sat down to our evening meal - a large joint of roast pork with all trimmings, braised peaches and ice cream, yoghurt, etc. plus a bottle of wine (included). 

Monday was bright and breezy.  I went out early to check on the horses and have a quick walk around the stone circle again enjoying the amazing views. After eating a large cooked breakfast, and assembling our packed lunch, we tacked up and set off on the 19 mile journey to our next stop Rushop Hall.  The first part of the route was easy going along the High Peak trail.  Nicola had purchased a disposable camera for the trip and insisted on being photographed with every, sign landmark or super view en route.  If there were no passing ramblers who were willing, she handed me the camera.  Well, have you ever tried photography from horseback – not easy when your horse just wants to get on with the ride! 

After leaving the trail we rode along tracks and lanes amidst lovely scenery, mostly unfamiliar even though we live close by.   We descended steeply into Chee Dale and climbed even more steeply up the other side on lovely grassy tracks.  The rest of the route was along a variety of lanes, green roads and bridleways.  Saccy’s gate opening skills improved 100 per cent and Nicola and Truffles were relieved that their expert gate skills were needed less often.  The route was really well marked although the 19 miles seemed further and we began to wonder if this was a misprint in the ride brochure and should have been 91 or whether we had taken a wrong turn and would shortly be in Yorkshire!  Then Rushop Hall came into view with Alpacas grazing in the fields alongside Highland cattle. 

We were welcomed to Rushop Hall – which lived up to its grand title in every way – by owner Neil.  We decided to turn our horses into the lovely sheltered field rather than stable them and they grazed warily, all the time watching the Alpacas in the next field.  We were shown to our luxurious accommodation in the newly renovated house.

I occupied the double room this time and Nicola had the twin with an amazing view over our horses’ field and into the distance.

Our evening meal, comprised various dips as a starter, followed by pheasant breasts, salad, new potatoes and ended with a delicious fruit salad, followed by coffee and mints.  Another bottle of wine was included.  I thought I had booked a riding holiday and hadn’t realised a gourmet’s delight would be provided.  Breakfast next day was also huge and another hearty packed lunch provided.

Tuesday’s weather was wet. “At least we won’t be moaning about the heat and flies” said Nicola, ever cheerful.

The next part of the ride took us through some rugged country with great views before reaching Hayfield. Here we followed the Sett Valley trail.  We really enjoyed this part of the ride, so much that we missed our turning and added a couple of miles to the ride.  We ate our packed lunch at a picnic table in the valley (which also served as a useful mounting block) while Saccy and Truffles tidied the grass.  We then set off again over the hills towards Glossop.  Once more there were great views along the route.  We arrived at Rock Farm very wet but happy to have done the ride without any incident.

Again we received a lovely friendly welcome from Rachel and husband Mike who thoughtfully lit the wood burning stove to warm and dry us.  Rock Farm is lovely, being quietly situated with stunning views, our accommodation was again luxurious. A sheltered field or stables were again available. For dinner Rachel treated us to chilli-con-carne, a delicious chocolate torte and strawberries, bottle of wine, coffee and mints.  We then enjoyed watching a film while finishing our wine.

On Wednesday, the weather was fine again and Rachel had produced a route for an enjoyable ride as well a providing another delicious breakfast.  After our ride we headed home having taken the horsebox over to Rock Farm on the Sunday evening although return transport can be arranged or you can ride the route in reverse.

So if you want a really enjoyable short break with your horse which will improve your horse’s fitness but probably not your figure, have a look at www.penninebridlewaytrails.co.uk or contact Rachel Dennett on 01457 861086 or 07780 670568 or email rockfarmbandb@btinternet.com

Please note that anyone booking for next year before the end of this year can have it at 2007 rates (£65 per person per night all inclusive).

LONGDENDALE RIDE REPORT
Derbyshire Group of Endurance GB held a charity ride on Saturday 8th September 2007 at Longdendale near Glossop with a choice of routes - 15, 8 or 5 miles all off road. 60 riders took part and enjoyed the excellent grass tracks with plenty of opportunities for cantering and the stunning views.

EGB very kindly donated £500 to Kingfisher Riding for the Disabled Group who is celebrating their 21st anniversary and another amount was raised with a raffle and sponsorship. This amount has been matched by Barclays Bank via their £ for £ scheme which means a total of £1530 was presented to the charity.

CARSINGTON RIDE RESULTS
80km Competitive Ride
Grade 1:      Eskar – K N Wiscombe, Flurrie – J Gilbert
Grade 4:      Streamcross Dakota

67km Competitive Ride
Grade 1:      Cascade of Flame – A J Hill, Emily Jane – S Norcop, Kalichia – V Davies-Holloway, Silver Zephyr – C Griffin
Grade 2:      Island Columbus – E D Videla, L T F Kalisha – S Headland
Grade 3:      Shahfabah – H Whiteley, Squire – G Jones
Grade 4:      Coednewydd Meteor – H Barrett
Completion:Moon Magician, Owercob Midnight Star – A Hemsley

40km Competitive Ride
Grade 1:      Ansbacher – J E Collins, Cassis – A Evans, Fly – J Ivens, Jasper – A Hingley, Phineus – S Whiteley, Ravensdale Singer – E M Finney
Grade 2:      Chant – J Stewart, Culann – B Towle, Madison – P Ingram
Grade 3:      Ali Ibn Dream – D Barlow, Novah – D Gillings, Zahaan – K Williams
Grade 4:      Zhiwah – P Guerin
Completion:Harvey V – L Hughes

40km Competitive Ride (Novice)
Grade 1:      Bashir Shamyr – G Corcoran, Pillheath Royal Paddy – B Corcoran
Grade 2:      Ishcol Charisse – A Pelc
Grade 3:      Aa Khalman Ibn Sabur, Hajar – A Corner
Completion:Déjà vu – A Harrison, Lynvale Myway – F Turley, Saracan Gold – C Else

GROUP LIAISON MEETING REPORT
Held on 3rd November 2007, this was a very interesting meeting and was well attended with representatives from the majority of groups. Lots of things were discussed and I've tried to condense nearly six hours of meeting into this report.

Membership
EGB currently have 1975 members including 54 Junior (8-13 yrs), 160 Young (14-21 yrs), 179 Life and 150 Non-riding. Although this is down from 2070 last year, the numbers of entries at rides have increased.

Members are spread across 21 groups in England and Wales.   Derbyshire currently has 62 members, up two from last year.  The largest group is Wessex with 251 members and the smallest is Northumberland and Tyneside with 30. A further 10 very small groups cover the rest of the world. Did you know we have one member in Scandanavia and one in Australia?

Finance - Report by Emma Miller, Accountant.
Ride income is down by £43,000 due to cancellations caused by Foot and Mouth and the wet weather. Over £26,000 is held amongst the 21 groups’ bank accounts and Emma asked for any spare monies to be sent in as she can put it on deposit at a very good interest rate.

Central office will soon be able to accept credit/debit cards for renewal of membership and purchase of merchandise. There will be a charge of approx. £1.25 per transaction.  Details are still being finalised.

EGB Magazine - Report by Cindy Russell, Editor.
The next BHS magazine will have an 8 page supplement of a special EGB magazine.  75000 copies are being issued, so it should promote some interest.  Copies are also going to be given out at 'Your Horse Live' where EGB are having a stand. Rutland and Leics group will contact 'Equestrian Life' to see if they'd be interested in including a similar insert.

If we ever want any back issues of the magazine for any promotion/event we should get in touch with Cindy as they usually have spare ones available. Cindy would also welcome letters and articles for publication in the magazine.

Insurance
This is a very complex area!  I've picked out some highlights. Temporary day membership (£5 extra for non-members) covers the entrant from the moment they arrive at the venue to the moment they leave at the end of the ride.  If anything were to occur on the journey to and fro it is not covered by our insurance.

Helpers under 10 years old are not covered by our insurance, unless they are a junior member of course.  Clearer guidance will be given soon. This year only one incident will give rise to a claim against EGB insurance.  No further details were given.

Health and Safety- Report by Des Payton
Again a very complex area, these are the main points. The coroner has issued his report following the tragic death of a rider at last years Margam Park ride.  The verdict is accidental death and he commented that EGBs arrangements for the ride were comprehensive.

A standardised risk assessment form is going to be produced to help ride organisers.  It will help keep these assessments consistent and also act as a prompt on who should be contacted prior to a ride e.g. emergency services and Rights of Way officers at the local council

It was reiterated that all ride entrants must complete an entry form which has the disclaimer statements on it.  Amazingly one group didn't do entry forms for social rides!  Des even suggested that we add a statement advising that riding is a high risk sport and that riders are aware of this.

Associate Membership
Some groups, including Derbyshire have been running an associate scheme successfully for a number of years, (indeed I was Top Associate Rider in 2005!)   Until now these groups have all administered the schemes differently but it is now going to be available in a standard way across all groups, overseen by Central Office.

Details of the new scheme are in the process of being finalised in time for the launch at this years AGM in December.  From the discussion it will be very similar to our own scheme but have more benefits e.g. same ride rates as members, quarterly EGB magazine, copy of Rules and Rides booklet.

Child Protection
Permission is needed for the photographer to photograph children on the ride. This can be gained by having a tick box on the entry form.

New Awards
These are only the basic details of the new awards and more information will be available soon which will make things clearer. 

Pleasure Ride Trophy - Open to non EGB members who pay £5 to register.  Will include all EGB national pleasure rides (not local groups social/training rides), SERC and BHS pleasure rides and any organised by Riding Clubs affiliated to BHS. The rider will have to complete a minimum of 4 EGB or SERC pleasure rides.  A ride card will be issued and at the end of the year sent to BHS.

Performance Equestrian Challenge - sponsored by Performance Equestrian.  1st £500, 2nd £300, 3rd  £200. Open to EGB members only. Special ride card issued.  Eight 2-day x 80 km rides nominated for next year. Will have to complete 120 km at 3 of these.  Points worked out under performance formula rules.

Toilets
A long discussion followed re the pros and cons.  It was decided that ideally we should provide facilities at all our rides, even if it was only a 'portapotty' behind some bales.  However if we couldn't then we should clearly state on the entry form that no toilets would be available.

Roll of Honour
The riders that complete 100 miles in a day will be celebrated in an improved section of the web site, including pictures.

Group News
All clubs have lost rides to the weather and foot and mouth.  In fact one club was having its first social ride of 2007 on 4th November, not surprisingly they had over 70 entries!
Some groups run quiz nights and talks through the year, with various degrees of success.  A lot of clubs have given talks to their local Pony Clubs and some have included a Pony Club class at rides.  It is hoped that by having this direct link to gain new members.
One group, which has over 190 members managed to produce 4 newsletters this year of 68 pages each!  Unless I misheard and it was 6 to 8 pages each. Nottinghamshire group voted against merging with Lindum at its annual meeting.  It has a new committee and has already planned a programme of social rides.

Summary
I enjoyed the meeting and was pleased to meet some of the people involved in making EGB the professional organisation that it is. It's always good to be able to put faces to names and I look forward to the next meeting in March.

After hearing from the other groups it makes me appreciate the proficiency and friendliness of Derbyshire.  I feel that we are a well balanced group with a good mix of competitive and non-competitive riders, younger and older riders/ horses, mix of horse breeds etc.  All of these things are celebrated at our Annual Awards Dinner with an array of trophies and rosettes, so I hope to see you there.
Report by: Julie Brown, Group Liaison Officer, Derbyshire EGB.

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