It was a fairly local event that we could not afford to miss. Poacher HC members Clive Borman, Christine Lyte, Theresa Killick, Sue Smith, Duncan Seth-Smith, Anna Mann, Anya Mower and Sammy Fairburn all entered for the new classes which were run on Sunday. Unfortunately one of Anna Mann’s pair was not feeling up to it and Anna withdrew after a very long drive from Norfolk.

It was an early start with a standing presentation/safety check starting at 8.30am. This was followed by the dressage test from the IHDT finals. The interesting bit was that the Indoor tests are held in a 20m x 50m arena but the outdoor arena measured 40m x 60m so you had to adjust ‘your subconscious markers’ so movements, particularly circles, would be in the right place.

Once we had completed the dressage we moved straight onto the cones course. The cones course was made up of fifteen gates and I believe it had been adjusted for our classes. Three points for a knockdown but a target time and not an optimum time as IHDT events, so competitors were only penalised for taking longer than the target time. This suited us because once a tight turn had been made on gate 5, Rambo thought it was flat out to the finish and although slowing him for the gates was required we needed the speed to cover the ground in time, we got 1 knockdown within the target time, so a pleasing start.

At the end of these two phases it was time to relax and walk the obstacles. Of the seven obstacles available, our classes were to drive four of them,1,2,6,7 and we did not have the marathon route to cover.

Obstacle 1, consisted of post and rails and was gated to ‘E’ it encouraged some flowing turns.

Obstacle 2 was the water and the way it was gated it was quicker to go through the water twice. After gate ‘A’ there was a right turn down into the water and a few equines suddenly froze as they turned the corner and found only water ahead. Our Chairman was seen being led through on a lead rope by Angela, this time she had wellies with her. On leaving the water through ‘B’ and a series or right turns for ‘C’ and ‘D’ and straight on to ‘E’ and through the water to the finish.

The route took you past a pond with large carp sunning themselves on the surface, through some avenues in the wood and out onto field headlands to Obstacle 6 which was set in amongst the trees.

On leaving obstacle 6, I turned left just as I had walked the course, but I soon realised we were going the wrong way and I had to about turn to go through the compulsory gates, no penalties or harm done because we were only timed in the obstacles.

Obstacle 7 was set on a grass field with a series of barrels gated to ‘F’. We were among the last competitors and the grass was flattened and quite slippery. I had ‘borrowed’ a back stepper for the obstacles and his experience was welcome because we had the carriage fish-tailing and sliding about as we twisted and turned around the barrels. Maybe we should have studded tyres like rally cars, ‘make a note to mention it to Sue Mart’.

Comments from the day were all positive and it was hoped that in future events the horses and larger ponies could complete more ‘mileage’. The miniatures and small ponies would have liked an option to do a ‘little bit more’. Overall it was a great day and great hospitality from the Midland Driving Trials Group, and our thanks go to Angela Flanagan and her team.

My thanks to Joss Smith [Dressage & Cones] and Johnny [Marathon] who back-stepped for me while Sue nursed an injured back.