Each year RDA North Region (covering Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and Co. Durham) holds a regional qualifying competition, incorporating dressage and countryside challenge classes, to select riders to attend the RDA National Championships. Following their success in the Regional Dressage Qualifiers, July saw Liz Gandy and Jazz setting off for the RDA National Championships at Hartpury College in Gloucestershire. Hartpury is a major centre for equine sport and education, with facilities including a fabulous indoor arena which hosts national and international events.
The Hartpury College campus is a busy and exciting place during the RDA Championships, attended by dozens of RDA groups, many of whom bring their own horses, not to mention hundreds of riders and helpers, and an army of national volunteers making sure the proceedings run smoothly.
As in the qualifying competitions there are some classes which are open to any RDA rider, while others are for those who have been "graded" according to their level of disability.
Liz has a "1b" grading, and so entered the Grade 1b Championship Dressage class, in which she was placed 6th, and the Grade 1b Freestyle to Music class, in which she was placed 5th.
You can watch video clips of Liz and Jazz performing their tests below.
Class 2: Grade 1b Championship Dressage
This is the same dressage test (Test 10) as Liz and Jazz were required to perform in the qualifying competition at Morpeth in May.
Class 10: Grade 1b Freestyle to Music
The freestyle class is an additional competition which those who have qualified for the championship dressage class are entitled to enter, though not all do so.
Competitors are free to choose their own programme of music and dressage movements, but there are some compulsory movements they are required to incorporate at some point in the routine.
As always Jazz was a real star, taking the big event in her stride. Liz would also like to thank WRC Manager Jane Cherry and Assistant Manager Lorna Watson for giving up their weekend to make the long journey down to Gloucestershire and providing the help and support which made her participation possible.
Riders from WRC regularly qualify to compete at Hartpury, and this was the third year Liz has participated, including a win in her Freestyle to Music class in 2008 on Rosie. Some more of our previous entrants are below, pictured in the often sun-drenched (and occasionally rain-drenched!) outdoor arenas which run classes in parallel.
Tracy Steel is well known to most WRC users. Having been a rider at the Centre from the age of 15 she progressed to become a qualified RDA Instructor and has been working full time for several years as Education Support Officer.
Tracy first competed at the RDA Championships in 2003 and has done so regularly since, although this year she has taken time out to work with a new horse.
Tracy is pictured here riding Ed in the Grade I-V Championship Dressage class in 2008.
Louise Forrest began riding at WRC aged 8. In 2006 she rode Rosie at the Championships, winning her Freestyle to Music class. She is pictured here in 2008, again riding Rosie, and claiming a 2nd place rosette in the Grade 1b Championship Dressage class.
Louise has more recently been the recipient of non-equine congratulations: she was expecting her first baby at the time of the 2009 Nationals and enjoying her first year of motherhood in 2010, so has been taking a break from riding over this period.
Brittany Byrne is pictured here riding Ed at the end of her Grade I-V Championship Dressage class in 2009, along with Tracy who was calling the test for her.
Brittany started coming to WRC in September 2007 on an alternative timetable from Belmont school in Durham. As well as riding at the Centre, Brittany successfully achieved the Transition Challenge and Towards Independence Awards in 2009, and in 2010 also completed her Community Volunteering Qualification (CVQ) and Employability Awards.
(For more information about education at WRC please see the Our Courses link above.)
