Newnham 2007
Christina Woollacott Di Hayes
Kate Fincham Powell Frank Campbell
Everyone gets to have a go
Rosanna Walters Symons
Philip Mann
Val Maunder
Roger Campbell
Nick Palmer Mike Stamp
Nell Beale Jo Gladstone
Penny Bragg
NEWNHAM PARK AND THE GREAT WESTERN HARNESS CLUB 2007.
Newnham is such a beautiful setting for carriage driving trials with so many ingredients for a superb weekend event. The flat ground along the river boundary makes a superb location for the dressage and cones courses but with the adjacent river utilised for various crossing points on the marathon course as well as the hills, woodland tracks, open fields and the permanent obstacles situated close to the lorry park it means everything is on hand for competitors and spectators conveniently accessible whilst offering enough variation to be challenging.
There were several challenges during the event which the hard working organising committee had to face, deal with and overcome so that the event ran through to the end.The dressage and cones competitions benefited from the good weather throughout Saturday and even through to the evening barbeque and rounders challenge when we sat out socialising and eating the scrumptious supper laid on by the Campbell Clan (girl power division)! Threats of heavy rain and rain overnight tried its best to create chaos.
By Sunday a tree decided its number was up and had come down to rest across the marathon course this caused a minor delay over start times while Mark Ingham and a trusty chum plus chain saw - saw off – (sorry to be corny) that particular challenge! Some of the emergency service back up were late in arriving which deferred the start times a little further.Not content this would prevent the committee continuing and want to go home another tree decided to lie down whilst a competitor was on the course more chain saw antics for Mark. Poor Di Stamp was taken poorly whilst backstepping for husband Mike and needed ambulance transport to hospital for urgent treatment (Happily I understand she is fit and well now). One competitor had a broken carriage spring during the marathon and a second had a quick tip in the last obstacle. Happily no one was hurt in either incident but it does bring home to all just how quickly problems can arise.However, for the rest of the field we all completed the Marathon and I for one absolutely loved it. My little young horse on her first ever outdoor event was superb. She fell desperately in love with one of Nick Palmer`s horses and we had to keep her distracted when they went out to play. Then she saw horses in dressage arenas and standing around and going around cones course and decided she would prefer to go back in her lorry and home thank you but a little persuasion around the lorry park walking and taking it in and we returned to the dressage arena in time for our spot much more composed. Looping our way round the cones to give her plenty of time to look also paid off and we spent much time deliberating whether to try each obstacle just a couple of gates each one to let her see them all or to try the whole obstacle each time and see how it went. We opted for the latter and she was just great she went in and turned left and turned right when asked and really did just “what it says on the label”. In fact the little baggage enjoyed herself so much when we offered her the lorry ramp to go home she spent a few minutes saying she would like to stay at Newnham and do it all again!
We had a super weekend and I appreciate that it is as much work to run 20 competitors as 40 in terms of course building and manpower but the essential ingredient has to be fun. We had fun the whole weekend (although the muscles in my legs protested a little on Sunday morning after rounders on Saturday night) and despite the rain managed to pack up and load all our kit dry onto the lorry to come home. Always a huge bonus when back at work on Monday not having to come home to soggy wet awnings and kit to dry out! And I drove the lorry down and back as John could not get away early on Friday. Thank you to Ray and Nick for the “man”power provided in lifting out the stable awning for me.
A huge THANK YOU to all the committee who worked so hard and the competitors for entering to make the weekend such fun roll on next time……….See you all then no excuses!!!
Christina Woollacott