Finn Valley Riding Club 

Arena Eventing 2019

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Arena eventing is quite a new competition for British Riding Clubs. Area qualifiers are held as usual around the country and the final is at Aston –Le- Walls. It is an outdoor arena competition and is over both show jumps and cross country type jumps of which there are about sixteen to eighteen jumps altogether. It is timed and penalties are given for being over the optimum time or five seconds under the optimum time. A speed is given eg. 340 metres per minute but the time is kept secret, similar to the eventer challenge or hunter trials.

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Sadly, last year nobody in our area felt that we had a suitable venue to hold the qualifier, and so this year we were able to join Area 8 in there qualifier and they kindly ran Area 14 qualifier for us in all sections. The heights are 70cms, 80cms, 90 cms and 100cms so there is a class for nearly everyone.

 

Area 8’s qualifier was held at Finchingfield Equestrian Centre in Essex. It is a lovely venue with good hard standing parking, a very nice, large outdoor arena and a smaller one for warming up in. The weather was surprisingly kind and the competition was very efficiently run with helpers from all clubs including Area 14 helping over the two days.

The first day ran the 80 and 70cms classes. The 70 proved to be very challenging particularly with the skinny fences but Jess Mace did a fantastic job with Willow and came second. We had an 80cms team with Shirley Stagg, Julia Hicks, Kate Over and Sue Westmore. The team came second with Kate Over coming individually second and Sue Westmore third. A very good result.

The second day saw a 90cms team of Isabella Stagg, Amy Brownlee, Jasmine Slater and Danielle Lawrence. This team came third with Jasmine doing a lovely clear round to come individually third. Later in the day the 100cms team of Rosie Stevens, Cheryl Turner and Shannon Curtis came fourth.

 

We all had a lovely couple of days and are very grateful to Area 8 for running a qualifier for us but hopefully a club in our Area might feel inclined to run one next year. If not, it was discussed at an Area 14 meeting that we may be able to join a different area next year where the qualifier would be held at Keysoe.

 

Thoughts on this from our members would be gratefully received. Many thanks, once again, to Julia Sheppard for organising all the entries and forms for this competition and for the support from the Club for the prelim entry cost. It was a great experience and the Stagg family for one are looking forward to next years competition.

Lucy Stagg

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