BUCS Banishing Britain?

This week has seen the controversial decision made to not send a British team to the World University Equestrian Championships ran by BUCS. This decision reflects the lack of support and funding given to university equine sports teams over other sports played within the BUCS university leagues. As a competing university, the topic has lead to many discussions between DMU Equestrian rider's as to the negative impact this has on not only university competitors, but Britain as a leading country in equestrian sport currently in the world.

BUCS, The British University and
Colleges Sport.

The World University Championships are ran in the same format of BUCS (British University and Colleges Sport) format league competitions across the UK. Britain has decided to not send a team this year on the basis that the style of competition does not help to positively develop the most elite young rider's who train for Team GB. The event was to occur in March in Abu Dhabi, where rider's are given an unknown horse supplied by the venue, with 10 minutes to warm up before doing a dressage test and show jumping round, the same display as in the BUCS league matches. The final round consists of a Prix St George standard dressage test and a 1.30m show jumping round.

Previous British winners in the BUCS world title includes top event rider, William Fox- Pitt who won the show jumping phase in the world championships. His reaction to the news Britain was not sending a team was that it was a "huge shame" as a rider who fully supports the university BUCS competitions and the positive development of young British rider's.

Team GB have had huge success
since the 2012 London Olympics

BUCS have stated that the competitions do not help improve the Olympic rider's in training and the competition does not fit in with their young rider development programme, hence the decision to abstain from sending a team. The lack of funding for university sport is reflected in this decision as sending a team would be costly, but Britain have already proved they are more than capable of bringing home the gold with a successful previous record at the BUCS worlds with at least one medal every event since 1997.

The format of the BUCS competitions is a controversial one, but it allows rider's to compete who may not necessarily be able to finance their own horse and encourages them to adapt to any situation by riding a variety of different horses. This is a huge shame pulling Britain out especially due to the recent success by Charlotte Dujardin and her world record at Olympia in December 2013 and Scott Brash becoming world number one for show jumping.

Jenny Walker, Chairperson for De Montfort Equestrian Society had this to say about the drastic decision not to send a team;

"It's a huge shame that we won't have a BUCS team to represent our country in the World Equestrian Championships this year. It's especially disappointing considering how much Britain is succeeding in all aspects of Equestrian disciplines, including lots of medals at the 2012 Olympics and recent world records set by Charlotte Dujardin. I have seen some of the BUCS young rider talent in our region alone and the standard is very high, which is know is reflected in BUCS leagues across the country. This is a huge step backwards in the world of student equestrian sport and hopefully we will gain a well deserved place at next year's championships and BUCS will alter their decision not to send a team."

The impact of this decision by BUCS is one that will have a knock on effect on the number of rider's who choose to participate in university equine activity due to the lack of support and closure of opportunities such as the world championships for them to take part in.

Let us know what you think via Twitter @DMUEquestrian or Facebook 'DMU Equestrian Society'

Remember to keep voting in the ESMA Awards 2014 for DMU Equestrian, Section 14: 'BEST BLOG' and help counteract this negative impact on university equine sport and get behind the fight for British success!

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VOTING NOW OPEN! 

Is 2014 the year for university equestrian sport?

The start of 2014 has started in success for DMU Equestrian as they have been nominated into the top 10 finals for the global Equestrian Social Media Awards. This is an outstanding achievement for the society who are delighted to be a part of these prestigious awards and are voting and promoting, hoping to secure a win for their club.

The hard work that has been inputted by all the members of the society, competitive teams and committee is what has driven DMU Equestrian to the forefront of sport at De Montfort, and being a part of these awards is only helping to raise the profile of university equestrian sport even more. The positive impact of these awards has only motivated the team behind DMU Equestrian Society to get involved in more activities outside of their home yard including some volunteering for the local RDA Arden group. This is continuing the hard work the girls have done with their naked charity calendar raising an amazing amount of money with a complete sell out this year! Alongside their charitable work, the girls have are preparing to start building upon their training sessions by trying out some fitness but equestrian style, with brand new Equi-Pilates classes. These classes are designed to work specifically on pilates that benefits the core strength and muscles worked hardest within horse rider's and aimed to benefit balance, strength and muscle ratio. The society are helping to support local Equi- Pilates instructor and sports massage therapist, Sara Smith on her fight to get equestrian's fitter and fighting ready for those competitive seasons to begin.

What's next for DMU Equestrian?

Becky Shraga B Team Captain

B Team Captain, Becky Shraga tells us all about the next stage of the journey for DMU Equestrian and gives us an exclusive insight into why De Montfort Equestrian team is the club to join, and the pony place to be. 

What has been your favourite moment so far since the start of the 2013/2014 academic year?

Being made B team captain and leading a very strong team into our first competition on home turf, where everyone member of the team’s dressage and jumping results had improved dramatically from the start of the year at try outs. This made me feel very proud of my team and showed how hard work and commitment can really pay off.

What is the best thing about being on committee?

Working in a close-knit team, who also happen to by my best friends is the most rewarding part of being on committee. I loved planning and executing the fresher’s fair. All our hard work over the summer thoroughly paid off, signing up more members than the last two previous years, which for a developing club like ours, is a huge achievement we were all extremely proud of.

Describe your DMU Equestrian experience in three words.

Fun, Exciting, Love

What other experiences can DMU Equestrian offer members besides riding on a competitive team?

British Dressage, Riding schools competitions, Gymkhana, handy pony days, RDA training, socials and much more…

What new things are you planning to try out for 2014 as a club?

RDA training, friendly competitions between B and C team, British dressage, local show jumping…

How has DMU Equestrian made your university experience the best it can possibly be?

I’ve made friends that I will keep for life, increased my competitive streak, worked as a captain with my best friends, competed in British Dressage and formed a strong bond with one the horses who I plan to compete with on a regular basis.

What personal goals has DMU Equestrian helped you to achieve or overcome?

I will now happily will sit on any horse and take what it gives me, can now jump a 95cm show jumping course after breaking my back 5 years ago.

What has been your most memorable night out with the club?

Going on a joint social with hockey, dressed in my DMU riding colours and jodhpurs allowed us to bond with the other teams and have a really fun night out. 

REMEMBER TO TWEET US @DMUEquestrian 

AND VOTE FOR US IN THE 2014 ESMA AWARDS SECTION 14 DMU EQUESTRIAN FOR 'BEST BLOG'

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DMU Equestrian 'BEST BLOG' FINALISTS! VOTE NOW!

DMU Equestrian's social media success #esma14

The Equestrian Social Media Awards #esma14

The close of 2013 marked the end of a very successful year at DMU Equestrian, with the naked calendar being a sell out, and two unforgettable home competitions for the BUCS league teams who compete for De Montfort. The club are hoping to continue this success and the positive development of Equestrian sport at university into 2014 and beyond, as a developing sport that has significantly raised it's profile at DMU and is proving to be at the forefront of sport at De Montfort.

The opening of the Equestrian Social Media awards for 2014 in December ignited a new challenge for the society at DMU as the nomination for 'Best Blog' allowed them the opportunity to showcase their developments in helping get more young people involved in equine activities at university level. The awards showcase how different types of social media are helping to raise the profile of equestrian sport and activities across the globe. The awards positively unite the equestrian world and DMU Equestrian are extremely lucky to be a part of the nominations this year, showing off their very own methods of getting equestrian sport out there and more and more people wanting to know more!

These prestigious awards have 17 categories including; best use of twitter, best blog, best use of Facebook, best use of media by a professional horse person etc. The public nominate entries into the awards and then the top 10 from each section are entered into the finals on January 20th 2014 in which two winners are decided, one by public vote and one by a specially selected equine panel of professional judges. Nominees are subject to strict engagement criteria such as how quickly they respond to comments, post original content and demonstrate good online etiquette. Top celebrities such as; world number one show jumper Ben Maher, Katie Price and Clare Balding are all entrants in the awards alongside amateur writers and equestrians. In the equestrian world it is a highly regarded award with some top magazine and television names entering such as; Horse and Hound, Horse and Country TV and British Eventing. This is matched by the just as expert panel of judges which comprises of top photographers, professional riders, magazine publishers, bloggers etc.

The support from everyone who has voted in the awards has highlighted just how far the society has come and how much impact it has had on people at the university and young people involved in the sport. The influence it has had over Equestrian sport at De Montfort University has been amazing, with a high readership level and active circulation around the university. The activity of this blog has raised, beyond belief the profile of equestrian sport at university and has acted as a catalyst for the engagement of young, educated people to get into something amazing. It gives the ins and outs, the ups and downs and the true dedication and motivation that people riding in university sport have and the level of success it can give to the individual and as a club at De Montfort. It was started out as a means of developing the training and activity of BUCS league teams at the university and has grown into something much more than that, with an outstanding level of support from students and staff at the university. It signifies the true impact that a small community can have on improving equestrian sport and how every single rider is valuable within the community on a social level as well as a riding one. It as enhanced the social media awareness of equestrian sport at university by positively reinforcing the benefits of riding and giving students something extra to work for. DMU Equestrian blog is a bout more than just horses, it is about creating and educating the university community about a sport that is now at the forefront of British sporting disciplines.

Thank you to everyone who has voted and supported us. We are ever anticipating the announcement of the finalists for 2014 on January 20th!

#esma14
DMU Equestrian for 'Best Blog'

Looking back, but moving forward: 2013 review

What a year it has been in the equestrian world. With lots of firsts, triumphs, thrills and spills across British equestrian sport and disciplines with Team GB leading the forefront of the equine success story. This success has meant British equestrian sport is now not just internationally recognised, but internationally honoured and respected with leading competitors in dressage, show jumping, eventing and Paralympic events. This drive to get equestrian sport out there is something that has been reflected in the student population of De Montfort University, who have been determined to push equestrian sport at university to the front of sporting disciplines. The committee for DMU Equestrian have worked hard this year to set in stone the importance and value of this amazing sport and have had the best success ever so far this year. With a record number of sign ups at the freshers fair kicking things off, the number of rider's who signed to tryout was also the best that DMU has ever seen with lots of positive engagement from the students and other sports teams at the university.

Some of the DMU team rider's at the christmas gymkhana games

The club have worked on developing the number of rider's who come to Witham Villa by holding events for beginners such as the very successful horse care day, that allowed beginner rider's to take part and learn basic horse care skills. Dressage demonstration from Verity Saul, the yard owner and dressage rider at Witham Villa was something that inspired all of our team rider's to get back into the saddle and take the reins to do their very best in the dressage discipline. The fun gymkhana day at the end of term was an alternative way for the team rider's to let off some steam after a successful season competing so far this year. The commitment to training for the competitive teams has been improved by the generous funding from Fidelity Group who have sponsored the BUCS teams in their fight to push for bigger, better results. Alongside this, the society have created their most successful naked charity calendar to date, with a record number of sales and the most exciting and adventurous photos ever seen. The club hosted a 'Night at the Races' charity launch night for the calendar at Bowstring bar in Leicester with horse and dog races, student drinks with donations to charity and calendar sales. The night was a huge success with a great turnout from other societies, sports teams and students who all dressed to impress in order to help support the RDA, a fantastic local group Kimberley House who support and improve the lives of people living with disability through horse riding care and therapy.

The 2013/2014 Committee at the Naked Calendar Launch

The support has been continued through the award winning student media, 'The Demon', with the radio and newspaper offering their full support to the equestrian's with regular features to allow them to promote their sport and keep the student population up to date on their activities. The integration of the sport into different areas of the university has been key to the success they have achieved so far this year, as well as the development and support of their home yard and the trainers and staff working with them. With two home competitions under their belt and lots of positive individual results, the team is positively engaging with the desire to achieve the best results possible to make equestrian sport at DMU better than ever. With 2014 just around the corner, DMU Equestrian have already got their competition preparations in place for next year with some equi-pilates classes set for January to get the team fighting fit for the next set of fixtures. The development of their BUCS rider's will be focussed on in preparations for this year's Varsity match against Leicester university as DMU fight to get the best team ready to go and compete in the biggest event of the year and get the best results possible.

It's safe to say that Equestrian is not just a developing sport at DMU, but the fastest expanding sport in Britain with more and more people getting involved in all things horse in sport. This success can be measured by the amazing triumph of none other, than the leading lady herself, Charlotte Dujardin. The double Olympic champion and her prolific partner, Valegro gained the biggest success of their career at the 2013 Olympia dressage freestyle championships. The 28 year old achieved a record breaking 93.975% in her last ever performance of the dressage test that grasped her gold in 2012. Dujardin is a reflection of the true hard work and dedication that the sport requires, her near perfect score at yesterday's Olympia freestyle signifies a key moment in equestrian history for Britain, and a well earned achievement for both horse and rider. As Olympia continues, Team GB look for more success stories with the puissance and show jumping just around the corner. Who will win the Christmas Cracker? I know DMU Equestrian will be watching to make sure they find out first.

World number 1, Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro @Olympia

Acknowledgements 

A final massive thank you to Witham Villa and all of the staff and horses who have supported us and are helping every single rider reach their own individual goals and achieve their equestrian dreams. To our sponsors, Fidelity Group for helpign us to achieve this by sponsoring our BUCS team rider's allowing them to work towards a positive future. A final thank you to everyone who has supported us with our riding, competitions, photography, charity work and society, we are ever anticipating the start of 2014!

Keep up to date with us via Twitter @DMUEquestrian and let us know all your horsey happenings over the Christmas period!

Trotting to the top - BUCS A Team Match Review

As the first term comes to a close for De Montfort, Wednesday 4th of December saw the last of the A team fixtures at Witham Villa Riding Centre with DMU Equestrian finishing, what has already been a successful year on home ground. With dressage and show jumping training now happening every week, the team were anxious to get out there and show off all their hard work over the past few months, since their victorious success at Sheffield University just a few weeks ago.

Jenny Walker and Monty

The team to represent DMU at home comprised of four top rider's; Jenny Walker, Clare Wilyman, Gemma Elliott and Georgia Aston who at their recent BUCS competition came back with some fantastic individual and team results for De Montfort. The team were hoping for the same successful streak to follow them back home to compete with some never before seen horses being used for the first time in BUCS for De Montfort. Judge of the day Richard Baldwin, a regular dressage judge at Witham Villa anticipated a great day of showing ahead for all the teams competing in the university league and was excited to be working alongside the university rider's for the day

Georgia Aston and Todd

The teams competing included some of the top British universities for equestrian sport with Loughborough, Nottingham and Nottingham Trent all part of the big BUCS league alongside De Montfort. With the regularity of training and focus dedicated to improving upon individual needs and goals, De Montfort were in for a promising day to gain some high scores and top results with the standard of riding higher than ever before. The dressage set for the day included some of Witham's top dressage horses, some that have competed up to medium regional level, a standard of exceptional dressage performance.

Clare Wilyman and Dexter

Monty- A stunning, 16.2hh bay gelding bred right on Witham's doorstep. Monty has qualified for the British Dressage summer regionals at Preliminary level and currently competes BD novice and elementary level dressage.
Victor- One of De Montfort's favourite dressage boys, the gorgeous 16.1hh gelding, Victor. Imported from Holland in 2012, Victor has competed in all disciplines and is being schooled currently to further his dressage. Victor qualified for the Preliminary senior regionals with Jenny Walker and is set to have a bright and promising dressage career ahead of him!
Todd- A lovely 15.2hh bay gelding, also imported from Holland. Todd has evented prior to coming to Witham and this was to be his first ever BUCS competition.
Dexter- 15.2hh Irish sport, the cheeky chestnut gelding Dexter is a horse who has competed in numerous BUCS competitions over the past 2 years. He has competed in Prelim and Novice level dressage never gaining less than 60% in all of his tests. A stunning horse with some impressive paces, one to watch for in the future.

The dressage commenced at 10am, with some fabulous and accurate tests displayed from all the teams, with De Montfort gaining some very impressive scores. Savvy show jumper, Gemma Elliott rode Victor and trotted out of the arena with 72.8%, a massive achievement for both horse and rider who were ecstatic with the result.

Gemma Elliott and Victor

With the sunshine continuing into the afternoon, the show jumping phase was ready to commence at 1pm. Some of the horses from the B team home competition including; Harrison, Ben and Caesar were to compete again with the new addition of Benji, the bold, bay thoroughbred who has competed in numerous university competitions and finished in 3rd place at the BHS Riding Schools Final in 2013.

The course comprised of 8 fences including; a dog leg, double, related distance and two spreads all set at 90cm BUCS league match height. There were some impressive and clear rounds displayed from all the teams, and the day finished on a high for everyone involved, after an intense few weeks of training by all who took part, finally paying off in the end with the rosette ceremony highlighting some of the highest scores of the season so far.

With the season coming to a close, DMU Equestrian set their sights to next year and the start of the 2014 BUCS matches. A huge improvement has been displayed from all the rider's and the promise of more individual and higher team placings is still the aim for all of our BUCS competitors. A massive congratulations to all the A team rider's for their achievement at their home yard as we continue to see them grow and develop more positively as a team.

CONGRATULATIONS TO DMU A TEAM:

Jenny Walker

Gemma Elliott

Clare Wilyman 

Georgia Aston

Clare Wilyman and Harrison

Georgia Aston and Benji

Don't forget to keep up with all the latest horsey happenings on Twitter @DMUEquestrian and via our Facebook page 'DMU Equestrian Society'

BUCS B Team saddle up for the season at home

Becky Shraga and Willow

Wednesday 27th of November saw De Montfort Equestrian Team host the first home competition of the year at Witham Villa Riding School and the first league match for the BUCS B Team universities. De Montfort have been training hard in preparation for the day with the A Team BUCS home match to be closely followed on the 4th of December.

Gabbi Berrill and Breeze

The team competing on the day comprised of  four of DMU's top rider's who have all been working hard at home to ensure the best results possible. The team is headed by none other than DMU Equestrian's, Becky Shraga, a committee member for the past two years, and fierce competitor who has watched DMU Equestrian grow and develop as a successful society in the last three years. Becky has been working hard all summer competing in British Dressage at home to enable her to come back ready to push her team into action for the BUCS season ahead. Helen Whittle was the first fresher to join the B team this year hoping to build upon her dressage skills and represent DMU by competing for the university. The bold blondie was extremely enthusiastic about joining the team after competing on her own horse in various show jumping disciplines prior to coming to De Montfort, and has found herself to be right at home with the girls at DMU Equestrian. The second fresher to join B team is Lizzie Mole, who has been an avid equestrian her whole life with her own horses at home, but was out to try something new and gain some extra experience in both dressage and show jumping to further herself in the competitive equestrian world. The final team member was Gabbi Berrill, also a committee member who rode alongside Becky Shraga on the C team last year both acting as true examples of the progress and success equestrian can offer riders who want to get themselves back into competing but in a totally new environment and style.

With a solid team ready to go, DMU Equestrian were raring to start off the season at their home yard, competing alongside some of the top universities for equestrian sport in the country including; Loughborough, The University of Leicester and The University of Nottingham.

B Team Captain Becky Shraga and Willow

With the weather on their side, a perfect sunny morning saw the dressage commence from 9.30am with some top horses in use including;
Spider, the chestnut gelding schoolmaster who has competed up to elementary level dressage.
Breeze, a stunning bay gelding and one of Witham's newest horses and a firm favourite amongst the DMU rider's who competes in all Pony Club and Prelim Dressage activities currently.
Willow, a striking Welsh section D black mare, who has competed at Witham Villa in various dressage competitions and is being schooled to further her jumping.
Dexter, a lovely chestnut gelding who has competed in dressage with yard manager Alison West and is becoming a regular horse used for team training with DMU Equestrian since coming back into work.

B team all rode extremely well in the dressage with some pleasing rounds and very high collective marks displayed from all! All of the rider's beat their team tryout scores showing a definite improvement in the regularity of team training occurring once a week now as a result of the generosity of Fidelity Group's sponsorship. Becky Shraga took the leading score for DMU with an impressive 66.4% on Willow, a very positive result for both horse and rider.

Gabbi Berrill and Harrison

After a short break for lunch, the horses for the jumping phase were shown around the course which included a dog leg, double, two spreads and a related distance to challenge the rider's ability to the max. The horses used for jumping were a mixture of 16hh thoroughbreds right through to 14hh ponies.
Ben, a 16.2hh bay gelding, imported form Holland who has competed in affiliated dressage, pony club activities, cross country and BHS Riding School registered competitions.
Harrison, a dark bay gelding who is a definite favourite for DMU Equestrian, competing in dressage and show jumping disciplines since coming to Witham Villa.
Preston, a super pony who competes regularly in pony club activities and dressage, who is always eager to please all who ride him.
Caesar, a 16.2hh bay gelding, who has competed at Witham alongside DMU for a number of years, as well as in affiliated dressage and all pony club/ show jumping activities.

DMU Equestrian rode positively with lots of clear rounds in the show jumping, with top score for DMU coming from Gabbi Berrill on Harrison closely followed by her team mates who all beat their tryout scores again! Despite coming team 4th place, the B team girls did a fantastic job at representing DMU and have all had personal bests and successes of their own for the day. As the first competition of the year, the team couldn't have done DMU Equestrian prouder with a solid set of results displayed at the end of the day from all. The team carry on their hard work and training in preparation for their next competition at The University of Nottingham in a few weeks time.

CONGRATULATIONS AND WELL DONE AGAIN TO DMU EQUESTRIAN BUCS B TEAM;

BECKY SHRAGA (Captain) 

GABBI BERRILL

LIZZIE MOLE

HELEN WHITTLE

A massive thank you to everyone who came and supported on the day as well as all the committee members and Witham Villa for being fabulous hosts as always. Another huge thank you to Fletch Photography who captured the day for DMU Equestrian with lots of stunning photos of our rider's and horses.

Photography Copyright of @FletchPhotography

Lizzie Mole and Ben

Helen Whittle and Preston

A Team success at Sheffield BUCS match

Friday 22nd of November saw De Montfort's A team head off to Sheffield University to compete in the first BUCS fixture of the season! The match was against Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham University and Sheffield University with a very, very early start for De Montfort who trekked their way up the M1 to Sheffield's home yard for what was set to be a very exciting day for all. With weekly training occurring at Witham Villa on a Wednesday, DMU A team have been working hard the past few weeks to enable them to be as prepared as possible for the first lot of fixtures this term.

A Team; Jenny Walker, Georgia Aston, Clare Wilyman
and Gemma Elliott

The team that represented De Montfort comprised of Jenny Walker, A team Captain and Chairperson for DMU Equestrian who has been pushing all of the girls at training this year to ensure the best results possible. Gemma Elliott, the feisty show jumper from Northern Ireland whose usual duties include giving the girls at DMU Equestrian a top night out as social secretary for the club. Clare Wilyman, Kit Officer and Treasurer on the committee who has been working hard all summer with her own horses at home to train for the high standard of riding displayed from the participating universities as she previously competed on the A team last year. Last, but by no means least, Georgia Aston, one of DMU Equestrian's newest members who has owned horses and competed at home prior to joining the team, but this was to be her first ever competition in BUCS!

As to be expected, nerves were high and the pressure was on to gain DMU some valuable points on that BUCS score board. The morning commenced with the dressage phase and all of the rider's drew their horses and got ready to complete their Prelim standard test after only 7 minutes to get to grips with their ride. A difficult and challenging ask for all who rode with little time to work their horse before entering the arena. A very solid set of scores from our A team rider's but the tough competition meant De Montfort were placed last after the Dressage phase and knew they all had to fight for that win back with their jumping rounds giving them more drive than ever to bring it back.

Gemma Elliott gained an impressive 8th
individual place at Sheffield University.

The jumping commenced in the afternoon with DMU determined to gain back their rightful place and pull some top scores out. With lots of 8s, 9s, and 10s being awarded the fight for places and top marks was to be the biggest challenge yet for A team. Gemma Elliott and Jenny Walker however, gained astonishing marks with 211 out of 220 for Jenny, and 209 out of 220 for Gemma in the jump phase. A fabulous display of jumping by all meant De Montfort secured themselves a 3rd place Team win! A fantastic result of all the hard work and training put in by the team in the past few weeks, beating the prestigious Nottingham University by 15 points. Not only was this a massive achievement, but the girls gained two individual placings of 6th and 8th, from two of our committee members, who were delighted with the day.

Captain, Jenny Walker was ecstatic with the results and commented saying;

"The whole team rode so well in both the dressage and jumping phases. The competition was really high (and so were the nerves!) but all our riders upped their game and rode the best I have ever seen them so far this year! Gaining 3rd team place and two individuals is a positive reflection of all the hard work and dedication of the team so far, we hope to continue to bring good results back and carry on doing De Montfort proud."

Georgia Aston, the only fresher joining the A team had this to say;

"As the only fresher on the A Team, I was very nervous of taking part in our first competition. Initially I was worried that there would be a lot of pressure to perform, however my team mates were fantastic and very relaxed about the whole day, helping me out every step of the way. We had a positive attitude towards the whole competition and had a fantastic day. The experience was made even better by coming away with a good dressage score and a brilliant clear round in the jumping as well as team 3rd for DMU and two individual placings! I can now look forward to our upcoming home competition and hopefully another good result for the A team."

DMU Equestrian are definitely proving themselves to be one to watch out for this year, with the A team success only reinforcing this further. At the forefront of sport at De Montfort, Equestrian are looking forward to the up coming B team home competition and the launch of the naked calendar in the next few weeks hoping to gain more success for both competitors and charity.

A special thanks to Fidelity Group, who sponsor our weekly team training sessions, and also Witham Villa Riding Centre who continue to work with us pushing for the best results possible. The committee are working hard to ensure a successful BUCS season and that results are continually improving and Equestrian is striving to be the best they can be in all disciplines. The team were all proudly representing De Montfort in their DMU red and black stocks that gained a very positive reception from the opposing teams.

CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN TO A TEAM:
GEMMA ELLIOTT
GEORGIA ASTON
JENNY WALKER and
CLARE WILYMAN

Tweet us @DMUEquestrian and keep up with the latest Equestrian gossip at DMU.

Georgia Aston

Gemma Elliott

Jenny Walker

Clare Wilyman