Captain's Log

A crucial aspect of being involved with BUCS Equestrian matches is the importance of organising home competitions which take place at Witham Villa Riding Centre, DMU Equestrian's nominated training yard. The role of sorting out these home competitions and fixtures lies with the team Captain and it is their primary job to ensure matches run smoothly and they support not just their own team, but the guest teams to the yard. Captain job roles include; sorting score sheets, ordering rosettes, catering for the other teams and finding an appropriate listed judge to score for the day.

DMU Equestrian are very lucky to have three full teams competing in BUCS and friendly matches this year along with three new Captains all raring to get out and start the season! Becky Shraga, Captain of the BUCS B Team this year is preparing for the start of her team's training, with their home competition just around the corner. Have a listen to her interview in the video link below to find out what DMU Equestrian have been up to and more about competing in the BUCS league.

Don't forget to keep up to date with us via Twitter @DMUEquestrian

Tryouts 2013

What a busy, busy week for our Equestrian's! The start of the week beginning with our 2014 naked calendar shoot at Witham Villa with a very successful day for all and some very exciting photos to be revealed all in aid of Kimberley House RDA our nominated donor charity for the calendar proceeds. A promotion photo will be released very soon so keep an eye on all our pages for more info and calendars will be on sale as soon as they are ready for £5 each with half the proceeds going directly to our RDA group at Witham Villa.

The week came to head as the 2013 team tryouts were held on Wednesday 23rd of October with dressage and show jumping held in a BUCS competition style to put rider's to the ultimate test to see who would make it onto our DMU Equestrian A, B and C teams!

The dressage commenced at 9.30am (a very early start for everyone!) with rider's warming up to then go out and complete a 7 minute preliminary dressage test. The horses varied from 15hh cobs to 16.2 dutch warmbloods, a wide variety to suit all of our riders and test everyones ability to the max! Horses used included; Victor, Willow, Preston, Benji, Alice, Breeze and Holly B.The yard manager at Witham Villa, Verity Saul was the judge for the day and as a dressage expert was extremely pleased with the standard of riding displayed by all in the dressage phase of the competition.

The afternoon then started the show jumping round which consisted of 8 jumps varying from 90cm- 70cm in height depending on the team each rider was trying out for. The course had a double, spread, cross and straights with lots of corners and hard lines to ride with plenty of cantering also between fences ensuring a challenging ride for all involved. The horses used included; Harrison, Ben, Benji, Caesar and Breeze. Everyone excelled all expectations of both committee and yard staff as lots of clear rounds and high style marks were awarded across the board!

The day ended with Jenny Walker scoring highest in the dressage phase and Becky Shraga winning the jumping stage! After an exhausting day it was time for everyone to get their Troll hair sorted for our social in the evening at Bowstring, Marz Bar and the SU, with a good turnout from our team and social members. Looking forward to training commencing next week with the first B team competition just around the corner! A special thanks to Witham Villa for hosting our tryouts and giving us a fantastic day and Fidelity Group who have kindly sponsored our training this year. DMU Equestrian are hoping for some very promising results this year and are looking forward to the start of the season.

Keep up to date and Tweet us @DMUEquestrian

Becky Shraga and Willow

Jenny Walker and Victor

Lorna Stahly and Alice

Clare Wilyman and Benji

Gabbi Berrill and Harrison

Gemma Elliott and Ben

DMU Equestrian Show Jumping Round

Gabbi Berrill & Harrison

BUCS BEGINS!

Getting closer and closer to the start of the season and rider's at DMU are raring to go with prospects of a very exciting BUCS year ahead of them. Training harder than ever this year to hopefully secure some top team and individual placings, DMU is ready to go with the biggest number of people trying out ever!

The BUCS competitions are something completely unique in the equestrian world of competing as riders do not compete on their own horses, but on riding school owned horses and ponies at different yards across the country. This eliminates one of the most controversial things to do with horse riding and competing, and this is the cost of competitions and having to own your own horse/ pony as within BUCS you HAVE to ride something different every single time! The competitions also run in teams of 4 with each university competing in a league against 3 other universities at every BUCS match. This is a great way to get to meet people who are fellow equestrian lovers from universities across the country, whilst getting to experience riding different horses at every yard.

Competition Basics

The matches consist of a preliminary standard dressage test; basic walk, trot, canter, circles, serpentines, change of rein, halt and loops. You are marked out of 10 for each movement performed and then collective marks are given for use of aids, rein, leg, transitions, balance, impulsion, suppleness etc. You draw the horse from a hat and are assigned a number as a rider, and then a letter for the horse, so you would be Rider 12 on Horse A for example. You are given 10 minutes for the first rider, and 7 minutes for the riders thereafter to warm up your horse in whichever manner you wish before going in to do your test. This requires riders to be confident in their ability to sit on any horse and perform the dressage, as well as a unique test of their independent riding skills.

The second phase is the show jumping which is drawn in the same manner with different horses who will all be shown around the course of jumps before being ridden by the BUCS competitors. Riders who go first have 7 minutes to warm up, and riders after have 5 minutes. The warm up will consist of 2 fences put to height that must be jumped a maximum of 4 times before beginning the show jumping round. Riders are marked on each fence out of 10, then on their use of rein, leg, aids, impulsion and suppleness in collective marks. Fences can include; dog legs, stiles, spread, cross poles, related distance, doubles and triples.

Riders are scored against the other people who ride the same horse from different universities meaning the marks are given a collective negative for the difference between scores. If you perform the best on your horse then you will have no negatives and be given a mark of 0. Rosette placings for individuals range from 1st to 6th so a big chance to win is always there, with every team getting team placed rosettes also.

Competition Wear/ Etiquette 

The importance of riding at other yards is something that is unique to BUCS but also a privilege. Riders must comply with all yard rules at other stables and also any rules regarding the way fences are jumped, and whip length/ spur use on horses. At DMU Equestrian we pride ourselves on our conduct and manners at competitions and always help out at other yards wherever we can with the horses or riders to make sure everyone has a fantastic day! Riders must always salute their judge after dressage and before show jumping with a cheeky smile never going a miss from DMU Equestrian.

Competition wear is as follows; 

Our BUCS C Team at Loughborough representing
DMU Equestrian very smartly!

Riders should be very smartly dressed with either tweed, navy or black show jackets.
White shirts must be worn with a tie or stock.
Breeches/ Jodhpurs must be white, pale yellow or fawn in colour.
Plain black or brown long boots, or jodhpur boots with matching leather gaiters/ chaps NOT suede.
Gloves are compulsary for dressage but optional for show jumping.
All riders must wear hats approved PAS 015:1998 / B.S.EN 1384:1997 or ASTM F1163.
Long hair must be neatly secured for both dressage and show jumping.
It is recommended (but not necessary) for riders to wear body protectors for show jumping to a minimum of BETA 2000 safety level 3.
Whip length may be any for dressage but a maximum of 75cm for jumping.

Our brand new DMU Colours Riding
Competition Stocks and Badges!
ORDER with us now!

BUCS is an amazing experience for anyone who loves competing, loves horses and wants to try something new! We are looking forward to having some top riders join us at DMU Equestrian with tryouts just over a week away!

Keep in touch with us

Twitter @DMUEquestrian
Facebook DMU Equestrian Society

We always appreciate any feedback or questions you may have and look forward to having a great BUCS YEAR!

Horses cure hangovers.

What a busy, busy few weeks at DMU Equestrian! Lots of exciting new riders, training and socials have all been happening in preparation for the real hard work that comes at team tryouts next week!

The week kicked off with the taster session that ran at Witham Villa, with an amazing turnout from people who have never sat on a horse, to experienced riders who have owned their own horses and competed. A fantastic day was had by all and the staff, horses/ ponies and the committee worked hard all day to make sure everyone enjoyed their first experience of DMU Equestrian life. The dedication of Witham Villa is something that is definitely a central part of running the society and without their amazing horses, hospitality and motivated staff, the success of DMU Equestrian would not be where it is today.

The week then took a turn to looking at people for our university teams and the tryouts, with a large range of riders all hoping to secure a spot on one of our prestigious teams. The first lesson before tryouts was a swop round on the flat, to look at everyone for dressage abilities and to see how everyone got on with various horses at the yard. With the style of BUCS this has proved a challenge to some of our young riders, but like any good horseman or woman getting down to business is certainly something that our hopeful riders were more than capable of. In order to ride a successful dressage test, riders must ensure accuracy in all movements as well as suppleness and roundness of their horse achieving a soft, flexing contact with balance and harmony between horse and rider. The following week shall test riders on their jumping capabilities in preparation for the show jumping round of the tryout session where riders must complete a course of jumps including; dog legs, stiles, spreads, related distance, triples and cross poles.

LIFEGUARD SOCIAL

The first social of the week kicked off with DMU Equestrian going all out to save some student lives as they dressed up in true Baywatch style as LIFEGUARDS! With a fantastic turnout and a really good night had by all with the following week only to get better with more games, more rules and more fun! Second social consisted of the girls sporting the best ARMY gear as social secretary Gemma Elliott whipped them all into shape with some hilarious antics, and her brand new megaphone!

So proving that through hard work comes reward, the Equestrian's are on a mission to have more fun, more thrills and more riders striving more than ever to be the best that DMU Equestrian can be. Keep your eyes and ears open, as there are big things to come from the Equestrian team this year!

ARMY SOCIAL

ARMY SOCIAL