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

DMU Equestrian 2014 Naked Charity Calendar

Kimberley House RDA is DMU
Equestrian's nominated charity
for calendar proceeds.

They say that charity begins at home, and home for De Montfort University Equestrian Team begins at their nominated training yard Witham Villa Riding Centre in Broughton Astley. The ever growing society decided that once again they were going to ‘bare’ all in the name of charity to produce yet another naked calendar for 2014.

The charity chosen for proceeds to be donated towards is the RDA, the ‘Riding for the Disabled Association.’ Kimberley House RDA is a group that runs every week at Witham Villa Riding Centre changing the lives of people living with disability and really making a difference in their mental and physical well being. This great cause is held very close to home for some of our equestrian team members who have volunteered and worked alongside this charity both at home and at university, so the drive for sales is greater than ever.

The calendar first of all needed photographers and DMU Equestrian is extremely lucky to have two of De Montfort’s top photography students working alongside them for the year. Keegan Rigby and Zoe Nickola Walker had their cameras at the ready to shoot the calendar for our budding Equestrians. The 2013/2014 DMU Equestrian Committee were the first to be shot with some exciting dressage and show jumping photos to be taken, riding the horses that the teams train on every week allowing this years calendar to be the most personable and adventurous ever!

The number of girls who volunteered to do this years calendar was the biggest turnout ever with a mix of our top team riders, committee members and also our beginner group and social members. This reflects how much the society has grown and developed in the last few years with more and more people getting involved with Equestrian sport at De Montfort University. The day was a huge success and every single girl who took part left the yard with a smile on her face knowing that they have helped a really good cause. 

The calendar offered a good volunteering opportunity for the students and was also a chance for our society members to bond and have an inspiring day out doing something unique and for a good cause. Becky Shraga, one of the DMU Equestrian committee members said it was a “Fabulous day out for all with a lovely group of girls battling against the weather getting their kit off, all in the name of charity, a true display of teamwork from all.”

The society is hoping to sell a record number of calendars to make sure the charity benefits to the absolute maximum with calendars to go on sale for £5.00 each at Witham Villa, the DSU shop and through all of our Equestrian members. The true stars of the day were the DMU Equestrian girls who took part and their dedication and bravery to the charity sending a positive and empowering message to all young women about body image and being truly comfortable in your own skin. This is yet another inspiring impact of producing the calendar and DMU Equestrian are only too excited to reveal it in the coming weeks.

DMU Equestrian Promo at Witham Villa Riding Centre
Photography by Keegan Rigby and Zoe Walker

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Horse Care Day 2013

As many avid Equestrian's will already appreciate, owning your own horse is no easy task, however rewarding it may be. On Thursday 7th of November 8 of DMU Equestrian's newest members and beginner rider's travelled up to yard for an alternative experience for a day of horse care and stable management. At DMU Equestrian the focus isn't just on riding, but also on the care and management of the horses and ponies we ride, with a lot to learn the day was to be a first for some who came with no prior knowledge of horse care at all!

Sarah Churchill with instructor Chan Martin
riding Breeze

The day started with some top demonstrations from the committee on how to groom including what brushes to use and how to safely put on a head collar and rug. The members paired up and were given a 30 minute grooming session to perfect and pretty up their ponies before riding later in the day showing off all the skills they have learnt. With four super groomed and turned out ponies, Chairperson Jenny Walker then gave two intriguing talks about feed and how to keep your horse or pony super healthy with a trip to the tack room to talk about all the equipment needed to ride!

The groups were then taken to have a 45 minute lesson with some excellent progress being shown by our weekly beginner rider's who are aiming to achieve their stages in the rainbow award scheme ran at Witham Villa. With some brilliant independent trot and walk work demonstrated by our new riders they all untacked independently and put some of the skills they acquired from the day to good use.

Amy Wright showing off her tack checking
skills with Suski

The team all got their hands dirty mucking out the ponies and haying them all in the afternoon, learning that having your own horse or pony is all about hard work in order to get all the rewards of riding. With the hard work all over and the day coming to a close, the rider's all went and had a well earned cup of tea before the award ceremony at the end of the day. The group were each given a certificate stating their completion of the horse care day with De Montfort as well as a red rosette to celebrate their hard work and development as equestrian enthusiasts!


This was a first for the committee who have never ran a horse care day before and judging by the smiles and satisfaction of the beginners who took part, it was a huge success. A special thanks as always to Witham Villa and the amazing staff including Chan Martin and Sarah Frisby who taught both groups on the day and are helping them on their way to becoming top riders.

Equestrian is a sport that has many highs and lows and requires a level of determination that cannot be taught simply through riding school tuition. It is the ability to be able to pick yourself up and carry on no matter what, without letting something as simple as falling off to get you down. Unlike most sports, Equestrian's rely upon a strong mental as well as physical capacity in order to help them progress as individuals. With high hopes for our beginner rider's DMU Equestrian is hoping to see them all progressing as much as possible with some potential team rider's for next year!

The successful team of the day with their well earned
certificates and rosettes.

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British Dressage Prelim

Today took a different turn for DMU Equestrian as two riders went off to compete in the unaffiliated British Dressage Preliminary classes at Witham Villa Riding Centre. Becky Shraga competed in the Prelim 18 with Willow and Jenny Walker in the Prelim 13 with Victor. The class includes the riding school horses from Witham Villa as well as local riders who travel in with their own horses to compete in the classes aswell.

An early start for all taking part as the preparations for dressage are rigorous with lots of plaiting, grooming and tack cleaning to make sure the horses are in tip top condition and look as smart as the riders competing. There was a varying numbers of competitors in each class with junior and senior classes taking place as well as affiliated and British Riding Club riders taking part throughout the day. As a registered British Dressage yard DMU Equestrian are very lucky to be able to compete at Witham Villa and two of our riders used their dressage horses to do their tests.

Becky Shraga and Willow in Prelim 18

Becky Shraga was the first rider for DMU to take part representing the university team in her DMU colours stock on Willow, a striking black Welsh Section D mare who is part of the riding school horses used at Witham. Her Prelim was the 18 test with lots of bending and serpentines to really test the fluidity and accuracy of both horse and rider with a soft contact to be maintained throughout. A lovely accurate test rode by both who are currently preparing for DMU Equestrian B Team home competition in just 3 weeks time at Witham Villa.

Jenny Walker and Victor in Prelim 13

Jenny Walker competed in the Prelim 13 with Victor, a Dutch Warmblood who has competed in Dressage in Holland. Jenny has rode Victor in various University BUCS competitions and today was her first British Dressage ride on him, a new experience for both parties. As a keen dressage rider, Jenny rode a very positive and accurate test, carrying Victor forward in all paces with a soft contact maintained throughout. This test included a give and re take of the reins as well as quick walk trot transitions meaning a strong forward leg is required to keep the fluidity and consistency within the horse throughout. A surprise was however gained as a result of her hard work and harmony with this charming gelding as she gained a fabulous 66.25% which pushed her to achieve the red ribbon coming first in the class.

As the last of the British Dressage competitions come to a close, February will see some more of our riders at DMU taking part in the Prelim and Novice classes hoping to gain some more confidence and success to lead into the BUCS season!