Lincolnshire Horse Trials 2013
by Baron Halpenny, LincsMag Editor.
Date: 18 March 2013
The annual Lincolnshire Horse Trials took place this March at the Lincolnshire Showground from Friday 15th to Sunday 17th and despite the wet weather, was still good fun as it put competitors through their paces.
Organised by the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society, the Lincolnshire Horse Trials is a popular and well-established equine event that being held early in the season, attracts national and international riders keen to not only test themselves but also study their competitors form.
Leading riders and novices alike compete at Pre Novice, Novice and Intermediate level over the three days, where each day is focused on a particular class, giving visitors the chance to see all events each day, dressage, show jumping and cross country.
Director and Course Designer
The ground is free draining and flat thus the lack of hills makes it a good early season tester but also a challenge for the course designer, Charles Hood, to still make the course demanding and a real test for both horse and rider.
Charles, a true gentleman of the old school, has been associated with the Lincolnshire Horse Trials from when it first started in the early 1980’s before becoming in the 1990’s its Director and Course Designer, so if anyone knows the course and terrain well, it's Charles.
Course builder, Robert Heneage and his team, had been working on the fences since just after Christmas in preparation for these 3 days of the Horse Trials, such is the time, effort and dedication that is given. Over 100 volunteers helped with the event and throughout the event itself, Robert and team could be seen fixing and checking the course.
A couple of days before the event, two charming ladies, Ivy Stubley and Gemma Carpenter from DSC Equestrian Services, were putting the silk flowers around the fences and bringing that extra colour to the course. This was the first time that the Lincolnshire Horse Trials had used silk flowers.
Eventing
Eventing, or as it is also known, Horse Trials, has a military background with its roots deep in Cavalry exercises and is in fact an equestrian triathalon, with the three disciplines, or Phases, being, Dressage, Show Jumping and Cross Country jumping.
Phase 1 - Dressage
The dressage phase, which is held first is made up of an exact sequence of movements, each movement marked out of a maximum score of 10. It is ridden in a semi-enclosed grass arena.
Phase 2 – Show Jumping
The Show Jumping tested the technical jumping skills of the horse and rider, including suppleness, obedience, fitness and athleticism.
Phase 3 – Cross Country
There were 85 jumping efforts over 3 courses with of course the Intermediate getting the more challenging ones.
Horse and rider had to be in excellent physical shape and work as one as they navigated their way around their around their particular class route, though as is often the case things didn’t go to plan for some.
There is indeed braveness, experience and a trust that is crucial between horse and rider for one to do well in this type of event.
An interesting area of the course, and there were several, was the Anvil jump and just after it the Horseshoe jump. The Anvil was carved out of a tree stump that was there after the council had said the tree had to be removed. It really was beautifully done and looked impressive.
Running Order At The Event
Each day of this three day event was focussed on a particular class, giving the visitors the chance to see all the events each day, cross country, dressage and show jumping.
Friday 15th March:
BE100 and Open BE100 classes
8am Dressage
8.40am Show jumping
9.30am Cross country
5pm Approximate finishing time
Saturday 16th March:
Novice and Open Novice plus Pony Trial dressage and show jumping
8am Dressage
8.40am Show jumping
9.30am Cross country
5pm Approximate finishing time
Sunday 17th March:
Internediate and Open Intermediate classes plus Pony Trial cross country
9am Dressage
8.50am Show jumping
9am Cross country plus Pony Trial Cross country
5pm Approximate finishing time
First Class Event
The event once more was ably handled by Secretary Anne Whitton, along with all who assisted at Lincolnshire Horse Trials and helped to make this a first class event, despite the awful wet weather.
Results can be found on the Burghley direct web page HERE!
Facebook Picture Album
To see more pictures from the Lincolnshire Horse Trials 2013, visit the Album on our Facebook page HERE!
