RAFEA CHAMPIONSHIPS 11 & 12 SEPTEMBER 2010

1. TheAnnual RAF Equitation Association Championships were held over the weekend of11-12 Sep 10 at RAF Cranwell. Theevent consisted of dressage and showjumping on the Sat and showjumping andcross-country on the Sun. It waswell attended with representatives from across the RAF and from the RN andArmy. It was, however, somewhatdisappointing that many of the more experienced riders from the Armed Servicewere absent.

2. Althoughthe weather began somewhat wet and cloudy on the Sat morning – the dressageclasses went ahead and finished as the sun appeared at lunchtime. The subsequent much sunnier afternoonmeant that the weather was ideal for the showjumping and the ground proved tobe perfect for the horses. Nextyear, all the showjumping will be held on the Sat afternoon, to ensure that thecross-country on the Sun morning receives the full attention of both thehelpers and competitors.

3. Thegood weather continued into Sun to provide an ideal day for the cross-countryclasses. Those who had noexperience of cross-country were able to do a triers’ course which wasextremely popular (many of the entries managed to stay attached to theirhorses) and will be retained for next year. There were pairs and team competitions, but these were verypoorly subscribed and subsequently will not be run next year. Although the open x-country and one-dayevent had no entries, these classes will be retained for next year as it ishoped that those who went well in the intermediate class will now move up to amore challenging test.

4. Theevent would not have been possible without the help of the RAF Cranwell SaddleClub, OACTU and local ATC cadets from Newark.