Arrow at RDA Regionals 2015
On Wednesday 27th May, the Arrow team (including four riders, two horses, several staff members and a wealth of supporting family and friends) travelled round the M25 to Penniwells RDA Centre in Herts to compete in the RDA Regional Qualifiers. Joined by many other riders from the Greater London Region, Hannah Clarke, Emily Hall, Monique Lock and Katherine Mannion competed in Dressage, with two of them also taking part in the Countryside Challenge.
Despite some administration mishaps throughout the day which meant that both Emily & Hannah completed dressage tests that they’d never seen before Wednesday, our riders all performed very strongly showing great talent, walking away with several 1st and 2nd Place rosettes between them! This result meant that all four riders qualified to compete in the RDA Nationals at Hartpury College in July, and we are very proud of them.
Val Blake, the Arrow group organiser was very pleased with the outcome. “Our riders have worked very hard to reach this stage, which is the first step towards a National title. We’re always looking to the future, and this could also be the first step towards a rider performing on an international or Paralympic platform!”
All four girls looked very smart in their turnout, and thanks to the hard work of the Arrow staff who were there on the day (Holly, Shannen, Lacey & Luca), our horses Hugo and Paddy looked exceptionally smart too! The entire team were in sync, with even matching uniforms, leading to a very smooth run of events.
Clockwise from top left - Hannah & Paddy, Monique & Hugo, Emily & Paddy, Katherine & Hugo
The Regionals are the perfect opportunity for riders to experience the excitement of competing,” says Val. “It’s a chance to see what they are capable of outside Arrow, and when everyone at the competition is looking to achieve their best, it really is a matter of ability rather than disability.”
Everyone here is really looking forward to Hartpury in July, and would like to thank everyone who has made it possible - to Penniwells for being such excellent hosts, and to all of the Arrow team - without the hard work and dedication of our staff, volunteers, organisers, drivers and our riders' dedicated family and friends, we would not have managed to have such a successful day.
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