The National Side-Saddle Show
The Three Counties Showground,
Malvern, Worcestershire
Friday to Sunday, August 4 - 6, 2000
"Malvern"--the culmination of the
British side-saddle riding world's year. By Sunday evening over 170
combinations of horse and rider from all over Britain will have competed in the
60 all-side-saddle classes in the world's biggest side-saddle show. 90 of them
will have qualified at equestrian shows all over the United Kingdom since last
year's Show.
The National Show includes the Langston &
Caldene Side-Saddle Equitation Championships--five classes at different age or
skill levels. They demonstrate the Association's concentration, before all
else, on developing and improving riding skills.
The annual battle for the title of Side-Saddle
Rider of the Year, currently held by Liz Rogers, from Roger Philpot's yard at
Pittern Hill, Warwickshire, will be fought about 5.30 pm on the Saturday, and
Liz will attempt to pull off a hat-trick.
Susannah Unwin, from Baythorne, Essex, will be
competing in her last National Show as a Junior. She, too, aims to retain her
title, as Junior Side-Saddle Rider of the Year, for the third year running.
The National Show has run annually ever since the
Side Saddle Association was founded in 1974. Originally a one-day show, it has
steadily expanded over the years to its present three-day format: unaffiliated
dressage (B.D. levels range from Preliminary to Elementary) on Friday,
equitation and other major Championships on Saturday, show-jumping on Sunday.
The Show Director is Joanna Gillespie, from Vicarage Farm Stables and of
Richmond Horse Show fame.
This is not exclusively a Championship Show. It
includes opportunities for everyone to enjoy themselves riding side-saddle,
regardless of levels of experience and skill (or age--the youngest entry so far
comes from a four-year-old; while we don't ask the Mature Riders to declare
their ages, as long as they at least appear to be over 50 years of age), and
includes numerous showing classes. For those who love dressing up, there are
fancy dress and costume classes, in which ingenuity (if not absolute historical
accuracy) is given full rein.
Horses range in size from 11.1 hh to 18.1 hh.
Breeds are not taken into consideration.
For the less seriously equestrian-minded, Friday
evening also sees a fun dog show. There almost any canine can, and does, win
(never heard of a Best Barker class?); while Saturday evening closes to a
disco, with a DJ this year from Blackpool Tower.
Late entries are still coming in (now at a modest
surcharge). As they "officially" closed on July 8, latecomers, other
than late qualifiers, must expect disappointments, especially in open and
"Adults Only" dressage classes--several of them are already
over-subscribed.
Visitors from outside Britain (Holland and France
especially come to mind) attend the National Show regularly, and competitors
from the US have entered in recent years. A feature this year is hoped (though
not yet certain) to include a display, side-saddle of course, by a trio of
Shetlands from France.
Visiting the Show involves no cost other than
travel (and accommodation). The Three Counties Show Ground is well sign-posted
from the M5 and M50 motorways. Enter by the Yellow Gate, follow the sign-posts
to the Side Saddle Association's show; and then just wander round the rings--up
to five of them going at any one time.
For full details of the extensive programme, see
the Side Saddle Association's web site at
www.equiworld.com/ssa.
Or e-mail
100600.1531@compuserve.com for the 24-page Schedule
(also available on request in .pdf format).
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