Bluebell Ride 7th May (Report by Michele Hancock)
The bluebell ride proved very popular this year, being over subscribed before the last entry date. The morning turned out wet, much to everyone surprise, but it didn�t dampen anyone�s spirits, everyone was still keen to ride out, albeit with soggy maps, I had my fingers crossed hoping no-one got lost. Luckily everyone came back in one piece, some mud splattered! Refreshments of homemade cake, provided by Keiren Gregory, was very much appreciated. Thank you Kieren.

Combined Training, Dene Farm, Saturday 10 May 2008
Many thanks to all the helpers who made this event run smoothly. Results are below and relevant trophies will be awarded at the next presentation evening.

Dressage to Music 26th May (Report by Karen Knowlton)
Chilworth were able to enter Elaine Buist & Gypsy Rose & Bridget Storer & Music Master in the Novice Section for those with no British Dressage Points, & Deborah Leabeater & The Charmer & Penny Scaife & Silver Gilham Serenade in the Novice Section with British Dressage points.

In the Elementary we were represented by Cassie Scaife & UBS, Mandy Keen & BB�s Jacaranda & Maria Hoare & Midsummer Madness, sadly our pairs entry of Penny & Bridget had to withdraw as Paddy & Mac were not too happy about sharing an arena leading up to the event so rather than have a problem they decided to concentrate on their individual tests instead which proved most beneficial to Gilham as he was very enthusiastic on the day and finished 6th well done Penny her music suited Gilham and it was obvious they both enjoyed themselves, nearly as much as Deborah & Charles, it was Deborah�s ambition to ride to some Tina Turner music, sadly I�m not sure that the Judge was quite so keen on the choice of music but Charles was as well behaved as ever & Deborah rode a lovely powerful test & came out of the arena beaming.

Rosie was not too impressed at having Music surrounding her from above at X and proceeded to try to make a hasty exit from the arena with a few airs above the ground, but Elaine was determined that she would complete the required movements and still managed to finish at G when the music ended, well done Elaine.
Bridget & Mac went really well but he was a little surprised when the music started, so began with a bit of a leap forward and then pretended that he hadn�t seen white boards before, but Bridget rode him beautifully & executed a good test with music timed perfectly to him especially his canter.
Cassie & Paddy once again commanded the audience�s attention when they did their test, Paddy is so obedient & Cassie rides him with such style, they were foot perfect & finished a well deserved 3rd.
Mandy Keen & Jess were a delight to watch, the difference shown between the Medium & collected canter was so clear and the lateral work was perfect it all went well with the music they were rewarded by the Judge with the top score & therefore won the class which means they will be off to the championships in the autumn, well done.
Maria & Summer can pride themselves in some wonderful Medium trot work, but Summer does find it rather exciting and really would rather Maria let her do that all the time, they are working at doing things a little slower next time!!
Sadly Caroline Marsh & Lucky could not compete as he lost a shoe, but Caroline & Cheryl came to support, as did Maddie Moulsley, David Leabeater, Jo Buist & David, thanks to all.

Rider Biomechanics Demo

This was a very informative and well attended evening with a lecture demonstration given by Sarah Cruikshank, a very experienced and knowledgeable physiotherapist who works with a wide range of horses and riders. She started with an overview of Biomechanics and how this is relevant to riders, discussing the importance of balance and symmetry in our posture and the way imbalances can have a dramatic effect on our horses. She then moved on to a practical demonstration with the help of our three brave guinea pigs, Jo Buist with Maisie, Karen Knowlton with Lloyd and Anne Bridgeman with Sox. These poor souls were required to take off rather a lot of clothing and have coloured dots stuck all over them so that the rest of us could assess their posture in detail! The stickers helped to highlight any crookedness, for example a dropped shoulder or twisted pelvis. Sarah then showed us how she would use sports tape to either activate or �switch off� certain muscles in order to straighten and therefore rebalance the rider. I think everyone present would agree that the difference was significant in all three riders � and horses!

Due to the popularity of this subject, we are hoping to arrange a clinic with Sarah where she will provide the opportunity to be assessed and treated either with or without a horse at a reduced rate for CRC members. Details will be included in a future newsletter � watch this space!