From 11th – 13th April SCDC Members took up camp at Arena UK in Lincolnshire and represented the Wessex ICD Region – not only competing with their ponies and horses but as Secretaries, Stewards, Commentators, Cooks and Judges. Well done to all who took part and also those that helped make such a great event possible.

TEAM WESSEX RESULTS
Novice Junior – Meredith Harper-Colman 6th | Novice Pony – Teresa White 8th | Open Pony – Cazzy Glennie 12th | Open Pony – Sue Bull 13th

Hear from Meredith Harper-Colman – Junior Novice placed 6th

“When I first found out that I qualified for Nationals, I was so excited because it was my first stay away show, also I hadn’t realised throughout the season I was doing so well, I didn’t ever appear to be placed very high up so to qualify was a real shock.”

The Journey. “On Friday morning, I went to the yard and we got Patch ready to head off to the Nationals with lots of time to spare to sort everything out once we were there. It took a long time in the lorry, just under 6 hours in total, but having Hugo to keep us all company (he’s 7!), snacks & games it made the journey more fun. When we got to the entrance, I was so happy the drive was now over and I was also scared because it started to get real!”

Exploring Arena UK. “First, we had to find a spot to park and then find Patch’s stable so that we could make his bed and settle him in. This was Patches first stay away show & the furthest he had ever been, he travelled like a pro & settled into his stable. Whilst Patch was making himself at home, Ellie, Carly, Hugo and I went to watch other people do their obstacles. I did not realise how big the arena was going to be, I was flabbergasted!”

Settling In. “Afterwards Carly and I went to walk the cones, I was nervous that I would forget the course because it was a bit twisty, and I had to remember it overnight. However, after I had walked it multiple times I was pretty sure I knew it off by heart. We then headed to get Patch ready for the carriage to get him used to his surroundings and to make sure he was listening to what I was asking him to do & he was happy with the surroundings.”

“When my Mum and Dad then arrived and we went to our Airbnb, I went to sleep pretty quickly that night after dinner. I had to wake up bright and early the next morning to get to Arena UK and I wanted to watch some cones before my dressage which was at 12noon so we had a pretty big time gap but it flew past with all my nerves.”

Dressage & Cones. “At 11am I plated Patch and before I knew it, I was in the warm up, he was so good and doing everything I asked him including an outline so I was feeling quite confident going into the dressage arena. As I did the test there were lots of ups and downs, let’s just say I didn’t think it was my best dressage but Carly assured me it was “wonderful”. All my doubts went away in the cones warm up as we were zooming and only touched one cone. I felt extremely positive going into the cones and all our training was put to good use as we came out of the cones 2nd with 2 seconds too slow and one ball off. I was ecstatic with these results but couldn’t get my hopes up too much as I still had the obstacles to go.”

Obstacles. “Me & Carly walked the obstacle course on Saturday evening, I was worried because I could not get the course into my brain but just told myself I was just tired and the next morning I found I remembered it quite well. In the warm up for the obstacles everyone was zooming round and kicking up the dust but not us as we had a tactic, back home I had got quite good at going round fast in a canter except no one knew we could do this as I had never cantered at the other competitions so we kept it a secret until we were in the arena.”

“In the collecting ring I was so nervous, and my mind went blank, I forgot the course! Yet I still managed to get a rough idea back into my head. When we went in, I had a huge rush of adrenaline and we went super fast into No.1, I did forget the course half way through but Carly got me out of it and into No.2, I didn’t forget it and it went really well with a speedy exit. When we went back into the collecting ring, I was convinced I had got eliminated but it turned out I hadn’t. When I went back into the arena for No.3 and No.4, I was much more optimistic because I had already done it once before so it was much smoother and we managed to get faster times.”

Results Time. “Back in the collecting ring we waited whilst everyone else did their rounds. Then I heard that I was in the top 6. I was not expecting this after our little blip in No.1. It turned out that we came 6th and Carly and I were extremely happy and I think Patch knew he did a fabulous job!”

“I would like to thank everyone at Southern Driving club for allowing me to represent them at the nationals, I had a wonderful time and I look forward to the 2025 season of events.”

Meredith Harper-Coleman

Big Thanks. “My Nationals experience wouldn’t have been possible without Carly who’s taught me to drive, given me the opportunity to compete a variety of ponies over the indoor season & allowed me to compete at different events. None of this would have been possible without the whole team, Patchworkstars is a wonderful team to be a part of & I am extremely thankful to be allowed these opportunities.”