The sun comes up on Fig Tree Pocket
I’m not sure what it is, but every time the Fig Tree Pocket committee schedule a one day event, it rains. The club’s survived muddy paddocks, torrential rain, even floods, whatever it is Fig Tree Pocket ODE sure knows how to attract the rain. It’s been dry for weeks, my plants were wilting, the dog bowl kept evaporating and the lawn was brown. Yet sure as clockwork in the early hours before the September ODE the sky opened up and down came the rain. Only this time it was welcome, the thunderstorm helping to settle the dust on the arena and soften the ground for the cross country.
The beautiful dressage arenas
More than 140 competitors enjoyed the changes made to the Fig Tree Pocket ODE grounds at the recent one day event where the Fig Tree Pocket committee and members have been working hard behind the scenes to improve the course for dressage, showjumping and cross country. After teething problems with the arena it has now been completely re-worked and rode well. The club was determined to have a rider-pleasing sand arena and organised to have the whole space re-graded after feedback from riders and after this work the comments that had back were positive.
Improvements had been made to the cross country course
A new jump was added to the cross-country warm up area, which will be added to the course for the next event and there were two new brush jumps and a fantastic new large log fence. The other significant change was the finish flags were moved ,so those completing the course were no longer flying into the warm up and start box area.
This little horse looks happy to pop over the house fence
In the FEI Classes Indira Werny on Balmoral Dr Magic took out the 2** while Shane Eden on Edenvale Joshua finished first in the 1*. Other winners were; EVA105 – Stephanie McKay on Monte Argo EVA 105J – Marnie Woodhead on Chanels Will EVA95 - Brianne Heffernan on Kinnordy Gymara EVA95J – Justine Streater on Worrego Marco Polo EVA80 – Gillian Coote on Cushavon Softee EVA80J – Emma Taylor on Just My Style .
A bit of shade always adds to the comfort of the hard working volunteers
The enthusiastic committee now have less than a month until they do it all again and the cross country course is now closed prior to the next event on October 26 and 27 (entries are now open on Nominate). The members and committee of Fig Tree Pocket Equestrian Club would like to thank the following companies and individuals for their help in running the Fig Tree Pocket event:
Horseland Jindalee
BDO Brisbane
Techinical Delegate Des Hughes
Course Designer David Duffy
Scorers Miriam Newitt and Kevin Foster
Show Jump Course builders Graeme Watts and Ruth Jeffery
Dressage Judges Irene Bakels-Noreen; Carole Tozer; Trish Braithwaite; Tania Macdonald; Madeline van Hattem; Lyn McGann; Clare Matthews and Jan Dahl
Sector controllers Paula Barlow; Steve Wolstenholme and Jeff Palmer.
Article by Meryn Cooper (Zebramez Media)
Photos with thanks to Miriam Newitt
