News and Results

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2011 party and AGM: 12 December 2011
A bit later this year so we can be even more riotous and Christmassy. AGM at 7 follow by drinks and a chance for a good chinwag with your riding pals. Reading  Room, Chalfont St Giles, opposite the butcher, the baker, the candlestick-maker (green-grocer).

Hodgemoor mini-cross-country 6 November 2011
15 riders competed in the mini-XC at Homefarm Orchard; a couple of new jumps, white and red marker flags, a bogey time to aim for and a cool sunny morning so everyone had fun. Home advantage to the Hodgemoor chairman Marcus Bicknell, whose new horse Bally now lives on the field next door. He won by only one point from last year's winner Chris Edmunds on Spotty, whose time was exactly the bogey time, to the second, but who had a course mistake and one jump done in the wrong order. You can check the full results by clicking on Hodgemoor Challenge results; the results are on the tab "6Nov11" at the bottom, and the overall standings on the tab "Standings". Chris Edmunds takes the lead in the standings, chased by Monique Millington, Susie Bicknell and Jo O'Mahony. We will decide before the AGM whether to call the Challenge 2011 on these results or to continue it into next year.

Hodgemoor Challenge dates and results: just click on the link.

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Pony and Pimms results: 22 May 2011
This unusual event saw riders undertaking Working Equitation exercises like bendy poles, figure of eights, reinback, over a bridge, picking up a hoop on a pole and picking up a jug of Pimms. Yes, they got a drink afterwards! Winner was Tim Taylor on Arqueiro followed by Fleur Cunningham and, in equal third, Nicky West and Jade Blake. You can download results here; if you competed you will see your detailed scores on one of the tabs at the bottom of the sheet. The updated Hodgemoor Challenge sheet can be downloaded here.

Le Trec event 9 April 2011
      The annual Hodgemoor LE TREC event was held in dazzling sunlight and 20°C warmth on Saturday 9th April. This French-originated discipline tests riders and horses in three phases... a) precision riding obstacles, b) control of paces and c) orienteering with map and compass in the woods. Sarah Lowe was the overall winner, with Andrea Mayo on her daughter Caitlin's pony second. Pip and Chris Edmunds were third and fourth. In the three phases, Tracey Cook was best in the obstacles, Geoff Gudgion (on the chairman's Bally) in the control of paces, and Sarah Lowe in the orienteering along with her riding partners Chrissie and Hannah West. Quite a few riders did not do the orienteering phase so did not score those points, so the details of all three phases are given in the results. Photos at http://www.jnaphotography.com/ . Complete results including the sheet for each rider at www.hodgemoor.org.uk/downloads/letrec_results_9Apr2011.xls Hodgemoor Challenge points will be updated during the week.

New Riding Trail Official Opened 2 April 2011
      BBC Breakfast’s Bill Turnbull kindly made the time to open the new riding trail in Hodgemoor Woods on Saturday 2nd April 2011. He was the guest of the Hodgemoor Riding Association and Forestry Commission in the heart of the woods with about a hundred assorted riders and walkers.
     The Hodgemoor Riding Association celebrated its tenth anniversary by opening a new riding trail in Hodgemoor Woods, in cooperation with the Forestry Commission.  In the last 10 years, the Hodgemoor Riding Association has raised nearly £100,000 towards maintaining the trails, making Hodgemoor Woods a much pleasanter environment for walkers, cyclists and horseriders alike.  Local celebrity Bill Turnbull has kindly agreed to cut the tape and open this addition to the existing network. 
     “Hodgemoor is an outstanding facility,” says Turnbull, “a real oasis of calm in the local area.  Trails like the network maintained by the Hodgemoor Riding Association allow everyone to enjoy the space – from horse riders to dog walkers like me.  I’m delighted we have such an active group, and I’m looking forward to making good use of the new trail.”
     Marcus Bicknell, Chairman of Hodgemoor Riding Association, commented; “Our association is thriving.  Buckinghamshire has one of the highest concentrations of riders in the country, and we now have over 250 members.  Our partnership with the Forestry Commission means that those members have access to over 4 km of safe, off-road trails in a beautiful location. It’s to the credit of the riders that all these improvements are at their own cost; funds are raised by riding events, the annual Hodgemoor Hoedown and £5 each in annual subscriptions. But we aren’t only thinking of the riding community; we recognise that horses can damage surfaces – they can’t help it – so we concentrate on building and maintaining trails that can be enjoyed by walkers and cyclists as well as riders, and which leave the walkers’ parts of the woods free of the morass of mud which existed ten years ago. All users can be proud of the extraordinary amenity available to us.”
    Picture: Jo Mason and Bill Turnbull were awarded specially-inscribed rosettes thanking them for their cooperation in the opening of the trail.

• Susie Bicknell (after whom the new trail is named), Secretary, Hodgemoor Riding Association.
• Marcus Bicknell, Chairman, Hodgemoor Riding Association, 
• Jo Mason, Chilterns Beat Forester, Forestry Commission, South East England, 
• Bill Turnbull, BBC Breakfast presenter, 
• Geoff Gudgion, Hodgemoor Riding Association, Events Coordinator, 

     The new trail is open to all users including riders and cyclists (but no motorised vehicles are permitted on any Forsetary Commission land). Click here to see the map page or here to download the map in printable pdf  form. Have fun!

Motorbikes in Wood - you can help
     A girl out in the woods on Saturday afternoon 19 March 2011 with Aescwood Riding School was taken to Wexham Hospital after falling off because the ride was confronted by 3 motorbikes. Luckily her injuries were not serious. The police came quickly with a helicopter and cautioned one of the bikers under Section 59. The other two escaped. The reason the police came was because they had had several calls about the bikers from Audrey's staff, Judith Broadley, other riders and walkers . The police have now flagged Hodgemoor as a priority when they get calls. So PLEASE PLEASE put this number on your mobile phone 0845 850 5505 and call them direct rather than calling us: it is the number of calls the police receive that makes them react (plus an accident, sadly). So lots of calls from you rather than one call from us will have better and quicker results.

Classified Ads. You can now post you own adverts on this web site, like items and horses for sale or wanted. No charge. 

Strangles: everyone must be vigilant all the time
     You are probably aware that there is a small case of strangles at one local stable. Three horses were affected in late 2011, one case with symptoms and 2 horses tested positive but with no symptoms. So far only the one horse has shown symptoms and we will let you know when the yard is clear.  Please call 07766 731831 for more information on this occurrence and the new page on our web site for information about how you can help reduce future outbreaks. Posted 3 Jan 2011

The Hodgemoor Challenge Trophy: Press release
HODGEMOOR CHALLENGE AWARDS IN CHALFONT ST GILES: CLEAN SWEEP FOR EDMUNDS FAMILY

The 2010 Hodgemoor Challenge trophies were awarded at the annual get-together of the Hodgemoor Riding Association in November. The Challenge started in 2010 and will continue every year. It's designed to encourage riders of all talents to compete in a variety of disciplines in the local area; this year 88 riders competed in 14 rounds of dressage, show jumping, cross country and Le Trec. The champion, junior champion and 5 other winners walked off with a mass of silverware and vouchers worth over £900 provided by trade sponsors in the area, Southbank Photographic, Chalfont Saddlery, Aescwood Riding School, Barton Reynolds Motors and Pristine Paddocks. The 2010 Champion is Pip Edmunds from Stoke Poges riding Irish Mist, while her husband Chris Edmunds was second. The Junior Champion (under 15 years old) is Ms. Charlie Hertel who works at the Edmunds’s stable. The complete list of winners is ...

Overall:
1 Pip Edmunds on Irish Mist
2 Chris Edmunds on Tyersal Souix
3 Sarah Kane on Barley

Junior category:
1 Charlie Hartell on Misbrooks Kangaroo
2 Marie Chatterton on Heltondale Ruby III
3 Sarah Witty on Little Tommie

The Special Achievement trophy was won by one of the youngest competitors, 10-year-old Charlie Swerling of Chalfont St Giles. The judges said “Charlie earned this award notably for the excellent placing at the 7th March dressage in which he came 1st overall (including the seniors) in the Class 1 Section A competition, the first time he had ever competed in dressage. He has shown determination and talent in undertaking a technical discipline like dressage, against the seniors, on horseback.”

Press release in pdf here. More details on the Hodgemoor Challenge Trophy page. Click here for entry form and details of sponsors, rules and prizes. The results of events are on the same page: look for the calendar and click on a results link.

If you want to know the location of our mini cross country field, it's under the letters "Cha" of Chalfont St Giles on the map at http://www.hodgemoor.org.uk/downloads/map.pdf

If you would like to prepare yourself for the layout of mini cross-country jumps, the plan is at http://www.hodgemoor.org.uk/downloads/hodgemoor_cross_country.pdf 
 

Membership needed to ride in the woods
After 18 months' consultation, it was decided in October 2007 to make membership compulsory for riding on the permissive trails in Hodgemoor Wood. Following the contract (download a copy) between the Hodgemoor Riding Association and the Forestry Commission for our use of the wood, it is indeed now obligatory to be a member if you want to ride on the permissive trails in the wood. With a modest membership fee of £15 (or £10 for a standing order), the time had come to encourage all local riders to participate in maintaining the trails in the Woods. You can look at the reasons for the decision in the consultation paper. Contact Susie Bicknell 01494 872447 or email susie@hodgemoor.org.uk or download the membership form and standing order mandate form in the blue column to the left..

Current Links
Map of the Mini Cross-Country Course with new jumps in 2008 Remember that members can rent this XC field at any time, £5 per person. Call Susie 01494 872447
Riding by Permit Only: Consultation Paper Click here to down load
What is Le Trec?
Agreement between us and Forestry Commission, complete text (new July 2008)
AGM Minutes October 2009
Classified ads

Some of our previous events: 

We have added an ARCHIVE page to the web site so that we can keep the announcements and news over the years, without cluttering up the front page. Please click here for the archive page.

4 June 2011 Hodgemoor Hoedown 
17th July 2010. The first Hodgemoor Hoedown was at Flexmore Farm, Bottrells Lane, Chalfont St Giles - a barn dance to live music by ‘The Mad Hatters’ - Ceilidh & Country Band. Sumptuous Hog Roast & Vegetarian BBQ. Licenced Bar – tombola.  150 good souls came along, had a laugh whilst supporting the efforts to keep the trails in the woods in good nick! 
Saturday 18 April 2009 10-13h. Unaffiliated Le Trec Competition
Saturday 28th March 2009: Wendover Woods Ride: Box to near RAF Halton for a rare opportunity to ride in picturesque hilly woods with views of the Vale of Aylesbury. Half a dozen riders has a terrific 2 hour hack.
Saturday 3rd January 2009 @11am - Clinic. SUE EDWARDS (British Eventing Accredited Trainer, 3 Day Event & Dressage Rider, Member of B.E Coach Development Program).